Engaging end-users in creating data-intensive mobile applications: A creative ‘e-learning-by-doing’ approach

Engaging end-users in creative and experiential e-learning activities by giving them the ‘right tools’ can be viewed as a way to empower end-users in developing their own artifacts. The aim of this paper is to propose ‘e-learning-by-developing’, a creative learning-by-experience methodology, that can support end-users to develop data intensive mobile applications. The proposed learning approach aims to create a training model for the acquisition of knowledge and development of skills for database-driven applications, by promoting active participation of the-user in the development process. Preliminary experimental evaluation showed that end-users, with limited prior database knowledge and development background, were able to quickly and efficiently design a relational scheme and create a reusable database driven mobile application.