Mobile Learning

Abstract

As younger generations continue to grow and mature with mobile devices weaved into their lives, an expectation has formed to include these in as many ways as possible into all their activities. This demand has readily been felt in education. A learning evolution is occurring all over the world in environments from elementary settings to higher education. The public in general is thriving in a much larger universe, where education is no longer bound by walls or location. Instruction no longer needs to be performed in the present but rather at the fingertips of willing students equipped with tools that can access knowledge when they want it, where they want it, and with a critical openness to how much they want. Recently, there has been a strong desire to tap into this ubiquitous idea of learning in context, but where does one start? This article was written with the intent of expanding ideas on what mobile learning is, the possibilities that it holds to influence education both inside and outside the classroom, and how allied health educators may be able to incorporate mobile learning into their curricula.

As technology—in particular, mobile computing devices—continues to become available at astounding rates, more applications are being developed for their utilization in many prosaic ways. Tapscott ¹ argues that the Net generation is a major force in the change of our society. These learners are technology-savvy, and technology influences how they communicate, learn, play, and work to a much larger extent than that of previous generations. The methods with which society conducts business and banks, shops and consumes, plays and entertains, and learns and instructs continues to be profoundly affected by the use of mobile devices. The Asymco website recently reported that an estimated 49.5 million mobile applications are downloaded every day. ² Because of their reasonable cost, pervasive availability, and typical ease of use, mobile devices were expected to be used by 16 billion people in 2013. ³ By the year 2015, these mobile device users are expected to access the Internet through their devices rather than through their PCs or other wireline devices. ⁴ The Pew Research Center reports that 87% of smartphone owners access the Internet with their phones and 68% access it daily. ⁵ Even with these overwhelming statistics of diffusion and abundant number of applications, student-led educational opportunities are experienced with a less-than-expected vigor. Students are rarely directed or asked to use these tools for course work, nor are they made aware of their possible application outside the classroom, where a good deal of learning could occur.

As these communication devices continue to work their way into everyday moments, they have become an expectation: tools that students not only expect but want to use because they value the use of technology. ⁶ Many of these students belong to the Millennial or Net generation and have grown up surrounded by digital media; as such, they are accustomed to using communication technologies and digital media in their daily lives.^7,8

Most university students carry web-capable mobile devices, and they text-message and search webpages at all hours of the day. Yet, many educators in general—specifically, most higher education instructors—have yet to grasp the applicability of such devices or integrate mobile learning into their courses with any degree of expedition. ⁹ As research into mobile learning continues to grow, however, more educators are sharing their experiences with ubiquitous learning.^10-12 The plausibility of deepening student knowledge with immediate applicability while saving instructional time in class certainly is appealing. This article provides a general overview of mobile learning, or m-learning, explains its basic elements and characteristics, and describes the varied applications that allied health educators can utilize today. Potential drawbacks are also discussed to increase awareness of the issues that may be avoided for those who want to consider implementation of these tools into their curricula.

Mobile Learning Defined

Mobile learning, or m-learning, has been defined and redefined multiple times over the past few years.^11,13-15 As the definition continues to be clarified and as it evolves within different communities, its concept is simplistic: any sort of learning that occurs with a mobile device, when the learner is not tethered or fixed to a predetermined location. The objective of m-learning is to allow for ubiquitous learning, where educational content can be delivered and consumed at any time or in any location that the learner chooses. Many believe m-learning simply to be an extension of electronic learning, or e-learning,^15-17 while others believe that m-learning deserves its own pedagogical framework and theory, which can be based on its own merits and feasibility.^18,19 Despite the differences in opinion regarding a clear definition as its own entity or as its own learning model, one thing is for sure: To be successful, m-learning activities need to be more motivational, accessible, and interesting than traditional activities.

Drawbacks to M-learning

M-learning environments can provide new and exciting learning opportunities when key features are appreciated before implementation. However, whether mobile devices are used as an investigative tool, a communication tool, a simulator, or even a gaming tool, instructors should be aware of the potential drawbacks that learning on mobile devices can present, to avoid negative learning experiences. Due to the wide spectrum of types of mobile devices, there is no standardized operating platform. Therefore, it is often difficult to develop content for all mobile devices that all students can access with their particular devices. However, using a third-party service (such as iTunes U, SlideShare, ScreenCast, or Wimba) allows educators to stream their multimedia learning content to many operating platforms. There are also numerous commercial companies that allow educators to integrate course management systems or learning management systems, which are compatible with mobile devices. ²⁰ These systems typically allow instructors to distribute, over various operating platforms, documents, messages, videos, and presentations to learners who have established accounts.

The physical size of some devices, although good for carrying in a pocket, may result in screen sizes that are quite small. This outcome can lead to eyestrain for individuals who use them for extended periods, and some users may find it difficult to appreciate the interface and other visual information. Additionally, keypad or stylus pens are small and can be more difficult to utilize, especially if a good deal of input is required. It is imperative that instructors are aware of these limitations when they design course materials for distribution via mobile devices.

Another consideration is the limited battery life of most mobile devices. When instructors develop streaming modules or design instructional activities, they need to understand that downloading large files can take a long time. Instructors should develop instructional content that is easily viewable and not extensively interactive. Learners prefer to access short clips of rich information as opposed to large files with long explanations. Because of the limited storage capability of phones, users may have to upload files to a cloud computing service for viewing instead of downloading them to their phones.

Although the cost of smartphones, notebooks, laptops, and e-readers has decreased, not all learners will be able to purchase them. In addition to the initial purchase cost, users may have to purchase cellular service and data plans from network providers, depending on their needs for Internet access and storage capabilities. Prices of data plans vary per monthly data allowance. For learners on certain plans, a course with a large number of downloadable files and volume of data can be costly.

Instructors and instructional designers should keep in mind that most students cannot print from mobile devices (depending on the device and their location relative to a printer-enabled network). Learners may need technical support because of their technical skills and experience with m-learning. Other issues, such as limited Internet connections, may affect a learner’s m-learning experience. In some geographic areas, Internet connections may be unavailable or weak. For students who are trying to watch a presentation or download a large document, this may be frustrating and disappointing. All these negative attributes are tangibly real and must be considered when instructors wish to integrate m-learning into the curriculum.

Theoretical Advantages of Mobile Learning

Learning through direct experience, through action and reflection, is often difficult to impossible within the confines of a classroom. With mobile devices instantly accessing enormous amounts of information, the learning process can be changed from answer-driven students seeking expertise from the instructor to inquiry-driven learners collecting data from multiple resources. Socialized mobile learning can take place outside the classroom, involving entire groups of learners who communicate, negotiate, and collaborate with one another on given assignments or course challenges. Students are able to work in a structured environment posed by an instructor and mediated through their mobile devices. They are able to receive resources and gain authority and autonomy to seek and learn materials on their own time, controlling their own learning processes. The learning methodology can even be narrowed to the learner and the content alone, allowing for dynamic flexibility that, for many students, enhances their educative experiences. Learners can recognize and monitor growth with a subject on their own time and evaluate what their comfort level is with a concept. They may need to repeat an exercise, continue to progress through learning materials or certain activities, or stop what they are doing and revisit the material to study and practice at a deeper level.

Practical Applications

The ability to access learning content that can be instantly recovered and revisited while in the learning context lends to widespread applicability. ²¹ As a sonography student in her or his clinical rotation is tasked with performing a sonographic study to rule out a pediatric pyloric stenosis, it may behoove her or him to review a two-minute clip on the basics of that type of study. Before beginning a new unit or concept, instructors can send a text message to students reminding them of the required reading and concept mapping that should be completed before covering the information in class or online in a more formal manner. General updates or course changes can be pushed with text messaging. Blogs and wikis can be created for a particular class, allowing students to post questions at any time to the group and ask for assistance on a subject or situation they may have encountered while treating a patient. Social networking sites can be used to launch specific course sites into rich collaborative learning communities sharing experiences, thoughts, ideas, and solutions with peer groups. Using collaborative settings, structure and dialogue can evolve from being teacher centered to student centered, offering more interlearner dialogue and knowledge creation. ¹⁹ Traditional podcasts and video podcasts (vodcasts) can be uploaded to learning management systems for learners to access anytime. Mobile applications can be recommended by instructors and downloaded for learning domains such as physics, anatomy, physiology, patient care, and a multitude of other subjects. YouTube, the Khan Academy, and many websites can be accessed with an instructor’s keen direction as to content that is applicable, credible, and accurate. Multimedia messages (texts) can be sent to distribute graphics, video, and audio clips of learning content for students to access while in the learning context of a clinic or hospital. These types of online tutorials allow individual learners to engage in self-directed learning as they search for information and gain knowledge with minimal intervention from their instructor.

Mobile learning can also be a valuable tool within the face-to-face environment. Texting answers to questions posed by an instructor to a learning partner or allowing for anonymous postings of topics for class discussion can often facilitate more global perspectives and open sharing. Posing difficult questions to which students can search for answers on the web during class time and discuss answers openly can create learning opportunities for synthesis, evaluation, and reflection in the form of debate or competition. Creating questions that require research and exploration and sharing possible solutions with others facilitates classroom discussion and collaborative learning. Surveys and quizzes can be utilized during class time to assess students’ knowledge of a course area.

There are many commercial products that allow communication from multiple users in a dynamic fashion. Instructors can upload a quiz or survey, and instant audience feedback can be obtained in multiple formats. This allows instructors to immediately assess whether learners understand and grasp course work and to define areas that may need revisiting. An open forum can be created for students to text questions anonymously to the system pertaining to concepts that they still may not understand fully. Students may feel more comfortable asking questions when anonymity is ensured, and instructors can answer their questions immediately.

Before implementing mobile learning activities, instructors need to understand the demographics of their students. If mobile devices are not readily available to all learners, then in-class activities should be designed for pairs or teams of students to engage everyone. Classroom policies need to be in place to provide clear guidelines for the use of mobile devices (including cellular phones or smartphones) during class time. The goal of instructional activities should lead to increased student interaction and engagement rather than passive learning. ²² With proper forethought and well-designed activities, m-learning can offer a multitude of opportunities for student engagement and collaborative learning during class time and outside of class time in all learning environments.

Instructional designers and educators need to develop m-learning content that is autonomous, clear, and focused on quick and concise learning. ²³ If course files are made available for m-learning, they need to be downloadable to personal computers to allow for maximum flexibility. All students should be able to access and utilize course files with multiple devices and platforms at a time that is convenient to them.

Conclusion

It has become apparent that an evolution or at least a paradigm shift is occurring in education. There still exists the need for brick-and-mortar institutions, for experts to disseminate knowledge, and for students to make their own meanings from it. This learning environment may never go away, nor are we suggesting that it should. When one thinks and dreams about the many potentials that m-learning may bring to education, one may realize that the concept of “old school” may be at its peak of relevancy and applicability.

By integrating and utilizing m-learning technologies properly, educators have an opportunity to bring engagement and active learning to a new and profound height. Allowing students to explore meaningful learning experiences on their own and share them with others who seek that same type of knowledge at the same time is truly a task to which many educators strive. Most of all, to learn from your students as they assimilate knowledge and interpret their findings while digesting the experience that becomes a part of their education is a wonderful gift. In observing how students are actually learning, instructors may find themselves breaking away from the old academic model that has ruled our societal expectations for centuries.

Instructors of today may not be as prepared as they believe themselves to be if they have yet to consider m-learning for instruction or the potential that technology can deliver in designing their educational platforms. With multiple potentially profound and creative changes being brought forward, educators may actually be getting closer to the fundamental concepts that John Dewey professed a hundred years ago: “Learning needs to be driven by application.” ²⁴ Knowledge—its transfer and therefore transcendence—comes most appropriately when it can be used, not merely read. Is the advent of m-learning heightening Dewey’s educational paradigm? Today’s educators, if they seek the integration of mobile learning in their curricula, may possess the tools to allow students to interact with new knowledge, as opposed to passively learn it. Yet the question persists: Can educators begin to critically reflect on their current curriculum and the methods employed in delivering it? Are they as ready for an educative paradigm shift as their students are?