Easing into mobile learning

Abstract

Research has identified that students have access to and use a wide range of mobile devices to informally support their learning practices, however few students have access to educator-led initiatives to support mobile learning (Farley, Lane, Hafeez-Baig & Carter, 2014). Many educators are keen to leverage the affordances of mobile technologies to improve collaboration, interactivity and personalization within their courses, yet tight budgets and lack of training opportunities leave them wondering where to begin. This session will discuss a eight principles that have emerged from a recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Southern Queensland (USQ), in partnership with researchers at the Australian National University (ANU) and the University of South Australia (UniSA) (Farley, Murphy & Johnson, 2015). The aim of the project is to develop a Mobile Learning Evaluation Framework (MLEF) and is funded by the Australian Government’s Collaborative Research Network (CRN) program. The eight principles offer educators practical, low-cost tactics that will facilitate their engagement with mobile learning and encourage them to challenge their current teaching methods. This discussion will also report on the findings of the research on the differences between students studying primarily on-campus compared to those who study primarily in an online environment. This discussion will assist educators who have both on-campus and online students with adjusting their approach to ensure that all students have equal opportunities to maximize the benefits of mobile learning and feel included and integrated despite their geographic location.