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Mobile Learning: Perspective from Developing Country

Eloho Ifinedo

Background: Schools have been shaped and influenced by the various types of technology that have been witnessed in the past and present. Previously, information retrieval was paper based; examples are the use of textbooks and newspapers. Nowadays, informational retrieval can occur through the use of a mobile device. Some examples of mobile devices commonly used are laptops, tablets, smartphones and portable electronic devices. These emerging technologies pave the way for the progress of numerous prospects that enhance the learning process in such a manner that was not possible before now. Also, technology is seen as an opportunity for new experiences and learning which places demands for acquisition of new skills such as computational thinking, problem solving, innovative product creation, collaborators and effective communicators otherwise referred to as 21st century skills. Mobile learning (m – learning) is therefore perceived to play a significant role in transforming education globally because of the advantages it offers in terms of anytime, anywhere access and the possibilities for interaction and collaboration.  

Objective: The research attempts to fill the vacuum observed in terms of limited studies related to mobile learning conducted within the context of developing countries such as Nigeria. Consequently, the Technological Pedagogical Content knowledge (TPACK) framework and Second Information Technology in Education Study (SITES) will be used in this study to provide support towards a firmer level of theoretical framework for mobile learning. TPACK has been identified as a guide in the structuring of curriculum and examining the preparedness of teachers in the incorporation of mobile learning while SITES is a conceptual framework for the analysis of ICT-using pedagogical practices. The main question the study answers is, how are schools in Nigeria integrating mobile technology in their curriculum to better shape their educational goals? Using the SITES framework, the main question will be further decomposed according to the viewpoints of the following:

1.    Students perspective
2.    Teachers perspective
3.    School factors
4.    System factors

Method: The study will use mixed method. Specifically survey and interview questions will be administered in 6 universities spread across the 6 geopolitical zones of Nigeria.

Current Grant

Faculty of Information Technology, Ä¢¹½Ö±²¥ (June 2017 - May 2018)

Timetable

5/2016 – 12/2019

Supervisors

Professor Pekka Neittaanmäki
Professor Marja Kankaanranta

From Design to Use: Factors of Value Creation in the Usability and Implementation of Digital Learning Solutions

Over the past decades digital technology has become more and more ingrained in the society at large, through e.g. digitalisation of services. There is a general shift towards digitalization of many everyday services and practices due to factors such as cost, efficiency and sustainability. The importance of providing children and young adults the skills to successfully navigate and live in a society where digital technology and services are an important part of everyday life, is widely accepted. However, schools are still struggling with the multiple demands placed on education in regards of using digital technology in classrooms in a meaningful way. Limited resources have been wasted on technology that does not fit the need of teaching and learning or that remains unused, when the full potential of that technology is not communicated or understood. This challenge is addressed in the current research by focusing on value creation for learning solution users through creating usable products and providing adequate support for their implementation in classroom use. 

This research explores how a digital learning solution moves from being simply usable to being valuable for its users. The research focuses on two sides of the topic: design and implementation of digital learning solutions. This research builds understanding of how value can be inbuilt to learning solutions during the design phase and how this can supported during implementation. The model created in this dissertation will benefit the designers of learning technology by providing them ways to design and test their learning solutions to ensure that they suit the intended use context. Furthermore the model also acknowledges the need for further support in implementing digital learning solutions to classroom use. Even the most thought out learning solution will not reach its full potential, if left unused. Therefore the model moves on from simply providing design guidelines and providing a path from design to use. The focus is on creating technology for classroom purposes and supporting teachers’ implementation of new digital technologies in classroom education, to ensure that their students have the possibility to learn both about and with technology.

Discipline

Mathematical Information Technology (Educational Technology)

Timetable

11/2014 - 10/2019

Supervisors

Professor Pekka Neittaanmäki
Professor Marja Kankaanranta
Postdoctoral Researcher Rebekah Rousi

A Design Framework and Principles for Co-designing Learning Environments Fostering Learning and Wellbeing

Tiina Mäkelä

Increased understanding of the complex synergetic influences of psychosocial and physical learning environments (LEs) on learning and wellbeing has drawn attention to their careful design. Contemporary learner-centred educational paradigms emphasise the importance of learner involvement in the LE design. A gap exists, however, between the theoretical discourses of LE design and their application into educational practice. Furthermore, a lack of shared conceptual understanding among studies conducted in different cultural and disciplinary contexts undermines the comparability, generalisability, and build-up of a coherent body of knowledge on the LE design. This educational design research responds to the need for development of a theoretically, empirically, and practically sound design framework and principles for participatory LE design that involves learners.

The constructs and contents of the design framework developed based on a literature review at the outset of the process were refined in three sub-studies. Sub-study 1 focused on the 7 to 14-year-old Finnish learners’ (n = 80) perceptions of LEs conducive to learning and wellbeing, while sub-study 2 extended the scope to include Spanish learners’ perceptions (n = 76) in the same age range. Numeric, written, visuospatial, and oral data collected using a survey, scale model construction, and group discussions were used to develop a Learning Environment Design (LED) framework and design principles. In sub-study 3, the constructed framework guided the analysis of an LE redesign process involving Finnish learners (n = 186) aged 16 to 19 by means of co-design activities, written student feedback, professional design evaluation, and a student satisfaction survey. The LED framework and principles developed in this study draw attention to the importance of flexibility and functionality as well as balancing of critical LE dimensions, in particular communality with individuality, comfort with health, and novelty with conventionality. The results also suggest that learner involvement enhances LE design quality, fosters a participatory culture, and can have positive impact on learner-centred learning processes as well as learner wellbeing. The LED framework developed in this study can be employed to guide planning, information gathering, and evaluation of individual LE co-design initiatives, and to compare and generalise findings between them.