Is it Online Education? Actually it is Mobile Learning.

Audience Level: 
All
Session Time Slot(s): 
Institutional Level: 
Higher Ed
Streamed: 
Streamed
Special Session: 
Blended
Diversity & Inclusion
Abstract: 

Online education is rapidly trending towards Mobile Learning.  Students are not just learning online; rather they are learning on the go, self-pacing their educational path, and accessing learning content through various mediums and screen sizes. Join in to learn how online students communicate, access, and complete online learning activities!

Extended Abstract: 

Do you read on an e-reader?  Do you communicate with your family via text?  Do you stay connected with peers via social media?  How often do you reach for, and research on, your phone when pondering a question?  These are just a few of the trends that you see in the changing landscape of education.  In the 1990s, online education broke into mainstream education with fully online programs becoming a viable alternative educational path. Now, in the 2020s, students are not just learning online; rather they are learning on the go, self-pacing their educational path, accessing learning content through various mediums and screen sizes, and communicating with their teachers and peers, around the world, in a variety of ways.

Online education has shifted, catapulted forward by the COVID19 pandemic, trending towards what is called, mobile learning, broadly defined as education through means of mobile or portable computer devices (i.e. smartphones or tablets) to access learning materials through multiple contexts.  At our online institution, the Math Department has encountered and experienced this shift observing a change in the ways students want to communicate with their peers and instructors, how they are completing their learning activities, and their expectations in accessing math instruction. The ideas shared in this presentation will allow faculty and curriculum specialists to experience, through a mock online course:

  1. Best practices for mobile communication methods other than email, 

  2. Tips and tricks for micro-learning videos, and

  3. Insight into how students are accessing and completing online learning activities.

Selected References:

Colin M., Eastman S., Merrill M., Rocky A. (2021) Leveraging Mobile Technology to Achieve Teaching Goals. Educause Review. Retrieved on June 26, 2022 at https://er.educause.edu/articles/2021/3/leveraging-mobile-technology-to-achieve-teaching-goals

Sakka F., Gura A., Latysheva V., et al. (2022). Solving Technological, Pedagogical, and Psychological Problems in Mobile Learning. International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies. 16(2), pp. 144-158. 15p. DOI: 10.3991/ijim.v16i02.26205.

Singh H. (2020).  Why Mobile Learning Is Now More Than Just A Nice-To-Have. eLearning Industry. Retrieved on June 26, 2022 at elearningindustry.com/why-mobile-learning-is-more-than-just-nice-to-hav

Conference Track: 
Instructional Technologies and Tools
Session Type: 
Education Session
Intended Audience: 
Administrators
Faculty
Instructional Support
Students
Technologists