Exploring the mobile learning needs amongst performing arts students

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ken Yiu Kwan Fan ◽  
Patrick Lo ◽  
Kevin K.W. Ho ◽  
Stuart So ◽  
Dickson K.W. Chiu ◽  
...  

Purpose This paper aims to study the information needs and online information-seeking behaviors on mobile platforms of performing arts students at a college level. Design/methodology/approach Survey instruments were used to collect data from performing arts students at the Hong Kong Academy of Performing Arts (HKAPA), a metropolitan’s major performing arts tertiary institution. Data collected were analyzed through descriptive statistics and other statistical methods, and the music-related students were compared with the production-related students. Findings The result reveals that performing arts students all owned their mobile devices and often used mobile apps for non-academic purposes, but they did not often use mobile library services or read online academic contents with their mobile devices. The participants considered inadequate signal coverage, slow loading time, difficulty in reading on a mobile device and the lack of specialized mobile apps as more significant barriers affecting their usage. There are some significant differences between the music-related and production-related student groups in that music-related students watched lectures on the library websites and used electronic music scores more often than the production-related students. Practical implications This study contributes to the input for enhancements and policies to future mobile services and facilities of performing art libraries. Originality/value There have been scant studies on the mobile learning needs of performing arts students, especially in Asia.

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 224-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Lo ◽  
Allan Cho ◽  
Man-hon Leung ◽  
Dickson K.W. Chiu ◽  
Eddie H.T. Ko ◽  
...  

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore art and design students’ use of smartphones for accessing library services and learning at the Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI). Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire survey involving 51 HKDI students was conducted to examine the students’ utilization of apps and the internet on mobile devices to find information for the purpose of academic learning, social networking, and collaborative learning. Findings – Survey results showed that while the HKDI students were all smartphone owners and active users of such mobile communication devices, only a minority of them “frequently” use these mobile devices for formal learning purposes. They demonstrated a keen preference to use search engines, social communications, and other diverse use of smartphones. Except for research and image/audio-visual needs, the rest of their needs and usage behaviour is similar to mainstream university students. Practical implications – The results suggest opportunities for the libraries to develop services and facilities that could better fulfil students’ information needs, and to improve the network coverage outside the library. Originality/value – This is probably the first study of its kind to explore art and design students’ use of smartphones for learning needs. In particular, the recent capability of smartphones and mobile internet speed are comparable with desktops, it is vital to re-examine the much changed environment and user needs.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 363-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
Spartak Sakibayev ◽  
Razakh Sakibayev ◽  
Bela Sakibayeva

Purpose Nowadays, when mobile devices are actively evolving and penetrating the various spheres of human activity they have a potential to modernize and facilitate the sphere of IT education as well. This paper aims to test the hypothesis stating that introduction of mobile technology to the college-level database course for future IT specialists has a positive academic impact on students. Design/methodology/approach The main theoretical premises for the present study were the general findings of the surveys by Hinze et al. (2017) and Bowen and Pistilli (2012) indicating that: using mobile tools to work on classroom projects improves student’s academic success students, especially those from computing specialties, actively turn to mobile tools in their academic activity students favor the Android and iPhone platforms and prefer native mobile apps to Web-based mobile apps The key idea of the present study was to validate these general premises in the specific case of the college-level database class. Namely, the authors formulated a hypothesis that Android-based mobile devices have a positive impact on the IT students’ academic performance and interest in the subject at the college-level introductory database lessons. Throughout the study, the authors examined both quantitative (students’ scores and attendance rate) and qualitative aspects (students’ and teachers’ opinions) of the hypothesis. Findings Based on the experiment’s positive outcome resulting in students’ increased academic performance and interest in the subject, the authors conclude that in the context of the college-level database course mobile devices can successfully substitute traditional desktop computers and positively affect students’ academic activity. Originality/value Based on the experiment’s positive outcome resulting in students’ increased academic performance and interest in the subject, the authors conclude that in the context of the college-level database course mobile devices can successfully substitute traditional desktop computers and positively affect students’ academic activity.


2014 ◽  
Vol 24 (3) ◽  
pp. 313-331 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pei-Shan Wei ◽  
Hsi-Peng Lu

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify the factors that influence people to play socially interactive games on mobile devices. Based on network externalities and theory of uses and gratifications (U&G), it seeks to provide direction for further academic research on this timely topic. Design/methodology/approach – Based on 237 valid responses collected from online questionnaires, structural equation modeling technology was employed to examine the research model. Findings – The results reveal that both network externalities and individual gratifications significantly influence the intention to play social games on mobile devices. Time flexibility, however, which is one of the mobile device features, appears to contribute relatively little to the intention to play mobile social games. Originality/value – This research successfully applies a combination of network externalities theory and U&G theory to investigate the antecedents of players’ intentions to play mobile social games. This study is able to provide a better understanding of how two dimensions – perceived number of users/peers and individual gratification – influence mobile game playing, an insight that has not been examined previously in the mobile apps literature.


ReCALL ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 271-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnes Kukulska-Hulme ◽  
Lesley Shield

AbstractMobile learning is undergoing rapid evolution. While early generations of mobile learning tended to propose activities that were carefully crafted by educators and technologists, learners are increasingly motivated by their personal learning needs, including those arising from greater mobility and frequent travel. At the same time, it is often argued that mobile devices are particularly suited to supporting social contacts and collaborative learning - claims that have obvious relevance for language learning. A review of publications reporting mobile-assisted language learning (MALL) was undertaken to discover how far mobile devices are being used to support social contact and collaborative learning. In particular, we were interested in speaking and listening practice and in the possibilities for both synchronous and asynchronous interaction in the context of online and distance learning. We reflect on how mobile language learning has developed to date and suggest directions for the future.


2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (3) ◽  
pp. 436-448 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tamara Pianos

PurposeThe author developed a specialized app to cater to the needs of researchers in business and economics. At the same time the number of library apps in general increased dramatically. This article intends to put the author's efforts in developing a specialized app into the context of the development of mobile apps for library users in general.Design/methodology/approachThis paper reviews a number of seminal papers on the development of library apps and sets the description of the development of the EconBiz app against the developments in general. Users' needs in relation to library apps seem mostly pretty basic, yet some of these needs are still hard to meet.Research limitations/implicationsThe use of mobile phones, the services available on mobile devices and the availability of library apps are changing rapidly, so some findings might be outdated by the time the respective papers were published.Originality/valueThis paper brings together the findings of a number of studies and surveys against the practical implications of developing an individual app.


2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mireilla Bikanga Ada ◽  
Mark Stansfield ◽  
Gavin Baxter

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate an area of growing importance that is widely recognised in the literature relating to the issue of how to improve ways that assessments and feedback are provided to students within higher education. This paper reports on a study that aimed to explore the views of both educators (n=70) and students (n=540) on feedback and feed-forward at a UK university. The study also investigated their experience and attitudes to social media applications as a means of enhancing access to feedback within the context of mobile learning. Design/methodology/approach The research approach adopted in this study predominately conforms to a quantitative research design though embeds elements of qualitative research via a “mixed methods” approach. The overall methodology of the paper adheres to an exploratory case study in a higher education environment to identify various issues and approaches that could be addressed or enhanced to aid ways that assessments and feedback are disseminated to students within higher education. Findings Participants’ views were sought in relation to students receiving learning materials, as well as feedback from tutors directly to their smartphones and mobile devices. In addition, the study explored possible reasons for students not wanting to use social media and mobile devices for their learning and feedback. Overall, the results indicated a positive attitude on the part of educators and students to using mobile devices and social media applications for teaching and learning purposes. Research limitations/implications The case study presented in this paper draws on findings from one higher educational institution. Further research is required to determine the generalisability of the findings to allow comparison of the findings to be undertaken within other higher education institutions. Originality/value The originality of the paper is that it provides detailed empirical evidence and findings that provide several important implications in relation to enhancing the student learning experience and providing considerable improvements to the way that feedback is provided that make it more likely that students will take more notice to feedback and act upon it. This in turn enables educators to better plan and manage their teaching and student experience online and through students’ mobile devices. The value of this study is that it explores views of both educators and students, whereas many other previous studies tend to focus on the views of either educators or students.


Author(s):  
Julia Bennett ◽  
Danielle McKain

Mobile learning is becoming more prominent in all levels of education. While educators strive to keep up with the learning needs of twenty-first century students, research on best practices for mobile devices in the classroom is limited. There is a great deal of research on traditional note-taking, but mobile devices have changed the way students take notes. While electronic note-taking began with simply typing notes on a laptop computer, it has quickly transformed into a multitude of options with various note-taking applications (apps). The purpose of this chapter is to provide a brief review of mobile devices and note-taking in K-12 classrooms. Additionally, it reviews and compares features of eight note-taking applications. These apps change how notes are taken, organized, stored, and accessed. This chapter provides an overview of each application with specific examples using Notability, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of taking notes on the iPad.


2020 ◽  
pp. 489-507
Author(s):  
Ying Xiu ◽  
Jose L. Fulgencio ◽  
Tutaleni I. Asino ◽  
Alesha D. Baker

Globally, those who have traditionally been adversely impacted by the digital divide due to lack of access to computing technologies such as desktop computers, are also the ones who have been shown to have high adoption of mobile devices. If open educational resources (OER) are to have the envisaged wide impact, it is necessary to look at the role mobile applications and mobile app markets play in the OER movement. In this chapter, we link mobile applications and OER and discuss the role mobile app markets play in facilitating open-access learning initiatives. This is done by exploring OER and mobile learning definitions, benefits, and barriers; and comparing and contrasting mobile apps across a set of variables including purpose and resource format.


2016 ◽  
Vol 72 (6) ◽  
pp. 1134-1153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petros Kostagiolas ◽  
Panagiotis Gorezis ◽  
Konstantina Martzoukou ◽  
Dimitrios Deligeorgis ◽  
Dimitris Niakas

Purpose Medical doctors seek information in order to satisfy their demanding everyday work practices and professional development endeavours. Information seeking is a continuous goal-related process that has impact on how they perceive and experience their job. The purpose of this paper is to explore the association of doctors’ awareness of medical practice information needs (MPIN), their frequency of using online information resources and the barriers they encountered during information seeking with their overall job satisfaction. More specifically, the research examined the mediating role of these information seeking related variables (information needs, online scholarly resources and information barriers) on doctors’ overall job satisfaction. Design/methodology/approach The study employed a questionnaire survey of 138 medical doctors working within the context of a University Hospital in Greece. The survey took place between February and March 2014. To test the hypotheses the authors conducted regression analysis, hierarchical moderated analysis and bootstrapping using SPSS macro developed by Preacher and colleagues. Findings The statistical analysis found that higher awareness of MPIN had an indirect effect on doctors’ overall job satisfaction when they used online information scholar resources. In addition, this indirect effect was contingent on information-related barriers. Originality/value This study provides evidence for supporting the pivotal role of doctors’ information seeking preferences in fostering job satisfaction. This is an understudied research area that deserves a unique focus particularly with the constantly expanding medical information space that has impact on doctors’ medical practices and professional activities.


2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Crompton

Purpose Mobile devices transcend the educational affordances provided by conventional tethered electronic and traditional learning. However, empirical findings show that educators are not integrating technology effectively into the curriculum. This paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach In this study, a thematic synthesis methodology was used to develop and present a framework for thinking about the integration of mobile devices in teaching and learning. Findings The mobile learning (mlearning) integration framework comprises four main parts: beliefs, resources, methods and purpose. These four areas are elucidated to reveal the many sub-components that determine how technology is integrated. Originality/value An ecological framework is then presented to demonstrate how the individual parts of the initial framework operate through a complex, interconnected network of systems involving personal and environmental factors.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document