Analysis of the Key Factors of BYOD for Learning

In recent years, many companies have allowed their employees to use individual mobile devices to manage company information and applications, which is called BYOD, namely Bring Your Own Device. Meanwhile, as smart devices become prevalent, almost every student has one smartphone. Therefore, it is a great challenge for current educational institutions to know how to apply BYOD to teaching so that students’ mobile devices can serve as a help rather than an obstacle in their learning and how to make these devices, like smartphones, into a vehicle for students to communicate with teachers and enhance their learning outcomes. Hence, this study conducts in- depth interviews with teachers and students as well as an online questionnaire for students that have used their own devices in class, finding that the advantages of BYOD can be summarized into five factors, including “Learning Performance and Attitude”, “In-Class Interaction and Atmosphere”, “Easy Operation of Devices”, “Instant Feedback and Tracking”, and “Easy Access to E-Resources”. Among them, the first three factors have an obvious impact on students’ intention of using BYOD in learning. However, the disadvantages of BYOD could be summarized into three factors, including “Internet Impeding Performance”, “Personal Devices Failing to Work Properly” and “Hindering the Course”. Although students might encounter these problems when they use BYOD to help them study, these would not influence their intention of using in terms of the current situation. According to the results of this study, the advantages that BYOD has provided for companies in the workplace can also be applied to educational institutions, and the application of BYOD can effectively improve students’ performance. Thus, the results of this study can serve as a reference for educational institutions, suppliers on education market and educators to promote policies like digital teaching or marketing promotion