Learning on the move: the potential impact of new mobile technologies on students’ learning

This study explores the potential use of mobile learning in higher education with a focus on student and academic staff requirements of a potential mobile application. The research examines the stakeholders’ new technology acceptance behaviour within a post-1992 university and examines how new mobile technologies are able to contribute to enhancement of the learning experience of students and additionally the roles of educators in facilitating enhancement of the learning experience. A post-positivistic paradigm has been used to explore a wider view of the stakeholders’ (academic staff and students) understanding of the new technologies and the potential benefits of mobile applications. An electronic questionnaire was sent to over 900 undergraduates for their views on the use of new mobile technologies and in what ways these could be used to support their learning needs. This was followed by individual interviews and questionnaires to academic staff (n=44) to identify whether they would be interested in the use of mobile applications in their teaching and learning. The research explores the learning, concepts, theories and models which influence mobile device adoption and proposes a mobile application that has the potential to support teaching and learning. The data collected provides an invaluable insight into the potential use of a mobile learning platform at the University’s Faculty of Business. The participants describe their uses of four distinct types of devices; potential frequency of specific use, and their views on the attraction and/or disadvantages of mobile use for learning. The research findings lead to the recommendation for a mobile learning trial within the Faculty with the potential for application to other academic subjects within the university. Two elements have emerged from the research carried out and comprise an original contribution of the study, namely: an enhancement of the Technology Acceptance Model and development of the existing PESTEL model into a PESTEEL model by including Educational Factors and hence identifying a number of areas currently not addressed by the PESTEL model. The uniqueness of the study and the development of this work`s original contribution to new knowledge was enhanced by approaching data collection and analysis within a Technology Acceptance Model and the PESTEEL model. This was also achieved by interpreting the gathered data within the broader concept of professionalism, sub-divided and conceptualised into examining the adherence of participants. It is acknowledged that a limiting factor is that the study examined only one academic school within an institution, but it is anticipated that future research will include a comparison with other similar academic institutions