Applying the Component Display Theory to the Instructional Design and Development of an Educational Mobile Application

Mobile technologies present an opportunity for scholars and practitioners to extend the application of instructional design theories and models to a mobile learning environment. The goal was to examine mobile learning design and development issues, validate and extend the instructional design theory, Component Display Theory (CDT), to the development of mobile learning activities, and recommend guiding principles for mobile learning system development. Using a formative research approach, which focuses on improving design theory for instructional practices and processes, CDT was used to design a tutorial mobile application targeting faculty professional development. This design instance was formatively evaluated to determine how CDT can be used to guide the design and development of a mobile learning environment; the key processes that are pertinent to translating instructional design plans into mobile learning lessons; and the challenges and issues in designing instruction for a mobile learning environment. The findings resulted in the identification of variables and factors related to the instructional strategies, design variables, and the learning system that affected the application of the CDT. Recommendations and further research opportunities are presented to increase practitioner use of the theory and to address learner and organizational readiness. This research contributes to the field of instructional design and development by examining how underlying theories, principles, and frameworks can be applied to the design and development of mobile learning systems