Mobile Technologies and Learning: Expectations, Myths, and Reality

Abstract

M-learning is often approached as an innovative method to teach, but quite often without the proper planning of the actual learning process and proper understanding of the implications on the pedagogy of the learning process in such a setting. Because of the multiple stakeholders in the process – the institution, the learners, the educators, the policy-makers, etc. – it is very difficult to encourage educators to engage with something so different that will require a rethink of their teaching practices. In addition, with so many different technical elements and challenges, it is often simply just too daunting a prospect.

It is also unfortunate that m-learning is often only limited to simply mobile access. A good m-pedagogy will not just transfer the learning process to a mobile device but incorporate the very nature of mobile, flexible, user-guided, bite-sized learning.

The recent rise of learning and learner analytics has also highlighted the issue of how students engage with university systems and the ethical consideration of such data being collected and used.

Real m-learning needs to have a real purpose, and the stakeholders need to see the value in it for it to have a chance to be a success. Having all the correct m-pedagogy in place and if both educators and learners see the value of engagement, m-learning can bring real benefits – flexibility of access and freedom of engagement therefore allow a real meaningful tailoring of the learning process. Only very recently have real attempts been made to motivate progression toward adaptive learning. Incorporation of pedagogy and AI (artificial intelligence) methods seems to be pointing to a future of real, adaptive, and effective m-learning.