Abstract
This article aims to identify different ways of using mobile devices in students’ learning in higher education. This qualitative research presents the findings from a phenomenographic research of students’ conceptions of mobile learning (m-learning) in higher education. A cohort of 16 students from four universities of Bangladesh took part in semi-structured interviews to explore their in-depth understandings and experiences of m-learning. The findings indicate that university students perceived five qualitatively different ways of using mobile devices in their learning: a medium for communication; a medium for management of learning materials; a tool for effective learning; a means for collaborative learning; and a means for development of new ideas. The findings of this research demonstrate students’ pedagogical understanding of using mobile devices in higher education. The outcomes of this research could play a crucial role in informing students on how they can use their mobile devices for learning purposes and providing educators with empirical evidence on students’ pedagogical practices of using mobile devices in other developing and more developed countries in the world.
Highlights
Increasing evidence shows that mobile devices such as mobile smartphones, tablets, and portable multimedia players (PMPs) are increasingly used in higher education around the world (Alrasheedi & Capretz, 2018; Churchill, Fox, & King, 2016)
We considered m-learning as a platform where student learning can continue through portable devices such as cell phones, smartphones, palmtops, tablets, and PMPs to remove geographical barriers and allow students to learn anywhere and anytime with or without Internet connectivity
This research identified students’ conceptions of mobile devices in their learning within the context of Bangladeshi universities, establishing five distinct categories of description; mobile learning is a medium for communication, medium for management of learning materials, a tool for effective learning, means for collaborative learning, and means for the development of new ideas
Summary
Increasing evidence shows that mobile devices such as mobile smartphones, tablets, and portable multimedia players (PMPs) are increasingly used in higher education around the world (Alrasheedi & Capretz, 2018; Churchill, Fox, & King, 2016). Mobile devices have become a very useful medium due to their dynamic uses within mainstream practices of university education in both developed and less developed countries around the globe Considering their importance, countries have been making efforts to finalize suitable pedagogical techniques to incorporate mobile devices in student learning. Student’s way of using mobile devices in higher education may have supportive or destructive influences on teachers’ teaching practice. This claim is further supported by Daughtery and Berge (2017) who reported that “ the use of mobile devices has increased dramatically in education sectors, there has not been a corresponding increase in mlearning scholarship regarding pedagogical approaches” It is useful to conduct indepth research toward finalizing different learning strategies while using mobile devices in higher education
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