Factors Affecting mobile Learning Readiness Among Students and Lecturers: A Model for Mobile Learning Readiness in Kenyan Universities

Stanley Mogaka Ogamba,Ikhoa Anselemo Peters

doi:10.24297/ijct.v15i1.1705

Abstract

Mobile learning plays an important role in developing both learning and teaching approaches in institutions of higher learning. However, a successful implementation of mobile learning strategies in Kenyan universities will largely be affected by users' readiness to adopt and use this technology. Despite the effort by the Government of Kenya through the Ministry of Education, Science & Technology to encourage the use of technology in improving access to knowledge and skills in learning institutions, most learners and instructors have not sufficiently embraced this innovation. The purpose of the study was to determine m-learning readiness in the Kenyan Universities and create a model for adoption by these Universities. The purpose of this paper is to examine factors that affect the adoption of mobile technologies usage on mobile learning readiness among learners and instructors in Kenyan universities. A multiple regression analysis model was used to analyze the data collected from 555 participants (363 university students, 173 lecturers, and 19 heads of departments). The results of the study show that attitude, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, device type, m-learning content, internet availability, internet affordability, user expertise and institutional ICT strategy significantly influence the ability to use mobile devices and mobile learning readiness. The results of this research provide practitioners, educators and policy makers with meaningful insight into designing an appropriate m-learning model that supports the use of technology in Kenyan universities.

Highlights

Ease of access to learning and teaching materials is the first step to effective learning
Gaining a deeper understanding of the factors that influence the adoption of mobile learning devices in universities provides a good basis for mobile learning readiness among university lecturers and students
The study reveals that understanding these factors is critical to help develop a model of adopting m-learning approach

Summary

Introduction

Ease of access to learning and teaching materials is the first step to effective learning. Many researchers agree that most of the challenges facing educators, learners and policy makers revolve around the lack of readiness among technology users to use mobile technologies. Learning readiness is concerned with capturing the learners and instructors ability to access knowledge using the available learning and teaching resources. There has been a significant increase in the demand for university education in Kenya. This is evident by the growing number of universities that offer open and distance learning programs through e-learning and correspondence-based programs (Medani, 2011). The high demand for university education has been constrained by the scarce learning resources, mobile learning abbreviated as m-learning can help bridge this gap. One of the ways ICT can revolutionalize learning in educational institutions is through electronic learning, usually referred to as e-learning. Georgiev, Geirgieva & Smrikarov (2004) suggests that the concept of m-learning should involve the learning experience of anywhere, anytime and not always using cables to connect

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