Abstract
With a rapid deployment of mobile devices, mobile learning gives rise to new possibilities for extending learning opportunities. Nevertheless, current research on mobile learning has mostly been aimed at enhancing learning of school or college students. In this light, the paper seeks to throw light on the potential of mobile learning for elderly. We describe in this paper a research study for examining needs that determine the adoption and usage of mobile devices by elderly population. The elderly are an often neglected group in product development and marketing, but they are the only growing age group in most developed societies. By using semi-structured interviews with a number of different stakeholders interested in elderly people, we identify a set of issues that need to be taken into account when designing strategy for the elderly learners. The results of our study indicate that elderly people are interested in using mobile devices and services, but these services need to deliver real value for them.
Highlights
Mobile learning technology studies have been conducted on many Personal Digital Assistants (PDA) applications
Mobile devices such as mobile phones or PDA will mainly be used for communications, not for learning purposes
Medical researchers have so far not found any evidence to prove that there is a relationship between mobile devices use and brain or aural impairment [20], many people still suspect that frequently using mobile phones, for example, is the reason for the increased incidence of brain tumors and other brain or aural diseases
Summary
Older learners may have lack of confidence and thereby resist trying something new In this concern, mobile learning gains advantages as it tends to address these problems through bringing training into local areas and offering courses in less formal settings. The rapid ageing of the population has implications for mobile learning device accessibility As people age, they incur various impairments including loss of visual acuity, strength, fine motor control and coordination, and pain in the fingers, wrists, or other joints (e.g. due to arthritis). They incur various impairments including loss of visual acuity, strength, fine motor control and coordination, and pain in the fingers, wrists, or other joints (e.g. due to arthritis) These impairments are problematic for operating mobile devices, since devices’ shrunken form factors, miniature buttons, small fonts, postagestamp screens, and low pixel counts make even ablebodied use difficult. Mobile devices are only useful when design and software validation aspects have been taken into account [7]
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