A model of computer support to mobile learning in the senegalese educational system (original) (raw)
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Design, Implementation and Institutionalization of Mobile Learning in Higher Education
2010
INTRODUCTION For a long time new technology had been slow to penetrate sub Saharan Africa. The costs of most of the technologies, including land line telephones, computers and internet are still very high and hence prohibitive to majority of the people in Africa. Governments on the other hand have been slow in providing the necessary policy provisions for access and utilization of the technologies. However, in the recent past, African countries such as those in East Africa have formulated policy frameworks for information communications technology (Wamakote, Ang’ondi & Onguko, 2010).
Establishing the Need to Use Mobile Phones in Distance Learning in Ghana
International Journal of Innovative Research and Development
Introduction Education, in Ghana today, has become so important that anyone without the requisite qualification in formal education feels so bad about how society treats him/her. Though the demand for tertiary education is becoming high, access to these institutions is low because these institutions are inadequate. Moreover, our classrooms are not enough to contain learners. In the attempt to find practical solutions to these problems in order that people can have access to tertiary education, much hope has been placed on distance education. New information and communication technologies (ICTs) have been developed which can empower teachers and learners by facilitating communication and interaction, offering new modes of delivery, and generally transforming teaching and learning processes. Of the many different forms of ICTs, mobile phones are thought, for several reasons to be a suitable tool for advancing education in developing countries. Mobile phones are the most prevalent ICT in the developing world, and the penetration rate is rising rapidly. Advanced mobile devices such as "smart" cellular telephones are very popular among people primarily because they are wireless and portable. These functionalities enable users to communicate while on the move. The popularity of these devices is, therefore, a consequent of their ability to function at multiple levels. Moreover, the intense commercial competitiveness in the mobile device industry is forcing manufacturers to be very innovative, constantly striving to introduce new features that can give them a competitive edge. Against this backdrop, visionary educators, designers and developers should begin to consider the implications of these devices for the modern teaching and learning environment. In such an environment, contents and services can be relayed to a university or tertiary education student by personal wireless mobile devices. This will add another layer to the personal computer-based model of teaching and learning. This also means m-learning will take place in conditions that will be radically different from those educators and learners are familiar with. In Ghana, mobile phones are common technological tool that can be found in every household one can think of. In addition to voice communication, mobile phones allow the transfer of data, which can be particularly useful for delivering educational content over long distances. The trend today, is young men and women of Ghana use a lot more mobile devices such as ipads, galaxy tabs, kindles, tablets PCs, Netbooks and the like for their day to day activities. Mobile phone has found a place as a permanent companion of the poor and the rich. It is no longer a device for showing off one's prowess in
TEXILA INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ACADEMIC RESEARCH, 2020
This paper explored the perception of University of Cape Coast distance education students on the use of mobile technologies to facilitate interactions among students and tutors as a learning-support system. The paper aimed at establishing whether distance education students would accept to be taught using a blend of mobile technologies and biweekly direct face-to-face tutorials on weekends. A questionnaire was used to collect data from a sample of 300 students pursuing various Diploma, Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees by distance at University of Cape Coast using systematic sampling technique. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics. It was found that scheduled face-to-face tutorial sessions of distance education in University of Cape Coast were not supportive enough to address students’ learning needs. Also, all the respondents possessed mobile devices and perceived blending of mobile learning in distance education as an avenue to enhance collaborative learning with facu...
IMPLEMENTING MOBILE-LEARNING IN NIGERIA TERTIARY EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM – A Feasibility Study
This paper reports the pilot study on the feasibility of mobile-learning (m-learning) in Nigeria Tertiary Educational system. It investigates the level of availability and usage of mobile devices among students in Nigerian Tertiary Institutions. University of Ilorin-a Federal University and Kwara State University were the case study. One hundred students (100); fifty (50) from each of the universities were randomly sampled for the study. Structured questionnaire was used to elicit the kind of mobile devices being use by the students and the use to which they are currently putting them. Ttest statistical inference was used to analyze the mobile and computer usage patterns among the students, the calculated mean for the mobile devices usage pattern (9.43) is greater than that of computer usage pattern (5.30). This shows that students use mobile devices to perform more functions than computer systems. This result was further analyzed using paired samples correlations which show that there is a very weak correlation (0.241) between mobile devices and computer usage patterns. Also, the tcalculated is 18.888 and using degree of freedom of 99 and confidence interval of 0.050 in t-distribution table, the table value is 1.980. It was therefore inferred that since the table value is less than the t-calculated value, there is a significant difference between the mobile devices and computer usage patterns. The various types of mobile devices, and operations or usage to which they are being put to by students were summarized. Furthermore, the academic relevance of these devices was discussed in relation to relevant theories of learning such as; behaviourism, constructivism, and socialism [11] that is enhanced by the usage pattern of mobile devices. It was concluded that the overall intention of blended learning, distance learning or e-learning is becoming more feasible in Africa especially in Nigeria via an emerging concept of m-learning. The green signal is the product of the general advancements in mobile communication technology, the availability, affordability and popularity of mobile devices among the digital native and digital immigrants in Nigerian higher institutions of learning.
Mobile Learning as a Chance to Enhance Education in Developing Countries - on the Example of Ghana
2012
Education has become one of the biggest public enterprises in Ghana, taking about 11 percent of the GDP, enrolling about a quarter of the population in schools and other educational services (EDU 2011). The need for content, the demands of young people, requesting material for self-conducted learning, the lack of teachers, the small proportion of trained teachers and the lack of equipment in schools in rural areas are a huge challenge. The advancement of technology and high mobile penetration rates in developing countries has broadened the horizon of education. One possibility to overcome the problems is the application of the concept of mobile learning (called m-Learning). At first, it is required to describe the current situation in Ghana; this includes the identification of stakeholders as well as corresponding and influencing factors, which have to be taken in consideration when planning a holistic m-Learning-model for Ghana. MLearning implies inherently a chance in the didactic...
A Framework for Mobile Education System for Higher Institutions in Nigeria
Journal of Software Engineering and Applications, 2014
With the advent of cloud computing technology, the development of mobile applications for use in several facets of life has been on the increase. This has been supported by the proliferation of mobile devices in the society which is also being used in utilizing the prowess of the cloud technology. Building a mobile education system that is platform independent is a major challenge since most of the popularly used ones are either software dependent or hardware dependent. In this work, a framework for mobile education system that is cross platform in nature with regard to operating system, hardware and web browsers using the 3-tier Client/Server mobile application architecture built on web standard was developed and fully tested. A first year computer science course offered by more than 1000 students was used as input to validate the framework. An integration of Short Message Services (SMS), virtual classroom and e-assessment components enable students and lecturers to communicate, create discussion forum and carry out e-testing using their mobile devices. This work is strongly recommended for higher institutions in Nigeria that need to explore the use of mobile devices that are available with the majority of students. Only registered users can access the developed app via the use of handheld devices (smart-phones & tablets). This can actually improve learning, research and collaboration between students and lecturers thereby enhancing learning experience.
Development of distributed mobile learning systems
Proceedings of the 9th WSEAS …, 2010
Abstract: - Mobile learning systems are presented as distributed systems containing next generation educational tools for remote education. The paper describes mobile applications and their role in the learning process. The quality characteristics of distributed mobile learning systems ...
A model of mobile learning in developing countries
2006
ABSTRACT In developing countries, mobile and handheld technologies have the capacity to deliver and enhance learning in ways that are completely different from mobile learning in countries were mains electricity, computer hardware and internet connectivity are stable, reliable, cheap and abundant. They also have the capacity to subvert the received wisdom on the development of educational ICT.
Building a Proposed Mobile Learning Prototype for Egyptian Higher Education
Compunet ( The Egyptian Information Journal ), 2017
Mobile devices could facilitate human interaction and access to knowledge resources anytime and anywhere. Accordingly, this will change human-computer interaction, communication, and learning activities. So, computing devices have become common place on today's college campuses in the Egyptian higher education. From notebook computers to wireless phones and mobile devices, the massive infusion of computing devices and rapidly improved Internet capabilities have the power to alter the nature of higher education. Consequently, mlearning is to enhance collaboration sharing among learners. Teaching and learning processes are concerned with the creation and ongoing development of skills within a group of learners. Furthermore, M-learning is to be developed as a way to ensure that learnings reaches the right learner at the right time. So, the ability to support students/learners to learn on the move at any place and at any time is a new task to be addressed by using the mobile devices of the learners. Mobile technology support has given birth to the concept of mobile learning possessing a wide spectrum of applications and new teaching and learning techniques. This paper discusses a study conducted for undergraduate students on the effect of mobile technology usage in a learning process. The results here indicate acceptance of the mobile devices into the learning process with a well appreciated enthusiasm from the learners.
Learning with mobile devices - insights from a university setting in Ghana
Education and Information Technologies
Mobile learning is the newest and emerging technology embraced by universities and this seems to be fast establishing itself as the preferred mode of learning in many countries. However, ways in which mobile devices are used to meet learning goals seem under-researched and may require more effort from researchers, especially in the context of Africa. This empirical study sought to investigate the state of mobile usage among higher education students, their experiences, and available facilitating conditions that influence mobile learning in a Ghanaian university setting. A total of 222 students (distance and vacation students) were engaged to respond to the questionnaires employed for the study. Findings revealed that mobile learning exists in a somewhat structured form as the environment showed most of the salient characteristics of mobile learning but largely remained unharnessed. To a large extent, facilitating conditions for mobile learning were available; students showed positive experiences with their mobile devices and their use in accessing learning, but largely such learning did not occur via the deployed learner management system of the institution. Implications for policy formulation for the Institution and other similar ones that are striving to incorporate mobile technology to increase access and improve the quality of instruction delivery are discussed.