Mobile learning in nursing education: catering for students and teachers’ needs

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the implementation of mobile learning in a nursing course at The Open University of Hong Kong, and identify the potentials of, and constraints on, introducing mobile technologies in the instructional design of nursing education. The paper also considers the pedagogical implications of the expansion of mobile learning in the field of nursing.,The research adopts a qualitative approach to obtain the students’ and teacher’s experiences, opinions, and expectations on mobile learning. Two focus groups with 20 student participants were conducted and an in-depth interview with the course teacher was arranged. The Framework for the Rational Analysis of Mobile Education (FRAME) model was used as the research framework to support data collection and analysis.,The aspects of device usability, interaction learning, and social technology as suggested in the FRAME model were partly fulfilled in the study. Mobile technology enhanced the portability and accessibility of learning information, and networking tools facilitated interaction among students and between students and the teacher. However, the readability of text was limited due to constraints on the user interface and screen size, and concerns over the reliability of learning content were also raised, given the abundance of unfiltered online information. The difficulty in updating the content of multimedia materials and sourcing videos of an appropriate level, together with the problem of device networking, also limited the usefulness of mobile learning. Attention should also be paid to the perceptual differences between students and the teacher on the nature and functions of mobile learning.,This empirical study provides a detailed evaluation of the delivery of mobile learning in a nursing course. The findings reveal the strengths and limitations of using mobile technologies to support the nursing education.

[1]  Sari Mettiäinen.  Electronic Assessment and Feedback Tool in Supervision of Nursing Students during Clinical Training. , 2015 .

[2]  Richard F. Kenny.  Mobile Self-Efficacy in Canadian Nursing Education Programs , 2011 .

[3]  Agnes Kukulska-Hulme and John Traxler.  Mobile teaching and learning , 2007 .

[4]  John C. Nesbit,et al.  A Framework for Evaluating the Quality of Multimedia Learning Resources , 2007, J. Educ. Technol. Soc..

[5]  Simon So,et al.  A Study on the Acceptance of Mobile Phones for Teaching and Learning with a Group of Pre-service Teachers in Hong Kong , 2008 .

[6]  Muhammad Anshari,et al.  Online Learning: trends, issues and challenges in the Big Data Era , 2016 .

[7]  David B. Daniel,et al.  E-books or textbooks: Students prefer textbooks , 2010, Comput. Educ..

[8]  Gary K. W. Wong,et al.  Engaging students using their own mobile devices for learning mathematics in classroom discourse: a case study in Hong Kong , 2014, Int. J. Mob. Learn. Organisation.

[9]  Zahra Taleb,et al.  Learning on the Move: The use of Mobile Technology to Support Learning for University Students , 2012 .

[10]  Minjuan Wang,et al.  The impact of mobile learning on students' learning behaviours and performance: Report from a large blended classroom , 2009, Br. J. Educ. Technol..

[11]  Biplab Jamatia,et al.  Mobile Device Intervention for Student Support Services in Distance Education Context--FRAME Model Perspective , 2011 .

[12]  Marek Hatala,et al.  Investigating acceptance toward mobile learning to assist individual knowledge management: Based on activity theory approach , 2010, Comput. Educ..

[13]  Richard F. Kenny,et al.  Using self-efficacy to assess the readiness of nursing educators and students for mobile learning , 2012 .

[14]  Luiz Fernando Capretz,et al.  Instructor Perspectives of Mobile Learning Platform: An Empirical Study , 2015, ArXiv.

[15]  Debra Nestel,et al.  Mobile Learning in a Rural Medical School: Feasibility and Educational Benefits in Campus and Clinical Settings , 2014 .

[16]  Michael M. Grant,et al.  Mobile computing devices in higher education: Student perspectives on learning with cellphones, smartphones & social media , 2013, Internet High. Educ..

[17]  Billy Tak-Ming Wong,et al.  Factors leading to effective teaching of MOOCs , 2016 .

[18]  Sanjaya Mishra.  Mobile learning: a handbook for educators and trainers , 2005 .

[19]  Chris Evans,et al.  The effectiveness of m-learning in the form of podcast revision lectures in higher education , 2008, Comput. Educ..

[20]  Marguerite Koole,et al.  A Model for Framing Mobile Learning , 2009 .

[21]  Tanya Elias,et al.  Universal instructional design principles for mobile learning , 2011 .

[22]  Radha Mohan,et al.  Knowledge Management in Teacher Education Progress and Future Prospects. , 2005 .

[23]  Kam Cheong Li,et al.  Readiness development of open educational resources in Hong Kong , 2014 .

[24]  Richard F. Kenny,et al.  Mobile Learning in Nursing Practice Education: Applying Koole's FRAME Model , 2009 .

[25]  Patient Rambe,et al.  Using mobile instant messaging to leverage learner participation and transform pedagogy at a South African University of Technology , 2013, Br. J. Educ. Technol..

[26]  Hüseyin Uzunboylu,et al.  Teacher perception for m-learning: scale development and teachers' perceptions , 2011, J. Comput. Assist. Learn..

[27]  Christopher A. Sanchez,et al.  Character size and reading to remember from small displays , 2010, Comput. Educ..

[28]  Marguerite Koole,et al.  Mobile Learning in Distance Education: Utility or Futility?. , 2010 .

[29]  Paul Lam,et al.  Changes in Student Mobile Learning Readiness – Comparison of Survey Data Collected Over a Nine-month Period , 2011 .

[30]  G. Iannello,et al.  The impact of innovation in medical and nursing training : a Hospital Information System for Students accessible through mobile devices , 2004 .

[31]  S. Cheung.  A Case Study on the Students' Attitude and Acceptance of Mobile Learning , 2015 .

[32]  Keri L. Heitner,et al.  A New Model to Measure Student Engagement with a Mobile Learning Tool Integrating CoI and FRAME , 2012 .

[33]  Colin J. Lumsden,et al.  Just-in-time research: a call to arms for research into mobile technologies in higher education , 2015 .