Using mobile message to improve student participation in blended courses: a Brazilian case study

Studies have shown the benefits of mobile messages in education. They assist to fix the classroom lectures, help to remind study activities, and also allow the exchange of education messages among classmates. Researchers argue that more studies must be conducted to assess the extension of these benefits, and to better identify in which context mobile messaging is the best approach to be applied. In this sense, our study examined a post-graduate class consisting of 474 learners in which Short Message Service was used. The main goal was to find out if this technology would improve student participation in the course. Two groups of learners were created, control and experimental, in order to analyze the activities' fulfillment rate and the response time. The result from the data analysis showed that students who received mobile messaging outperformed significantly students from the control group. The experimental group had better results both in completion rate and response time. They were almost 20% more effective at completing their assigned activity and up to 78 hours faster than students from the control group. In addition, a questionnaire was implemented in order to evaluate participants' satisfaction with the use of SMS. Result found that most part of the students were satisfied and enjoyed the use of the mobile messages.

[1]  Mohammad Hafiz Ismail,et al.  Engaging Children to Science Subject: A Heuristic Evaluation of Mobile Learning Prototype , 2010, 2010 Second International Conference on Computer Engineering and Applications.

[2]  Alireza Jalilifar,et al.  Using Short Message Service (SMS) to teach English idioms to EFL students , 2013, Br. J. Educ. Technol..

[3]  D. Cox,et al.  An Analysis of Transformations , 1964 .

[4]  Gwo-Jen Hwang,et al.  An interactive concept map approach to supporting mobile learning activities for natural science courses , 2011, Comput. Educ..

[5]  Rossana M. C. Andrade,et al.  Aprendizagem utilizando Dispositivos Móveis com Sistemas de Realidade Virtual , 2005 .

[6]  Yair Levy,et al.  Comparing dropouts and persistence in e-learning courses , 2007, Comput. Educ..

[7]  Ela Goyal,et al.  Study the Usage of Mobile Learning Engine in Computer Application Course , 2011, 2011 IEEE International Conference on Technology for Education.

[8]  Issham Bin Ismail,et al.  Mobile Learning Via SMS Among Distance Learners: Does Learning Transfer Occur? , 2010, Int. J. Interact. Mob. Technol..

[9]  Zehra Akyol,et al.  Understanding cognitive presence in an online and blended community of inquiry: Assessing outcomes and processes for deep approaches to learning , 2011, Br. J. Educ. Technol..

[10]  R. Cordero,et al.  A UBIQUITOUS LEARNING ENVIRONMENT MODEL FOR A UNIVERSITY CONTEXT , 2014 .

[11]  Ansie Harding,et al.  Evaluation of blended learning: analysis of qualitative data , 2012 .

[12]  P. Glasziou,et al.  Implementation of a blended learning approach to teaching evidence based practice: a protocol for a mixed methods study , 2013, BMC medical education.

[13]  Krassie Petrova.  An implementation of an mLearning scenario using short text messaging: an analysis and evaluation , 2010, Int. J. Mob. Learn. Organisation.

[14]  Al-Mothana M. Gasaymeh,et al.  The Impact of Using SMS as Learning Support Tool on Students' Learning , 2013 .

[15]  Lázaro Rodríguez Ariza,et al.  Blended learning in higher education: Students' perceptions and their relation to outcomes , 2011, Comput. Educ..

[16]  Rossana M. de Castro Andrade,et al.  A mobile learning system to enhance field trips in geology , 2014, 2014 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE) Proceedings.

[17]  Rodrigo de Oliveira,et al.  What's up with whatsapp?: comparing mobile instant messaging behaviors with traditional SMS , 2013, MobileHCI '13.

[18]  Chun-Yi Lee,et al.  Exploring problem solving patterns and their impact on learning achievement in a blended learning environment , 2011, Comput. Educ..

[19]  Tzyh-Lih Hsia,et al.  A study of student satisfaction in a blended e-learning system environment , 2010, Comput. Educ..

[20]  Dan Bouhnik,et al.  WhatsApp Goes to School: Mobile Instant Messaging between Teachers and Students , 2014, J. Inf. Technol. Educ. Res..

[21]  Aaron Bere.  Toward assessing the impact of mobile security issues in pedagogical delivery: A mobile learning case study , 2013, 2013 Science and Information Conference.

[22]  Reshmy Krishnan,et al.  Enhancing the learning experience in blended learning systems: a semantic approach , 2011, ICCCS '11.

[23]  Steven E. Higgins,et al.  Citation for Published Item: Use Policy Effects of Traditional, Blended and E-learning on Students' Achievement in Higher Education , 2022 .

[24]  Steve Love,et al.  Mathematics Students' Readiness for Mobile Learning , 2012, Int. J. Mob. Blended Learn..

[25]  Glenn Stockwell,et al.  Using mobile phones for vocabulary activities: Examining the effect of the platform , 2010 .

[26]  Adelina Moura,et al.  Mobile Learning: Using SMS in Educational Contexts , 2010, Key Competencies in the Knowledge Society.

[27]  Yeu-Hui Chuang,et al.  Enhancing nursing students' medication knowledge: The effect of learning materials delivered by short message service , 2013, Comput. Educ..

[28]  Mi Young Lee,et al.  Effects of Mobile Instant Messaging on Collaborative Learning Processes and Outcomes: The Case of South Korea , 2014, J. Educ. Technol. Soc..

[29]  Ivica Boticki,et al.  Teaching and learning computer science sorting algorithms with mobile devices: A case study , 2013, Comput. Appl. Eng. Educ..

[30]  Roisin Donnelly,et al.  Harmonizing technology with interaction in blended problem-based learning , 2010, Comput. Educ..

[31]  Xu Yang,et al.  A Mode Design Research On Ubiquitous Learning , 2013 .

[32]  Jeremy Roschelle,et al.  Guest Editorial: Special Section on Mobile and Ubiquitous Technologies for Learning , 2010, IEEE Trans. Learn. Technol..

[33]  Nian-Shing Chen,et al.  The impact of persuasive SMS on students' self-regulated learning , 2012, Br. J. Educ. Technol..