Student considerations on the use of annotated lecture notes and recordings in a learning environment

CONTEXT The on-campus, online and open education environment is changing how education is resourced and delivered. The application of sophisticated computer-based technology, e.g., the blending of a mobile device PC with a Learning Management System is one of the many modern approaches to teaching and learning. Within the higher education sector, new technologies may have significant potential to effect change in both learning and teaching, enabling tertiary institutes to meet a broader range of learners’ needs, by adapting traditional teaching methods, and offering a mix of face-to-face and online learning possibilities. Blending different technologies and associated pedagogies require a very different skill-set from more conventional teaching and training for educators and students, especially for first year students. Evidence shows that students are not always being prepared adequately in schools for digital learning. Learning management systems (LMS) and mobile device PC technology have been shown to improve the instructor-learner dialogue resulting in an improved learning process. At the tertiary institute where this study was conducted, a faculty-wide program was initiated to support lecturers using mobile personal device pcs (PMDs) for direct instruction, and an LMS for asynchronous delivery of the teaching and learning material in a blended learning program.