Trishita Mathew

University student experiences of mobile learning: One year beyond commencement

Shelley Kinash et al. — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 21:10:15 PST

Mobile learning was an embedded component in the pedagogical design of an innovative undergraduate course, Digital Media and Society. This paper reports the experiences and perceptions of 189 students over three semesters in 2010 and 2011. Students were given the option of using their own devices or a university loaned iPad. The iPads were loaded with an electronic textbook and a mobile application of the learning management system. Feedback from students on mobility and the electronic text was positive and optimistic overall. However, the majority of these students were not convinced that the trial made a difference to their learning.

Uncoupling mobility and learning: When one does not guarantee the other

Shelley Kinash et al. — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 23:40:30 PDT

Mobile learning was an embedded component of the pedagogical design of an undergraduate course, Digital media and society. In the final semester of 2010 and the first semester of 2011, 135 students participated in an empirical study inquiring into their perceptual experience of mobile learning. To control for access to technology, an optional iPad student loan scheme was used. The iPads were loaded with an electronic textbook and a mobile application of the learning moderation system. Eighty students participated in ten-person focus groups. Feedback on mobility and the electronic text was positive and optimistic. However, the majority of students were not convinced that the trial made a difference to their learning. This result was interpreted to indicate that the presence or absence of mobile devices does not guarantee or preclude student learning.

Bond Padagogy Project

Jeffrey Brand et al. — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 16:55:15 PDT

Extract:

Background and Literature:

There are two components of the coupled term, mobile learning. Mobility refers to the untethered nature of the student experience. Devices such as smart phones, tablets, net-books, and iPads make learning materials light-weight and portable. Mobility also means that students can access the internet anywhere, anytime, provided that they also have access to a wireless or 3G network. "Mobile devices open up new opportunities for independent investigations, practical fieldwork, professional updating and on-the-spot access to knowledge" *Kukulska-Hulme & Traxler, (2005), p.26+. Mobile access to the internet affords the opportunity for the constructivist educator to engage students in hands-on inquiry (Cavus & Uzuboylu, 2009; Chao & Chen, 2009; Chen et al., 2008; David et al., 2009; Motiwalla, 2007). These tasks are part of the pedagogy of the higher educator and intended to promote learning.

Australian higher education evaluation through assurance of learning

Shelley Kinash et al. — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 16:55:14 PDT

A collaborative research project conducted by five Australian universities inquired into the philosophy and motivation for Assurance of Learning (AoL) as a process of education evaluation. Associate Deans Teaching and Learning representing Business schools from twenty-five universities across Australia participated in telephone interviews. Data was analysed using NVIVO9. Results indicated that articulated rationale for AoL was both ensuring that students had acquired the attributes and skills the universities claimed they had, and the philosophy of continuous improvement. AoL was motivated both by ritualistic objectives to satisfy accreditation requirements and virtuous agendas for quality improvement. Closing-the-loop was emphasised, but was mostly wishful thinking for next steps beyond data collection and reporting. AoL was conceptualised as one element within the larger context of quality review, but there was no evidence of comprehensive frameworks or strategic plans.

iWant does not equal iWill: Correlates of mobile learning with iPads, e-textbooks, BlackBoard Mobile Learn and a blended learning experience

Jeffrey Brand et al. — Mon, 03 Sep 2012 16:55:12 PDT

This research tested the efficacy of a blended learning iteration with iPad tablet computers, an e-textbook and Blackboard's Mobile Learn application connected with a learning management system (LMS). Mobile learning was embedded into the pedagogical design of an undergraduate subject run in two semesters with 135 students. Using design-based research (DBR), an empirical investigation examined four variables including: iPad use; mobile technology use; attitude, including the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) scale; and academic performance. Quantitative analysis with PASW Statistics included descriptive, scaling, correlations, partial correlations and ANCOVAs. Results suggested that students were positive about mobile learning, but were unconvinced that it made a difference to their learning. Performance variables demonstrated that age and self-managed learning attitudes were important covariates with academic success, and mobile learning per se was important but not independent from curriculum design and student engagement.

Challenging mobile learning discourse through research: Student perceptions of Blackboard Mobile Learn and iPads

Shelley Kinash et al. — Tue, 22 May 2012 19:38:48 PDT

Many university academics disagree with the rationale that we should pursue mobile learning because 21st century students are apparently demanding it. We argue that the only defensible rationale for making mobile learning part of pedagogy is because it enhances student learning. This presentation shares results from research with 135 students engaged in mobile learning over two semesters. It addresses the question of whether Blackboard Mobile Learn made a perceived difference to their learning. Results revealed that in-class, students used their mobile devices for Blackboard Mobile Learn to the same extent as they used them for searching the web for study, accessing university web pages, email and making Facebook posts, but less than they used them for browsing the web for pleasure and Facebook reading. The majority of students were neutral when asked if they prefer Mobile Learn over PC access to Blackboard. Students were likewise neutral when asked whether they perceived iPads to improve their learning. There was higher frequency agreement that using iPads motivated them to learn. Qualitative feedback from focus groups was mixed, but largely positive. The overall interpretation was that it is a matter of course that students would access their subject site via mobile devices.

Work motivation and desirable and undesirable personality traits according to Indian students and employees

Trishita Mathew et al. — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 16:40:52 PDT

The last few years have seen a salient increase in trade relations between Australia and India (Hebbani, 2008). India is Australia’s fastest growing major export market and investments between Australia and India are also increasing (Rudd, 2008). India is a lucrative market as it has a growing middle class of 300 million people with a growing purchasing power of approximately 85 billion Australian dollars (Harcourt, 2007). As trade relations between Australia and India are on the rise, understanding what motivates Indians and what they consider desirable and undesirable personality characteristics will provide a competitive edge to organizations in Australia looking to enter the Indian market. In order to gain a richer and better understanding of what motivates Indian students and employees and what according to them are desirable and undesirable personality characteristics, semistructured interviews were conducted. The interviews were recorded on a voice recorder and later transcribed into text. The interviews were then content analyzed. Results revealed that Indian students were motivated to study for their future careers and family expectations, whereas Indian employees were motivated at work by several factors such as money for survival and to provide for their families. Some of the personality characteristics considered desirable by Indian employees were conscientiousness and humility, whereas Indian students thought being friendly and respectful of teachers were desirable characteristics. Some of the personality characteristics considered undesirable by Indian employees were being political and arrogance, whereas the students felt that some of the undesirable characteristics were laziness and disobedience. It is hoped the findings of the present study will have practical implications for both Australian organizations in India and Indian organizations in terms of selection, training, development and compensation.

Goal setting, feedback, and task performance: A laboratory experiment

Trishita Mathew et al. — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 16:38:20 PDT

The present study investigated the effects of goal setting and feedback on task performance among university students. The study was conducted in two phases with a total of 80 participants. Locke and Latham’s (1990) goal setting theory states that assigning a specific and difficult goal and provision of feedback leads to higher performance. It was hypothesized that when assigned a specific, difficult goal on a complex task and (1) only provided with outcome feedback, higher performance would not result and (2) when provided with both outcome and process feedback, higher performance would result. A 2 x 2, between subjects ANOVA was utilized to evaluate differences in performance between the four groups. Results partially supported the hypotheses. Participants assigned a specific and difficult goal and provided only with outcome feedback performed no better than others. However, when participants were provided with both outcome and process feedback, they also performed no better than the comparison group. The results imply that the goal setting theory might not be effective for a moderately complex task in a laboratory setting. Further implications of the results and limitations of the present study are discussed.

Uncoupling mobility and learning: When one does not guarantee the other

Shelley Kinash et al. — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 16:24:29 PDT

Personality and task performance

Trishita Mathew et al. — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 18:42:41 PST

While the positive effects of goal setting and self-efficacy on performance are well established (Bandura, 1997; Locke & Latham, 1990) and it is known that task anxiety can lead to detriments in performance (Locke & Latham, 1990); it is not known which variable affects task performance the most. The present study aimed to identify the strongest predictor of task performance among self-efficacy, goal setting and task anxiety. The study was conducted with a total of 80 participants who were students from an Australian university. It was hypothesised that self-efficacy, goal setting and task anxiety would be significant predictors of task performance with self-efficacy being the most important predictor, followed by goal setting, followed by task anxiety. The hypothesis was partially supported as self-efficacy was found to be a significant, and the most important, predictor, but goal setting and task anxiety were not found to be significant predictors of task performance. Implications of the results are discussed.

Teaching and learning research methods and methodology

Shelley Kinash et al. — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 22:28:25 PST