m-learning

By 2015 80 percent of people will access the internet from a mobile device (Johnson et. al. 2011) and it is likely that internet enabled devices with outnumber desk bounded wired computers. The challenge for universities and educators is to keep in step with our students and their insatiable appetite for media rich quality digital content on demand and on the move.

Mobile devices such as smartphones and hand held table devices are becoming ubiquitous and affordable for many especially when bundled with 3G and Wi-Fi access to the internet. It is perhaps surprising that few universities have grasped the full potential of using these mobile devices for learning, teaching and assessment. This may be due in part to the rapid pace of change in technology and appliances on offer and the fact that our students have been far more ready to accept / embrace the advantages of such devices for communication, online social presence and entertainment.

Potential applications for mobile technologies include broadcasting teaching sessions thereby providing synchronous or asynchronous location-independent learning opportunities, utilizing smartphone apps for learning and assessment and finally exploring the use of online games to encourage fuller student participation in learning. The main challenges for faculty when using these technologies are likely to be that they are working in unfamiliar spheres / cultural contexts, the institutional robustness of the campus /teaching space Wi-Fi or 3G signal or load capacity and ensuring equality in terms of their students' access to the necessary resources to support these ventures.

This paper aims to provide a concise account the current and potential use of mobile technologies in the teaching and learning space by exploring the potential benefits and limitations in higher education.