Mobile Learning in the Institution of Higher Learning for Malaysia students : Culture Perspectives

Mobile learning usage in a developing country like Malaysia can be considered new. This literature research  is a state of art overview to discuss current issues. The emerging issues come from: types of mobile learning and learning styles; implementation issues of mobile learning; culture dimensions; and user readiness to accept the mobile learning technology. Currently, there is a lack of research about culture aspects to improve mobile learning and university students’ engagement in Malaysia. The objective of this research is to find the gap from the culture perspectives of mobile learning in Malaysia at public institutions of higher learning. The discussions have found that the culture dimensions are not a suitable approach to tackle mobile learning. It is therefore suggested to use a more grounded and sensible cultural  approach for local context

'It's Always There, It's Always On': Australian Freelancer's Management of Availability Using Mobile Technologies

The paradigm of "access, anytime, anywhere" has been critiqued within the mobile HCI literature as a broad assumption that simplifies understandings of actual work practice, and as an example of rhetoric that allows researchers to ignore the temporal aspects of mobility. The key aspect of technology use that remains unclear, however, when discussing this paradigm is the complexity of the concept "anytime, anywhere" from the perspective of the user. This paper addresses this gap by discussing findings from an empirical study of freelance workers, across both work and social contexts, in which availability emerged as an important concern for participants. This paper explores the ways in which freelancers use their mobile devices to manage their availability to others. Finally, we also consider implications for the ways in which mobility is conceptualised within the mobile HCI literature

"It's always there, it's always on": Australian freelancer's management of availability using mobile technologies

The paradigm of "access, anytime, anywhere" has been critiqued within the mobile HCI literature as a broad assumption that simplifies understandings of actual work practice, and as an example of rhetoric that allows researchers to ignore the temporal aspects of mobility. The key aspect of technology use that remains unclear, however, when discussing this paradigm is the complexity of the concept "anytime, anywhere" from the perspective of the user. This paper addresses this gap by discussing findings from an empirical study of freelance workers, across both work and social contexts, in which availability emerged as an important concern for participants. This paper explores the ways in which freelancers use their mobile devices to manage their availability to others. Finally, we also consider implications for the ways in which mobility is conceptualised within the mobile HCI literature. Copyright 2006 ACM

“Why lose control?” A Study of Freelancers’ Experiences with Gig Economy Platforms

Freelancing platforms, such as Upwork, represent an expansion of the gig economy to encompass knowledge-based work. Prior research in HCI has primarily focused on forms of gig work such as ride-sharing and microwork but has not addressed how freelancing platforms are disrupting high-skilled knowledge work. To understand freelancers’ perspectives on how these platforms are disrupting their work we have collected and thematically analysed 528 posts with 7499 comments from four relevant subforums on Reddit. The qualitative findings reveal tensions between wanting autonomy and control and the necessity of opportunities and convenience. Freelancing platforms are perceived as systems that present advantages to find clients, gain experience and mitigate precarity. However, these platforms constrain the control over their work that freelancers value. The paper contributes an improved understanding of freelance work, the role and potential for freelancing platforms in the knowledge-based gig economy, and directions for worker-centred design

Perspectives of agility in the corporate environment: a view under the context of the use of Mobile Technologies

The impact and importance of the use of mobile technologies in personal and professional lives of individuals is increasing in Latin America. One of the major impacts of such use in the organizational context concerns the agility gain. However, the concept of agility is still not robust, since there is no clear and precise definition with respect to the theoretical model. The purpose of this research is therefore to deepen the concept of agility in the dimensions concerning the use of mobile technologies. To do so, we related the constructs identified in the literature review to the agility characteristics in respect of use of mobile technologies through a card sorting tool. The results indicate three major perspectives of agility from the use of mobile technologies are time, access to information and communication. Keywords: use of mobile technologies, enterprise mobility, agility El impacto y la importancia del uso de tecnologías móviles en la vida personal y profesional de las personas está aumentando en America Latina. Uno de los mayores impactos de este uso en el contexto organizacional se refiere al aumento de la agilidad. Sin embargo, el concepto de agilidad aún no es muy robusto, dado que no existe una definición clara y precisa con respecto al modelo teórico. El objetivo de esta investigación es, por tanto, profundizar el concepto de agilidad en las dimensiones relacionadas con el uso de tecnologías móviles, relacionando los constructos identificados en la revisión de la literatura con las características de agilidad en el contexto del uso de tecnologías móviles, a través de una herramienta de clasificación de cartas. Los resultados indican tres grandes perspectivas de agilidad debido a la adopción de tecnologías móviles, a saber, el tiempo, el acceso a la información y la comunicación. Palabras clave: uso de tecnologías móviles, movilidad empresarial, agilidad O impacto e a importância da utilização das tecnologias móveis e sem fio na vida pessoal e profissional dos indivíduos está aumentando na América Latina. Um dos grandes impactos dessa utilização no contexto organizacional diz respeito ao ganho de agilidade. Contudo, o conceito de agilidade ainda é pouco robusto, dado que não há uma definição clara e precisa com relação ao modelo teórico. O objetivo desta investigação é, portanto o de aprofundar o conceito de agilidade nas dimensões relativas à utilização das tecnologias móveis e sem fio, relacionando construtos identificados na revisão de literatura às características da agilidade no contexto da utilização das TIMS através de uma ferramenta de card sorting. Os resultados indicam três grandes perspectivas da agilidade em decorrência da adoção das TIMS, sendo elas tempo, acesso à informação e comunicação

Precarious Creativity: Working Lives in the British Independent Television Production Industry

Broadcasting is undergoing a period of profound change. Convergence and digitisation are reshaping production and consumption. In the multi-channel environment, public service broadcasting (PSB) finds itself under threat, as traditional funding models are threatened by increased choice, new modes of delivery, and, for commercial public service broadcasters, a reduction in advertising revenue. In the UK, the industry base has undergone significant restructuring over the last twenty-five years. This has occurred following the creation of Channel 4 in 1982, and the emergence of the independent television production sector (ITPS) , coupled with a steady process of employment and industry deregulation. Labour in the sector is now predominantly freelance (Skillset, 2006a, 2007a), and increasingly concentrated in the ITPS, largely in London but with growing production bases at a regional level. Furthermore, the independent sector itself is reshaping, from a sector predominantly made up of small 'one-man band' lifestyle companies, to the more commercially facing, vertically integrated 'super-indies' which now dominate the sector (Mediatique, 2004). In this context of transformation, this thesis is an investigation of creative labour in the ITPS in the UK, focused specifically on factual television production. Based on extended qualitative research of a group of twenty individuals over a six-month period, and supplementary interviews with company managers, the research examines the nature of work and production for individuals in this industry. The sample is cross-generational and includes a wide range of production positions, from researcher to series producer. The research focuses on the consequences of casualisation and risk for television workers, exploring how they manage their careers in the face of rampant insecurity. Drawing on Sennett's (1998) method of narrative sociology, the thesis explores the personal consequences of flexible labour markets (of which television is exemplary) on working individuals. It focuses on the subjective response of individuals to working in this area of the cultural economy, exploring the attractions of cultural labour despite the ontological insecurity and (self)-exploitation which often accompanies such work. It examines the emergence of 'network sociality' (Wittel, 2001) in the creative labour market, and the implications of this for recruitment and access to the television industry. Finally, it utilises the notion of 'craft' (Sennett, 2006), in order to explore the impact of flexible accumulation on television workers' production value

Understanding the impacts of gig economy platforms on freelancers’ work practices

Freelancing platforms have enabled opportunities for millions of knowledge workers worldwide to pursue a freelance career. Freelancing platforms are part of an emerging work model characterised by technology companies mediating work relationships through algorithms that manage, monitor, and evaluate work – the gig economy. Previous literature has studied freelance workers’ practices, for instance, how they go about getting work, cultivating their reputation, and managing their work. However, most of this research has been conducted prior to the emergence of freelancing platforms, leaving a gap in our understanding of how platforms impact freelancers’ work. This thesis comprises of three qualitative studies, engaging with views from a total of 476 freelancers, to understand the opportunities and challenges freelancing platforms introduce for their work practices. The first study explores how freelancers view online freelancing platforms through a qualitative analysis of discussions in four freelancing subforums. The findings suggests that platforms can enable opportunities to source clients, gain experience, and mitigate precarity while constraining control over their work choices, reputation, and client relationships. The second study focuses on understanding the impact of platforms on freelancers’ everyday work-life through a qualitative diary study followed by semi-structured interviews. Findings from this study illustrate how platform features and individual circumstances shape freelancers’ everyday life. Importantly platform features introduce new constraints on work availability, autonomy, and detachment. The last study builds from the previous two studies and literature recommendations to develop a design fiction that explored a model of online freelancing where platform features are designed to support (rather than constrain) freelancers’ work preferences. This design fiction is used as the basis for five focus groups, identifying novel areas for research and development to support freelancers’ autonomy, entrepreneurship, and peer support. This thesis makes contributions to knowledge, design, and policy. Firstly, it contributes novel empirical knowledge to the impacts freelancing platforms have had on freelance work by unpacking core challenges and opportunities. Secondly, it contributes design implications that move towards thinking about ‘worker-centred’ research interventions, platform configurations, and features to mitigate challenges stemming from platforms. Thirdly, it contributes policy implications to regulate and hold platforms accountable, rethink social institutions to better support freelancers, and legislate emerging technologies that manage work

Framing the User Experience in Mobile Newsmaking with Smartphones

Mobile handheld devices are changing the practices of newsmaking, the roles of journalists and readers in it, and the published news in profound ways. The activity of mobile newsmaking aims at a tangible outcome, the news, which are consumed by an audience. Relatively little research exists in HCI (Human-Computer Interaction) that explores what is user experience of mobile systems in goal-oriented creative activity in organizational settings and especially in the natural contexts of use. This thesis addresses this gap by focusing on user experience, which arises when smartphones are used in mobile newsmaking to create and publish online and print news in the newspaper industry. This thesis has two main goals. First, it aims to gain a holistic understanding of user experience in mobile newsmaking with smartphones from the viewpoint of mobile reporters as users. Second, it explores how mobile and location-based assignments assigned by the newsroom can support cooperative newsmaking. This thesis contains nine scientific publications based on twelve case studies. The research approach of the studies is primarily qualitative. Seven of the studies included the usage of a mobile service client for newsmaking in the mobile context of use. Two of the twelve studies concentrated on reader participation in newsmaking as a form of mobile crowdsourcing. The rest of the studies focused on professional use. Over one hundred participants participated in the studies, of which a majority were students of visual journalism with prior work experience in journalism. The empirical findings are synthesized in the thesis summary. The model of user experience in mobile newsmaking with smartphones and the process model for mobile assignment-based processes summarize the thesis work on user experience and cooperative processes. User experience in mobile newsmaking is constructed in a process of using the mobile system in a goal-oriented and creative activity in the mobile context of use. The activity of mobile newsmaking consists of several subactivities starting from encountering a newsworthy event to the publishing of the news. It may include mobile reporter’s cooperation with others, who are in the field or in the newsroom. The constructed model of user experience has seven main components: user, system, the context of use, tangible outcome, descriptive attributes, overall evaluative judgments, and consequences. The model emphasizes the characteristics of the tangible outcome of system use (news material, news) as a fourth component that can contribute to user experience in addition to the characteristics of the user, system and the context of use. User’s experienced quality of the system is described by verbally expressible descriptive attributes divided to four components. The components of the descriptive attributes are the quality of the outcome (technical and content-based quality) and the perceived impacts (benefits and costs) that complement instrumental (pragmatic) and non-instrumental (hedonic) qualities from prior models of user experience. Ease-of-use, speed, light weight, small-size, unobtrusiveness, reliability, connectivity, controllability, being always along, and multifunctionality are key attributes for positive user experience. For users, pride of the outcome, fit with needs, motivations and goals, feeling of being in control, mastery of the system and activity, and the fit of the system to user’s role and situation are important. The process model for mobile assignment-based processes illustrates the coordination and cooperation related information and communication needs of the mobile reporter and the newsroom at differenct phases of newsmaking. The constructed models and synthesized results can aid academics and practitioners when designing, studying, and evaluating solutions for mobile work that can be complex, cooperative and creative and which aims at a perceivable or tangible outcome. They can also aid in recognizing the critical success factors of the solutions for different types of users and circumstances of the context of use. Further, results can aid when selecting and planning ICT solutions for media organizations and when planning the related editorial processes, workflows, and work roles. Finally, the constructed models can be used and validated in future research in other fields of mobile work and crowdsourcing

Expanding the possibilities of translation memory systems : from the translators wishlist to the developers design

Imperial Users onl