The mobile learning conscious tutor: Incorporating Facebook in tutorials

The 21st-century student is said to be techno-savvy and constantly on their mobile devices. Students make excessive use of social media platforms of which the Facebook application is perceived as the most popular social media network amongst students at higher education institutions. With the rethinking and reinvention of new teaching and learning perspectives in mind, using Facebook as a discussion tool seemed to have the potential to be a very effective tool to create meaningful teaching and learning experiences in an innovative way. Through a case study research design, the researchers focused on both tutors’ and students’ perceptions and questionnaires were used to collect tutors’ and students’ perceptions. Theories of virtual professional communities of practice theory are incorporated, as a critique and a critical analysis of the progressive development of a tutoring system that incorporates mobile devices in the lecture venues are further considered. Findings imply that students respond to discussions quicker and are comfortable enough within the online space to share their information and opinions. The role of students shifted from only receiving knowledge to both searching and sharing their knowledge. The tutors were regarded as their peers and therefore shared the techno-savvy traits that could interpret content to the students on a digital platform in an easier way and in a language that the students understood. Tutors had to further strategies and plan every minute of the tutorial very well, in order to conduct disciplined, well-structured and meaningful tutorials

LHUFT Bibliography January 2020

Subject headings have been updated to reflect current Library of Congress standards

Mobile learning and its influence on how tutors tutor

Abstract : The autonomous nature of communication when referring to space and time influences mobile technology forces Higher Education institutions to rethink how tutoring should be conducted. It is my contention that advances in mobile technology has forced institutions learning to revaluate their tutoring systems. New communications devices and platform will have to be incorporated into education to strengthen teaching and learning especially in tutorials. It is a fact that today students are digital natives. It is a fact that many of them own or use a technological device. This combination is a recipe that will mediate mobile learning anywhere and anytime. This investigation aimed to explore tutors potential to introduce mobile learning in the tutorials conducted at the University of Johannesburg’s Faculty of Education. The study further considers the tutors potential to motivate students to use their mobile devices for learning beyond socialising on social media. This is by supporting mobile learning online. This exploratory qualitative study sought to understand the perception of tutors and students about mobile learning through in-depth reviews of the literature, focus group interviews, questionnaires and online log data responses to provide an understanding of tutors’ mobile interventions and students’ mobile use in tutorial activities to understand an aspect of the tutorial system at the University of Johannesburg. The data was thematically analysed. The results suggest that tutors can encourage students to use their devices for academic purposes. The conclusion is that the inclusion of mobile learning as part of the tutorial experience can support learning online beyond the traditional physical and formal tutorial.M.Ed. (Education