Mobile learning scenarios in language teaching: perceptions of vocational and professional education students

Mobile devices play a significant role in society, in general, and a very limited one at the different levels of education. Smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices allows learning to occur anywhere, (and at) anytime. These powerful technological devices can enhance the teaching and learning processes by helping to promote collaborative and individual learning and broadening the boundaries of the classroom to different contexts of learning. Many students have mobile devices and their applications can provide access to learning outside the classroom, for greater flexibility and more dynamic learning. In this sense, the articulation of technological and methodological efforts allowed us to create learning scenarios supported by the devices that students take to the classroom (BYOD), and use them to motivate and involve students in meaningful learning. These devices offer the advantage of integrating various technologies in the curricular contents, such as in foreign and mother language courses, representing a set of possibilities of ubiquity that can have great impact on the learning process. Thus, we developed strategies with vocational and educational students’ methodologies, such as augmented reality, project-based learning, game-based learning, collaborative learning and gamification. In this text, we present the results of two mobile learning studies in teaching French as a foreign language (to 18-23 year-old-students) and Portuguese language, as a mother tongue (to 15-19 year-old-students), in vocational education, implemented as a mediation tool in education to promote the construction of learning and development of significant skills of collaborative work. From the data collection, through a questionnaire, with open and closed questions, we highlight the favorable perception of the students to the integration of mobile devices in learning, and the recognition of the benefits of the teaching strategies used throughout the year, in the increase of curricular learning.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Long March or Bold Strokes : Comparing Strategies for Adopting EVS Learning Technology at a UK University

In recent years there has been much encouragement to investigate the use of classroom technologies to enhance the student learning experience especially in the STEM subjects but now extending across other subject areas as well. A typical classroom technology is electronic voting system (EVS) handsets which allow a lecturer to invite students to vote for their choice from a selection of given answers. Recently, a medium-size UK University has purchased over 9000 EVS handsets for use across the academic Schools as an innovative means for supporting formative and summative testing. Numerous training and support sessions have been provided to staff with the intention of supporting new and experienced users and increasing the take up by academics. As noted in earlier research reported at ECEL 2013, the student feedback was very positive for the use of EVS for formative activities, and less so, for its use in summative assessment. A recent review of the trends of EVS adoption at the University has been undertaken to inform decision-making and future use and support for the technology. One aspect of this review has considered the effectiveness of the strategies adopted by different academic Schools. EVS adoption and use across the University has been compared and placed within Rogers’ theory of the diffusion of innovation. This paper further considers a set of six different strategies adopted for EVS use by academic Schools. They have been categorised according to several variables, including their choice of speed of uptake and the number of handsets in use. The inherent strengths and possible weaknesses of the approaches adopted are considered. Among the questions raised were, does a strategy of large-scale technology adoption over a short time period indicate a greater likelihood of long term engagement and ultimate adoption of the technology? Or, does a longer elapsed time taken for a gradual purchase and adoption of EVS technology suggest a greater inclination for the embedding of technology for enhancing learning? What other success factors should be considered alongside the training and support provided for technology adoption to enhance the likelihood of long term adoption of classroom technologies? The discussion provides a comparison of six different strategies identified across the university and the rationale behind them and then proposes a set of strategy choices which can lead to a greater likelihood of successful adoption of classroom technology

THE EFFECTS OF CLICKER-AIDED FLIPPED CLASSROOM MODEL ON LEARNING ACHIEVEMENT, PHYSICS ANXIETY AND STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS

Similar to all stages of education, the use of the flipped classroom model continues to become more widespread in higher education. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of flipped classroom model on learning achievement and students’ anxiety towards their courses. The true experimental design was used in this study. The study was conducted with the participation of 61 undergraduate students taking the physics course. In the in-class component of the flipped classroom model, while the student response system was used with the experimental group, it was excluded during the study conducted on the control group students. Several data were collected from the physics achievement test, the physics anxiety questionnaire, and semi-structured interviews. The gathered data were analyzed in accordance with whether the student response system was utilized in the in-class component of the flipped classroom model. The results have shown that, in comparison to the control group students, the learning achievement of the experimental group students had increased and that their anxiety had decreased significantly. Furthermore, it has been determined that the experimental group students had a positive perception of student response system’s utilization in class. This study may provide aid for lecturers in integrating the student response system to the flipped classroom model.Keywords: flipped classroom, student response system, learning achievement, anxiety

The Impact of Student Response Systems on the Learning Experience of Undergraduate Psychology Students

Student response systems (SRS) are hand-held devices or mobile phone polling systems which collate real-time, individual responses to on-screen questions. Previous research examining their role in higher education has highlighted both advantages and disadvantages of their use. This paper explores how different SRS influence the learning experience of psychology students across different levels of their programme. Across two studies, first year students’ experience of using Turningpoint clickers and second year students’ experience of using Poll Everywhere was investigated. Evaluations of both studies revealed that SRS has a number of positive impacts on learning, including enhanced engagement, active learning, peer interaction, and formative feedback. Technical and practical issues emerged as consistent barriers to the use of SRS. Discussion of these findings and the authors’ collective experiences of these technologies are used to provide insight into the way in which SRS can be effectively integrated within undergraduate psychology programmes

Technology-enhanced Pathways to Active Learning: Student Response Systems Facilitating Peer-instruction and Self-assessment in Large Classrooms

This paper describes an active learning approach implemented in a first-year undergraduate course in Introductory Macroeconomics taught at the University of East Anglia. The first part of the paper explains the motivation that led me to introduce this approach, which builds on powerful pedagogies such as self-assessment and peer-instruction, as well as on technology-enhanced learning through Student Response Systems. In the second part of the paper, I report on the mixed-methods evaluation strategy implemented to appraise pedagogical effectiveness. Whilst only briefly commenting on quantitative indicators, which have been the focus of previous publications, the focus of this paper is on qualitative data that conveys students’ perceptions of their learning experiences when using the approach. Analysis of the qualitative data highlights that students view my pedagogical approach, as well as its technology-enhanced implementation, as supportive of student learning, and as a means of enhancing their self-efficacy beliefs. The pedagogic approach is especially welcomed by students coming from an international background, characterised by diverse previous learning experiences. The approach also appears to be particularly effective for students who are struggling with their learning

Poll Everywhere! Even in the Classroom: An Investigation into the Impact of Using PollEverwhere in a Large-Lecture Classroom

Over the past several years, there has been a call in higher education to move from traditional lecturing to a more active classroom. However, many faculty members face multiple challenges when attempting to make a large lecture (over 100 students) an active learning environment. One way researchers have suggested engaging a large lecture is through Concept Tests and Peer Instruction, which can require additional resources to be purchased by students, such as electronic response systems or clickers. This study will investigate the applicability of utilizing the free software PollEverywhere, which can be accessed using student cell phones (Text messages and Twitter) or personal laptop computers (www.pollev.com), as a potential method to improve student engagement by open-ended, reflective, multiple-choice, and content specific questions in a more efficient manner as perceived by students in a large-lecture classroom. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of implementing polling software (PollEverywhere) on student engagement in an introductory computer science large lecture classroom (n = 291). The ease of use of this technology can help with the adoption of this active learning strategy. Research needs to be done to measure the impact of this software. During the fall semester of 2013, a pilot study was completed in an introductory computing course for non-computer science majors. During lecture, students were regularly asked to use the PollEverywhere software to respond to open-ended, reflective, multiple-choice, and content specific questions. At the end of the semester, students were asked to complete the survey to gauge if using the PollEverywhere software specifically changed their views of the course or about using response systems int he class. The results were generally positive with many of the students stating they enjoyed using PollEverywhere and felt more engaged when PollEverywhere was used. More students felt more engaged with the open-ended questions than with multiple choice questions. Being able to ask open-ended questions is a benefit of using PollEverywhere over a traditional clicker system as well. The pilot study results uncovered a number of supportive elements for using PollEverywhere which will be investigated further in the next stage of the study