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

Towards a Design Theory of Usability and Generativity

Generativity is introduced and argued as essential as well as interdependent with usability in technology design. Where usability is well rooted in the design discourse, generativity, or how easy independent innovators can leverage on technology as a platform to develop new services and applications, has had little attention. We enquire into how the elements of usability and generativity are interrelated, how they contradict and how they can be combined. The mobile phone in general, as well as the Mobile Internet and iPhone in particular is used to illustrate our argument. We discuss different configurations of mobile phones, such as open, flexible and generative devices actively inviting and supporting free innovation and sophisticatedly designed appliances offering high quality services and superior usability. As an outcome of our discussion, we describe four different design approaches and ways to combine generativity and usability, and the properties of each of them

Understanding Consumers’ Behaviour when Using a Mobile Phone as a Converged Device

This research develops an empirical model to explore the factors that influence consumers’ behaviour while using a mobile phone as a converged device, i.e., using different functions and services on a mobile phone for multiple purposes. Convergence in this domain is particularly regarded as a social phenomenon that has now existed for over two decades. However, empirical research is lacking in terms of individual’s perception and behaviour toward using a converged device. This research is the first to provide an exploratory study of individual uses of a mobile phone for personal information management (PIM), e-mail, entertainment, and commercial transaction. It also draws from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and identifies some of the antecedent factors that influence the above behaviours and behavioural intentions. Fifty mobile phone users were interviewed and provided their thoughts and experiences of using a mobile phone other than voice communication. The interview data was transcribed and analysed to develop an empirical model. The finding shows that although the TAM has been effective in explaining behaviours in the context of single-functional technologies, it needs further enrichment when applying it to multi-function (converged) technologies. Therefore, the result provides a significant step towards a better understanding of consumer behaviour and creates a better strategy for the market of technology convergence in the future

Out there and in here: design for blended scientific inquiry learning

One of the benefits of mobile technologies is to combine ‘the digital’ (e.g., data, information, photos) with ‘field’ experiences in novel ways that are contextualized by people’s current located activities. However, often cost, mobility disabilities and time exclude students from engaging in such peripatetic experiences. The Out There and In Here project, is exploring a combination of mobile and tabletop technologies in support for collaborative learning. A system is being developed for synchronous collaboration between geology students in the field and peers at an indoor location. The overarching goal of this research is to develop technologies that support people working together in a suitable manner for their locations. There are two OTIH project research threads. The first deals with disabled learner access issues: these complex issues are being reviewed in subsequent evaluations and publications. This paper will deal with issues of technology supported learning design for remote and co-located science learners. Several stakeholder evaluations and two field trials have reviewed two research questions: 1. What will enhance the learning experience for those in the field and laboratory? 2. How can learning trajectories and appropriate technologies be designed to support equitable co-located and remote learning collaboration? This paper focuses on describing the iterative linked development of technologies and scientific inquiry pedagogy. Two stages within the research project are presented. The 1st stage details several pilot studies over 3 years with 21 student participants in synchronous collaborations with traditional technology and pedagogical models. Findings revealed that this was an engaging and useful experience although issues of equity in collaboration needed further research. The 2nd stage, in this project, has been to evaluate data from over 25 stakeholders (academics, learning and technology designers) to develop pervasive ambient technological solutions supporting orchestration of mixed levels of pedagogy (i.e. abstract synthesis to specific investigation). Middleware between tabletop ‘surface’ technologies and mobile devices are being designed with Microsoft and OOKL (a mobile software company) to support these developments. Initial findings reveal issues around equity, ownership and professional identity

Empirical Findings on the Mobile Internet and E-Commerce

This paper discusses the evolution of mobile services and associated potential for mobile e-commerce. In particular, the current operator-driven business ecosystems are contrasted to the potential mobile Internet revolution. Critical factors and characteristics of cellular and Internet business ecosystems are identified. Potential for radical changes in mobile services business exists if inducing trends drive the disruptive potential of mobile Internet services. The paper identifies several measures that can be used when projecting to which extent the mobile Internet has emerged. These measures are used in a case example comparing Finnish early-adopter smartphone users between 2005 and 2006. The results indicate that the mobile Internet has not really kicked off in large scale in Finland yet. On the contrary operators have slightly increased their power because handset bundling with mobile subscriptions is now allowed in Finland. The measurement framework can be further utilized both in cross-sectional and longitudinal study settings in evaluating the emergence of the mobile Internet. Accurate studies on mobile e-commerce can also be done. The emergence of the mobile Internet provides a lot of potential for mobile e-commerce to fly

Human computer interaction for international development: past present and future

Recent years have seen a burgeoning interest in research into the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the context of developing regions, particularly into how such ICTs might be appropriately designed to meet the unique user and infrastructural requirements that we encounter in these cross-cultural environments. This emerging field, known to some as HCI4D, is the product of a diverse set of origins. As such, it can often be difficult to navigate prior work, and/or to piece together a broad picture of what the field looks like as a whole. In this paper, we aim to contextualize HCI4D—to give it some historical background, to review its existing literature spanning a number of research traditions, to discuss some of its key issues arising from the work done so far, and to suggest some major research objectives for the future

A Framework for Analyzing Business Model Innovation in Mobile Commerce

The paper develops and tests a framework for evaluating mobile commerce business models and strategies. To study business model innovation in mobile commerce, we analyze the cost, revenue, and growth components of the business model. In addition, we also investigate whether the implementation of the new business model successfully capitalized on the key disruptive attributes of mobile commerce. An analytical framework is developed to guide the empirical study of the two leading mobile commerce companies in Taiwan. The empirical research indicates that the mobile commerce industry in Taiwan has been able to capitalize on many but not all of the value-adding mobile commerce disruptive attributes as well as the economic principles of the digital economy to provide mobile value. The development of mobile application services should be demand-driven and customer-focused, rather than merely supply- oriented. Mobile commerce service providers must understand the tacit consumer demand and be able to capture the full benefits of the disruptive technology and service innovation in order to achieve superior business performance

The Revolution of Mobile Phone-Enabled Services for Agricultural Development (m-Agri Services) in Africa: The Challenges for Sustainability

The provision of information through mobile phone-enabled agricultural information services (m-Agri services) has the potential to revolutionise agriculture and significantly improve smallholder farmers’ livelihoods in Africa. Globally, the benefits of m-Agri services include facilitating farmers’ access to financial services and sourcing agricultural information about input use, practices, and market prices. There are very few published literature sources that focus on the potential benefits of m-Agri services in Africa and none of which explore their sustainability. This study, therefore, explores the evolution, provision, and sustainability of these m-Agri services in Africa. An overview of the current landscape of m-Agri services in Africa is provided and this illustrates how varied these services are in design, content, and quality. Key findings from the exploratory literature review reveal that services are highly likely to fail to achieve their intended purpose or be abandoned when implementers ignore the literacy, skills, culture, and demands of the target users. This study recommends that, to enhance the sustainability of m-Agri services, the implementers need to design the services with the users involved, carefully analyse, and understand the target environment, and design for scale and a long-term purpose. While privacy and security of users need to be ensured, the reuse or improvement of existing initiatives should be explored, and projects need to be data-driven and maintained as open source. Thus, the study concludes that policymakers can support the long-term benefit of m-Agri services by ensuring favourable policies for both users and implementers