Maintaining connectivity and enhancing communication through the use of text messaging in an undergraduate nursing programme

The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a study that examined the use of a Short Message Service (SMS) (or ‘Text Messaging’) to enhance communication and participation with students on an undergraduate nursing programme. The ideology behind the study is based on an awareness that technology is not always recognised by nursing students as a useful aspect of their education and practice. Therefore it was considered that integrating this ubiquitous from of technology use might help them to recognise the usefulness of technology as an aid to enhance and develop more effective ways of learning and working. Short Message Service (SMS) is a communications protocol allowing the interchange of short text messages between mobile phones. It is the most widely available data application on the planet with over 2.4 billion users (Wikipedia 2008). The advantages in using SMS messaging include ‘always-on’ communication, connectivity to real world learning contexts, ‘top of mind’ direct access and ‘just for me’ personal communication (Jones & Bunting 2008). The widespread availability of mobile phones provides an opportunity to establish and maintain a sense of connectedness in helping learners to engage with their programme of study as almost everyone can participate in synchronous and asynchronous communication. Laurillard (2008) suggests that we should ‘harness technology to meet the needs of education rather than simply search for problems to which technology is the solution’. This concept has particular relevance for the learners in this study who undertake clinical learning experiences throughout their programme of study that are geographically dispersed over a large area for periods of time ranging from two to eight weeks. Text messaging was used to develop and maintain strong links between the tutor/programme director and the students throughout the duration of the programme

Supporting interaction in learning activities using mobile devices in higher education

Mobile devices are personal, portable and being increasingly used to assist students’ learning that creates new educational opportunities for students at university. Adopting mobile technologies to various educational activities that students are practicing in Higher Education (HE) is a key challenge yet one that could create powerful opportunities to support academic learning. This research will investigate how students at university use mobile devices with respect to engagement and interaction in various learning activities. It will study how students in HE engage with learning tasks and what social interactions occur when they are trying to achieve their academic goals. Also, the tools/software that support their academic goals in different learning settings or activities will be considered. This paper shows the background of the research to promote students’ interaction in various learning settings (including both different physical environments and different activities) using mobile learning support system

Cell Phones for College Teaching: A Literature Review

Cell phone is the fastest growing technology among young adults. However, cell phones are considered more as a distraction in the classroom than a tool to support college student’s learning. Cell phones can be noisy and distracting, but they can also be an aid to learning (Docksai, 2009). Although cell phone is the most preferred mobile device of college students and its ownership are widespread, cell phones in general are still underappreciated in the college settings. From the literature review, majority supported the use of cell phone to enhance college students’ learning and interaction despite some prevailing limitations

Shopping Discount Alert System

The Web technologies have been very advanced now. They are incorporated with RFID, GSM, and mobile technologies in enabling the Web functions be accessed more widely. Hence, the business functions are accelerated. This study takes the advantages of such the advancements in assisting marketing purposes. Consequently, a system that alerts users of sales in malls based on their locations is developed, and is named Shopping Discount Alert System (SDAS). UML and Java are used in designing and developing it from start to finish. It sends the advertisements to users' mobile phones, so that the information is pervasive. The Shopping discount alert system has been functionally tested, besides its interface. Results show that the Shopping discount alert system runs well as intended, besides ensuring that the users are happy with the idea. It is anticipated that the Shopping discount alert system could reduce the cost for promotions in a long run

e-Inclusion Through Text Messaging: The Emergence of an Administrative Ecology Within an University Student Population Via The Use of a Mobile Academic Information Delivery System

The investigation evaluated the impact of incorporating mobile technology and in particular the introduction of on-demand Short Messaging Service (SMS) – also known as text messaging - into the information exchange between universities and the students. The impact of the technology on the creation of a new mode of information exchange that augments the existing student learning experience was assessed. The pilot of the application used SMS mobile technology to improve student ‘on-demand’ access to information relating to their subject schedules and assessment performance and institutional provision of information to students. This innovative use of the emerging technology enabled ‘push-pull’ communication with the student body and provided a means of keeping pace with the marketplace and stakeholder demands in terms of communication mode

Penggunaan Qr Code Dalam Pembelajaran Pokok Bahasan Sistem Periodik Unsur Pada Kelas X SMA Labschool Untad

Utilization of information technology in particular a QR code in education is still lacking. Therefore the reseacher is examining the QR code in the chemistry learning. Teaching and learning activities in the classroom are still dominated by teachers, meanwhile students seem expect more aids from their peers in performing the task. which due to a number of student are still lack of confidence in completing their tasks. In this study, the researchers use the QR code in the learning of periodic table topics regarding properties of elements. The problem statement was wether the learning outcomes of student who involved in the learning using QR code are better than student who take lessons without involving the use of QR code. The number of student in class X science Labschool Untad for 2013/2014 academic year are 22 student in experimental classroom and 22 student in control classroom which are determined by purposive sampling. Based on the results, it is concluded that the learning outcomes of students who took lessons with the use of QR code is higher than the learning outcome of students who took the lessons without involving the use of QR code for student in class X SMA Labschool Tadulako University

Dynamic-PDA-Use for learning: an undergraduate student

The paper reports on a one-year case study of Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) use for learning by an undergraduate student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at a university in Hong Kong. Data was collected through student e-journals and artifacts, observations, in-depth and retrospective interviews. In the data analysis, both categorization and contextualization strategies were adopted to provide a well-rounded account of the inquiry. The research results are presented and discussed. The paper proposes the concept of dynamic-PDA-use for learning, and suggests that understanding and adopting this concept in learning will help improve PDA educational practices, and allow dynamic and flexible PDA use for varied learning activities.postprin

Text messaging to support off-campus clinical nursing facilitators: A descriptive survey

Background Managing large student cohorts can be a challenge for university academics, coordinating these units. Bachelor of Nursing programmes have the added challenge of managing multiple groups of students and clinical facilitators whilst completing clinical placement. Clear, time efficient and effective communication between coordinating academics and clinical facilitators is needed to ensure consistency between student and teaching groups and prompt management of emerging issues. Methods This study used a descriptive survey to explore the use of text messaging via a mobile phone, sent from coordinating academics to off-campus clinical facilitators, as an approach to providing direction and support. Results The response rate was 47.8% (n = 22). Correlations were found between the approachability of the coordinating academic and clinical facilitator perception that, a) the coordinating academic understood issues on clinical placement (r = 0.785, p < 0.001), and b) being part of the teaching team (r = 0.768, p < 0.001). Analysis of responses to qualitative questions revealed three themes: connection, approachability and collaboration. Conclusions This study demonstrates that use of regular text messages improves communication between coordinating academics and clinical facilitators. Findings suggest improved connection, approachability and collaboration between the coordinating academic and clinical facilitation staff

Helping Distance Learners Stay Connected: The Effectiveness of Mobile Learning via SMS at Open University Malaysia

Distance learners often face what is known as transactional distances in terms of geographical, time, psychological and communication spaces (Moore, 1997). More often than not, compared to full time students, these adult learners who mostly hold full time jobs and have family commitments face a daunting task when it comes to juggling between studies, work and family. They often struggle to find that extra time and space to fit in their studies and frequently need to exert extra effort to ensure that they remain connected to the university, their tutors and their peers. This paper describes Open University Malaysia’s efforts in actively supporting learners in their studies through the use of text messaging technology, the simplest and most widely used of all mobile technology applications available. Further, it illustrates how mobile technology enhances the blended approach to instruction and lends more flexibility and ubiquity to the learning process. It also examines the effectiveness of the initiative in terms of helping learners to (1) review/locate/remember course facts easily, (2) discuss online, (3) manage their learning, (4) persevere in their studies, and (5) remember important dates and actions to be taken related to the course. Both quantitative and qualitative data are presented.(Abstract by authors