Comparative Study on m-Learning Usage Among LIS Students from Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan

Mobile learning (m-learning) is gaining its importance in recent years. For libraries, it is inevitable to adapt to this trend and provide various information services and support for m-learning. This paper studies the m-learning usage of Library and Information Science (LIS) students, who will be the new blood for the library in future. In this paper, we invited 267 subjects from Hong Kong, Japan, and Taiwan to participate in our online survey. We found that LIS students from these regions do adopt communication tools and social media for m-learning. However, they less frequently use their smartphones for academic reading. Plus, they rely more on search engines for fulfilling their information needs instead of library resources. We also found that the lack of a mobile version of the library website constitutes a significant barrier in m-learning, but the lack of mobile apps is relatively acceptable by the respondents. The result of this study shows that there are no big differences in m-learning usage among the three regions, except that LIS students from Hong Kong are accessing the learning management platforms via their smartphones more frequently compared to students from Japan and Taiwan.postprin

Exploring undergraduate students’ usage pattern of mobile apps for education

In recent years, with the general adoption of smartphones with computing power comparable to desktop computers, mobile applications (apps) have experienced a surge in popularity. However, there are few studies conducted about their educational use, especially in Southeast Asia. To close this research gap, this study aims to provide a current overview of mobile apps usage in higher education. Besides exploring the actual use of apps, the technology acceptance model was applied to examine (1) undergraduate students’ perceptions, which involve perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use, towards adopting mobile apps for educational purposes, and (2) their overall attitude toward such adoption. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used to collect data from 150 undergraduate students in Business, Education, and Engineering in Hong Kong. The results show undergraduate students use mobile apps frequently to engage in learning activities related to their academic studies, with a particularly focus on communication and collaborative working, accessing academic resources, and checking a dictionary. However, the discrepancies in using apps for academic purposes are not significant between the three faculties. Meanwhile, perceived usefulness has a more positive impact on overall attitude compared with the impact of perceived ease of use. The investigation will help tertiary institutions, library service providers, and educators develop and assess strategic planning for education collaborating with mobile apps. This paper could also give app developers some suggestions for app design based on actual usage and students’ information needs.preprin

Educational Usage of Mobile Devices: Differences Between Postgraduate and Undergraduate Students

The rapid increase of smartphone usage in recent years has provided students the opportunity to participate in mobile learning (m-learning) anywhere, anytime. Academic institutions are also following this trend to launch many m-learning services. This article investigates the differences of the user needs between undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) students though an online survey with 140 Library Information Systems (LIS) subjects in a Japanese university in order to provide solid foundations for future m-learning studies. We find that UG and PG students do not show significant differences in adopting m-learning by smartphones despite the fact that they have different learning patterns. The m-learning frequencies of smartphones generally range from weekly to monthly, where using search engines is the most frequent, and reading academic resources is the least frequent. They tend to use these services for handling their daily routines (such as search engine, social networks) rather than their academic activities (such as using online databases to search for academic materials). Further, the results also show that content displaying issues (e.g., small display screen, text unable to enlarge) are barriers for most subjects in using these m-learning services.postprin

Investigation of polymer bonded magnetic materials for power conversion

Author name used in this publication: K. W. E. ChengAuthor name used in this publication: C. Y. TangAuthor name used in this publication: D. K. W. ChengAuthor name used in this publication: H. WuAuthor name used in this publication: Y. LuPower Electronics Research Centre, Department of Electrical EngineeringRefereed conference paper2001-2002 > Academic research: refereed > Refereed conference paperVersion of RecordPublishe

Use of smartphones by art and design students for accessing library services and learning

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore art and design students’ use of smartphones for accessing library services and learning at the Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI). Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire survey involving 51 HKDI students was conducted to examine the students’ utilization of apps and the internet on mobile devices to find information for the purpose of academic learning, social networking, and collaborative learning. Findings – Survey results showed that while the HKDI students were all smartphone owners and active users of such mobile communication devices, only a minority of them “frequently” use these mobile devices for formal learning purposes. They demonstrated a keen preference to use search engines, social communications, and other diverse use of smartphones. Except for research and image/audio-visual needs, the rest of their needs and usage behaviour is similar to mainstream university students. Practical implications – The results suggest opportunities for the libraries to develop services and facilities that could better fulfil students’ information needs, and to improve the network coverage outside the library. Originality/value – This is probably the first study of its kind to explore art and design students’ use of smartphones for learning needs. In particular, the recent capability of smartphones and mobile internet speed are comparable with desktops, it is vital to re-examine the much changed environment and user needs.postprin

Why read it on your mobile device? Change in reading habit of electronic magazines for university students

Magazines, often published periodically with a variety of contents, have long been successful in catering to magazine readers' various content needs and reading interests. In recent years, interactive digital magazines instead of replicas of printed magazines, based on digital devices have been gaining popularity and preference due to its unrivaled convenience and interactivity. To some extent, many people's magazine-reading habits have been changed due to their adoption of mobile digital devices. This study is designed to analyze mobile digital devices' influence on magazine reading habits amongst university students in Hong Kong. Issues such as mobile digital devices' level of adoption amongst university students and their preferences on devices for different magazine types are analyzed. Our findings show that university students in Hong Kong read more types of magazines after they started to use mobile digital devices, mainly using tablets. The findings of the study are useful for librarians (academic librarians in particular) and digital publishing vendors to explore the issues concerning services and collection development of interactive digital resources

Intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivations of Master of Library and Information Science students: A cross-cultural comparative study

This study examined the career and learning motivation of students studying a Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) degree programs at universities located in four different countries, namely the University of Hong Kong, National Taiwan Normal University, Peking University, and the University of Copenhagen. The MLIS students from these four universities were invited to take part in a self-completion online questionnaire survey, and 200 responses were collected in total. We discovered that their prior working experience in the library had an impact on their decision to pursue the MLIS program. We also categorized the career and learning motivation factors of MLIS learners into intrinsic and extrinsic factors, and discovered that the participants were motivated by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors to pursue their graduate studies in the Library and Information Science (LIS) field. We found that intrinsic factors influenced the students of University of Copenhagen significantly more than the other student groups, and this could be explained by Hofstede’s cultural dimensions. Our findings can assist with the formulation of development strategies for MLIS programs through a review of the LIS curriculum and help MLIS programs in different countries attract more people to pursue a career in LIS.preprin

Applications of Social Media in Academic Library Services: A Case of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Library

In recent years, social media have had a vast number of users and attracted academic libraries to use this new media to connect with their user communities. It allows librarians to communicate and share information with, and even provide services to users. This study examines the Pao Yue-kong Library at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyUL) that has been using social media to promote their information resources and services. However, throughout websites observations and tracking records on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube of the PolyUL, it was found users are not as numerous as other commercial organizations. Some recommendations were suggested to the PolyUL for enhancing communication with its users

Tourists' Mobile Information Seeking Behavior: An Investigation on China's Youth

The Internet is considered to be one of the most effective search channels for people to get a variety of information. This is especially true, for young tourists within the 18-30 year range, who prefer free independent travel tours. Many tend to have strong information needs about their travel destinations and the use of mobile technology for information search is rapidly becoming a popular trend, especially with this demographic. This study aims to investigate the associations between the mobile device usage preference and information search behavior of young travelers, between the ages of 18 and 30, in the People's Republic of China (PRC). For this purpose, a sample of 133 respondents is used. Results of the survey are provided and followed by a discussion of the overall context. Study limitations and directions for future development are suggested