Analysing mobile learning designs: A framework for transforming learning post-COVID

Mobile learning is well established in literature and practice, but under-evolved from a rigorous learning design perspective. Activity theory presents a sophisticated way of mapping and understanding learning design, but for mobile learning this does not always translate into change in practice. The reported research addresses this by coupling a mobile learning specific approach to activity theory with a practice-based framework: the design for transformative mobile learning framework mapped to the pedagogy-andragogy-heutagogy continuum matrix (the DTML-PAH Matrix). Seven case studies are analysed using this approach and presented narratively along with framework informed analysis. Findings include that the DTML-PAH Matrix can be used to provide clearer implications and guidance for mobile learning practice, and that the DTML-PAH Matrix can also be guided by the practice over time. Implications for further research and practice are discussed. Implications for practice or policy: Provide technological and pedagogical scaffolds to students. Learning designs should focus upon enabling elements of learner agency and creativity. To develop learning solutions to real world problems utilise a design-based research approach. Create authentic collaborative learning activities and tasks. Integrate mobile learning affordances in the design of the course and curriculum

Exploring mobile mixed reality in healthcare higher education: A systematic review

Background: The evolution of technology and simulation has had a significant impact on clinical education. However, it remains grounded in traditional teaching paradigms, limiting potential for enhanced learning. Furthermore, the impact of mixed reality enabled mobile devices remains underexplored. Purpose: The aim of this article was to investigate mobile learning and mixed reality in healthcare higher education. Method: A search of six databases from the earliest available date to 30 February 2018 and a hand search of journals and included studies was performed. Inclusion criteria focused on ‘healthcare’, ‘higher education’, ‘mobile learning’ and ‘mixed reality’. All study designs were included, though they were limited to the English language. The checklist of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis was used as a framework for the review, with included studies critiqued using the mixed methods appraisal tool. Results: The search generated 1484 studies, with 18 meeting inclusion criteria. The majority of studies utilised mobile mixed reality (mMR) for teaching procedural skills with established mobile platforms; anatomy; and clinical assessment. mMR demonstrated benefits in skill competency and knowledge scores when compared to control. Users were favourable towards future use of mMR. Conclusion: While mMR successfully delivered some clinical skills; the pedagogical impact of engagement with higher order clinical reasoning remains a challenge for future studies

Editorial: Special Issue on Mobile Mixed Reality

This special collection of Research In Learning Technology explores the state of the art of mobile mixed reality (MMR) in education. The special collection includes eight articles that cover; a systematic review of MMR in healthcare higher education, using mobile devices for connecting people to places, and a variety of case studies of implementing MMR in educational contexts. The range of papers illustrates the emergence of MMR as a platform for designing authentic learning environments in both formal and informal learning situations. The papers also highlight a general lack of engagement with new learning theories and models in the use of MMR to design transformative learning experiences

Authentic interprofessional health education scenarios using mobile VR

This paper explores the use of mobile virtual reality (mVR) to create authentic learning environments for health education, initially in three contexts, followed by the development of collaborative health team scenarios that mirror professional practice. The use of mVR mitigates the dispersion of the university’s seven health departments across three geographical campuses. We argue that the use of mVR provides an immersive and authentic student experience of real-world medical team scenarios. Building upon our experiences we critique the development of design principles for the integration of mVR within the curriculum and the establishment of a socio-cultural ethos of collaboration across the seven health disciplines at the institution. The unique contribution of our methodology is the focus upon a low-cost rapid user-generated development model explicitly founded upon design-based research, supported by a transdisciplinary team, modelling interprofessional practice

A mobile ecology of resources for Covid-19 learning

Mobile devices and a vast array of accompanying applications offer significant affordances to create, consume, share, collaborate and communicate—affordances that could be easily leveraged to facilitate meaningful learning. A positive disruption arising from Covid-19 that aligns with the affordances of mobile learning is the uncoupling of time and space in the learning process. Traditionally formal learning is a process that is predominately viewed as an experience that is ‘timetabled’— scheduled to eventuate at a ‘place’—lecture or a tutorial (or similar) in a room or lecture theatre. In this concise paper, an ecology of resources is discussed along with guiding principles for designing and facilitating uncoupled authentic and student-determined learning post the emergency remote teaching phase

The mobilised learner: Heutagogy and mobile social media

The rapid growth and enhancement of mobile and social media tools, and their affordances, offer significant opportunities for creative and innovative design of learning experiences. The purpose of this study was to investigate the affordances of mobile and social media tools that could enable the design of a first year journalism course, which allowed the learners the opportunity to direct and determine their own learning. Three learning frameworks provided the theoretical underpinnings for the study: Pedagogy 2.0, heutagogy, and mobile learning. A design-based research approach was used to conduct the study and to create the learning solution. A set of draft design principles was created from the theory, research literature and consultations with practitioners. In collaboration with the practitioners, the draft design principles were incorporated in the design and implementation of the learning solution, and were refined over two iterations. At the end of each iteration, formative evaluations were conducted to identify areas for improvement in subsequent implementations. Data were collected from the students in the course using an online anonymous survey, focus groups, interviews, researcher reflections, and student and teacher created artefacts. These data were coded using the first two phases of data reduction and display and then analysed using a constant comparative method of analysis. The findings in the study suggest that mobile and social media affordances increased learner autonomy over the learning process and mobility in purposively designed learning environments using social constructivist pedagogies. Mobile and social media enabled increased learner access to teachers, peers, people, content, communities and networks to create content and new knowledge in meaningful and contextually relevant spaces through collaboration and participation—shifting the learning from knowing (knowledge) to ‘learning to become’. The findings in the study, however, suggest that for learners to achieve learning benefits with mobile and social media tool, they need to be scaffolded in the process for effective and pedagogic use of the tools—requiring a reconceptualisation from social to academic application. The key outcome of the study is a set of refined design principles for educators to guide the use of mobile and social media in contextually embodied learning and teaching

Pedagogical implications of Second Life in education: Educators’ and residents' perception

Second Life gained considerable publicity in the years 2008 and 2009 and created a flurry of activities in-world by many organizations and institutes, and even inspired a television crime drama episode that, in part, was shot in Second Life. Education was not far behind and the exploration of Second Life for use in learning and teaching started and is now being used in facilitation. Harvard Law School, Ohio University and Saint Leo University are amongst many universities now using Second Life to facilitate learning. This qualitative perceptual-based study attempts to understand and build a ‘big picture’ of the intricate types and processes of learning and teaching in Second Life. Second Life offers unique affordances and opportunities that make it a tool worth researching. Qualitative data was gathered from educators who had used Second Life in education and perceptual data was also collected from Second Life residents that endeavoured to elicit what aspects of Second Life they had found useful and would consider beneficial in education. The TPACK 2.0 framework proposed by the researcher emerged from the literature reviewed and in part from data coding process, and is used in analysis of the data collected. The research finding outlines that Second Life offers a unique factor to learning and teaching. This uniqueness is something that one is not able to elicit from any other method or technology before. The ‘one-degree less’ reality in the virtual world when compared to real life creates a number of opportunities not available in education before. This difference SL vs RL (Second Life vs Real Life) provides pedagogical affordances that educators are endeavouring to harness in using Second Life in many different ways. Second Life thus offers a platform to educators and learners alike that promotes social, collaborative, active, experiential, affective and creative learning opportunities