Barriers to m-Learning in higher education institutions in Nigeria

The emerging use of mobile and portable devices in education has potential to motivate new approaches to learning and the prospects of implementing m-learning are already obvious and are public knowledge through many research articles. However, the challenges of adopting m-learning in Nigerian universities are enormous. Apart from security issues that have been thoroughly examined in previous studies, this paper identifies and discusses other barriers and challenges being encountered when implementing m-learning, by means of a comprehensive review and survey study carried out in selected Universities in Nigeria. Questionnaires and interviews were the primary instruments used for data collection in identifying the enabling and deterring factors affecting the adoption of m-learning. The results of the study revealed that the m-learning barriers in Nigeria include regulatory issues, school curricula, inadequate funding, lack of infrastructure, over-dependence on mobile technology, attitude and fear, as well as political issues. This paper analyses and discusses the results in detail and concludes by making appropriate recommendations

Security framework for mobile learning environments

Mobile learning is becoming popular among educators as academic technologies advance. Mobile devices used in mobile learning can potentially become vulnerable if the security aspects are neglected, thereby putting personal information of users at risk. Therefore, for mobile learning applications to work effectively as valuable tools, the security aspects must be given adequate consideration. This paper proposes a security framework for mobile learning applications which is the bedrock for designing and implementing a highly secured environment for mobile devices. The proposed framework is a generic one having capability to trap any attack or threat from any vulnerable points based on triad CIA dimensions identified in the framework. It also proposed solutions to security threats during or after development of mobile learning systems. The framework is best applied at different sub-framework levels of mobile client, server and network infrastructure vulnerability points in order to capture threats and prevent attacks that are unique to each attack route

Mobile learning security concerns from university students' perspectives

The use of mobile devices as learning aids is increasing due to availability and affordability of mobile phones, smartphones and tablets among students. Many learners use their handheld devices not only for calling and texting, but also for educational purposes. Some promoters and developers of mobile learning in universities are developing and delivering learning content and instructions on mobile devices without adequate consideration for security of stakeholders' data, whereas the use of these mobile technologies for learning poses a serious threat to confidentiality, integrity and privacy of those involved in learning delivery, including the students. This paper discusses the security concerns of mobile learning from the learner's perspective based on a study conducted in higher education institutions in Nigeria. The study identified the security threats that learners may face when using mobile devices for educational purposes and examined the perceived damaging effects of mobile learning on students in cases there is a security breach. This paper concludes with recommendations for alleviating the security threats

Security of m-learning system : a collective responsibility

Innovation in learning technologies and services is driven by demands from Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) in order to meet their students’ needs and make knowledge delivery easier. The technology could play a pivotal role in extending the possibilities for teaching, learning, and research in educational institutions. M-learning emerged from this innovation as a result of an unprecedented explosion in the number of mobile devices due to availability and affordability of mobile phones, smartphones and tablets among students. Competition in the mobile device industry is also encouraging developers to be innovative, constantly striving to introduce new features. Consequently, newer sources of risks are being introduced in the mobile computing paradigm at manufacturing level. Similarly, many m-learning promoters and developers focus on developing and delivering learning content and infrastructure for m-learning system without adequate consideration for security of stakeholders’ data, whereas the use of these mobile technologies for learning poses a serious threat to confidentiality, integrity and privacy of those involved in teaching and learning, yet traditional security threats are also evolving. Against this backdrop, the stakeholders in education sector (i.e. education providers, educators, m-learning promoters and developers) should begin to consider the security implications of these devices in modern teaching and learning environments. The purpose of this paper is to identify the m-learning security issues that stakeholders may face, how they are being affected by the security threats, who among is stakeholders are affected or most affected by security issues in m-learning using three Nigeria universities as case studies and what are the responsibilities of the stakeholders in ensuring risk free m-learning

Enhancing mobile learning security

Mobile devices have been playing vital roles in modern day education delivery as students can access or download learning materials on their smartphones and tablets, they can also install educational apps and study anytime, anywhere. The need to provide adequate security for portable devices being used for learning cannot be underestimated. In this paper, we present a mobile security enhancement app, designed and developed for Android smart mobile devices in order to promote security awareness among students. The app can also identify major and the most significant security weaknesses, scan or check for vulnerabilities in m-learning devices and report any security threat

The impact of mobile devices for learning in higher education institutions : Nigerian universities case study

Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets are becoming increasing popular among students, setting out a new way to communicate, collaborate and learn. The use of portable devices has the capability to inspire new approaches to learning. It is therefore important to examine the students’ viewpoints about the educational use of mobile technology in supporting the learning process. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of mobile devices for learning purposes by exploring the kinds of interactions that students in Nigerian universities have with their portable gadgets. A sample of 240 higher education students participated in the study by completing the researchers’ questionnaire. The results of the study indicate the students use their portable devices to exchange education-related messages and academic files with classmates, search the internet and library databases for academic materials, practice online quizzes or tests and hold discussions with classmates among others. The statistical analyses result show that there is no significant difference in the students’ use of mobile devices based on gender

Discovering students mobile learning experiences in higher education in Nigeria

M-learning plays a progressively significant role in the advancement of teaching and learning in higher education. However, the effective implementation of m-learning in higher education will be based on users’ experiences and motivation to use this technology. Though m-learning has become global, developing countries such as Nigeria are yet to enjoy the full potential offered by m-learning. This study is focused on ascertaining students’ experiences with m-learning, determining the influence of m-learning on students’ motivations and interests, and identifying factors that are limiting m-learning adoption in Nigeria. We investigated these experiences by analysing questionnaires collected from undergraduate and postgraduate students of six universities in Nigeria. The results from our study show that the students own and use diverse mobile devices to engage in educational activities and other social networking purposes. Some of these learning activities are sending SMS messages, playing educational games, social learning, reading e-books/pdfs, and completing assignments and quizzes. Students expressed their satisfaction with m-learning especially for supporting them to learn anywhere, anytime. They further confirmed that m-learning motivates, interests, and inspires every aspect of learning. Furthermore, the students acknowledges that the interactivity, flexibility, convenience and engagement of m-learning were authentic learning experiences

Mobile learning security issues from lecturers' perspectives (Nigerian Universities case study)

The demand for mobile learning has continued to increase due to recent advances in modern technologies. Mobile learning advocates in universities focus their attention mainly on course development, deployment and delivery on handheld devices but they pay little or no consideration to security and privacy of stakeholders’ data in the design of mobile learning systems. However, the use of mobile technologies for learning poses a threat to confidentiality, integrity and privacy of the data involved in learning delivery for both learners and lecturers. This paper discusses the security concerns of mobile learning from the lecturers’ perspective based on a study conducted in higher education institutions in Nigeria. While the challenges of adopting mobile learning in Nigerian universities are enormous, the study identifies the critical security challenges that educators are facing when using mobile devices for educational purposes. It further examines the damaging effects of mobile learning on educators if their privacy breached and provides recommendations for alleviating the security threats

Mobile learning security in Nigeria

Innovation in learning technologies is driven by demands to meet students’ needs and make knowledge delivery easier by Higher Education Institutions. The technologies could play an important role in extending the possibilities for teaching, learning, and research in higher educational institutions (HEIs). Mobile learning emerged from this innovation as a result of massive use in the number of mobile devices due to availability and affordability among students. The lightweight nature of mobile devices in comparison to textbooks is also a source of attraction for students. Competition in the mobile device industry is encouraging mobile developers to be innovative and constantly striving to introduce new features in the devices. Consequently, newer sources of risks are being introduced in mobile computing paradigm at production level. Similarly, many m-learning developers are interested in developing learning content and instruction without adequate consideration for security of stakeholders’ data, whereas mobile devices used in m-learning can potentially become vulnerable if the security aspects are neglected. The purpose of this research is to identify the security concerns in mobile learning from the users’ perspective based on studies conducted in HEIs in Nigeria. While the challenges of adopting mobile learning in Nigerian universities are enormous, this study identifies the critical security challenges that learners and other users may face when using mobile devices for educational purposes. It examines the effects on the users if their privacy is breached and provides recommendations for alleviating the security threats. This research also, after considering users’ opinions and evaluating relevant literature, proposes security frameworks for m-learning as bedrocks for designing or implementing a secured environment. In identifying the security threats, the study investigates components of mobile learning systems that are prone to security threats and the common attack routes in m-learning, most especially among students in Nigerian universities. In order to reduce the security threats, the research presents a mobile security enhancement app, designed and developed for android smart mobile devices to promote security awareness among students. The app can also identify some significant security weaknesses by scanning/checking for vulnerabilities in m-learning devices as well as reporting any security threat. The responsibilities of the stakeholders in ensuring risk free mobile learning environments are also examined