A Mobile Learning Journey in Pacific Education

This chapter essays an exciting and ambitious journey on mobile devices to support tertiary student learning in the Pacific region. With the Pacific region adapting to the dynamic global “eduscape”, new initiatives and pedagogical tools have been adopted by leading tertiary institutions in providing quality education in the region. The University of the South Pacific, owned by 12 member countries, is one such entity which looks into innovative and sustainable approaches to improving the accessibility of higher education in the region, relying on and leveraging heavily on the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) and eLearning. The mobile learning initiative is a branch of this greater ICT adoption which focuses on the use of mobile devices to support learning and teaching. The mobile learning initiative stands on three pillars: just-in-time, just-for-me and just-enough learning. The tool invariably supports learners inside and outside classrooms, in structured and unstructured learning spaces. At the University of the South Pacific, it has been 5 years since the inception of the mobile learning programme and four integrated approaches, namely, Short Message Service, edutainment, mobile course modules and tablet-based learning have been introduced to its education system. These tools have been developed in-house and customised to meet the demands of the regional institution. The strengths, challenges and opportunities of the mobile learning tools are highlighted with analytics, interventions and adaptive works from this short journey

Use of mobile devices for learning and student support in the Pacific region

The Pacific Island communities face challenges such as digital divide, shoestring budgets, and escalating costs in the delivery of quality education to their people. In addition, the widely scattered nature of islands and communities requires proper communication infrastructure for learners to access education. This chapter heralds the emergence of mobile learning (mLearning) initiatives in higher education in the Pacific region. As a case study, the study focuses on the introduction of mLearning at the University of the South Pacific (USP) in the Pacific which developed a fit-for-purpose mLearning infrastructure that primarily utilized the short message service (SMS) for its delivery and services. The USP hosts an in-house setup open-source SMS gateway that facilitates its custom-made SMS services such as course notifications, exam timetable information, and online quizzes. More recently with the proliferation of smartphones in the Pacific, USP has invested largely on web-based services and mobile apps. The chapter presents the recent journey into the use of smartphones and tablets to access education and promotes lifelong and life-wide learning in the Pacific