Chapter 1

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

The learning process changes over time, much like the lifestyle and the
terms and qualifications of employment do. The workplace in the modern world
continues to demand higher qualifications and refined competencies (David
Gitumu Mugo, 2015). The learning process welcomes more reinforcing
components, which contribute to the development of information,
communication and interactive environment. The technologies are empowering
people and institutions, allowing them to radically transform their processes and
practices, enabling them perform their functions in a more improved way
(Kandiri, 2014:2). For example, the rapid development of web technology, such
as the internet, brings e-learning to the fore. E-learning is defined as any use of
web technology to create educational activities and experiences. Due to physical
limitations of computer, students cannot access learning materials in a place or a
location. In this case, mobile device is becoming popular among teenagers which
can be fulfilled in the ubiquitous idea of learning (Habboush et al., 2011).
Normally, we call e-Learning with mobile device as mobile learning or mLearning in short form. In the 90s, a new form of learning was revealed, namely,
the mobile learning (M-Learning) (Wains & Mahmood, 2014). The emergence of
wireless and mobile devices helped e-learning extend to m-learning. One of the
positive features of m-learning is that there is a high availability of mobile
devices worldwide and this trend continues to grow (Dr. George Despotou,2013).
The innovation in the mobile apps has raised interests among educators
because it facilitates teaching and learning (Johnson et al., 2012). Mobile
applications (commonly referred as apps), are considered to be one of the
fastest growing trends in Information Systems industry (Eddy, 2011). Educational
technology, also known as instructional technology, refers to the use of various
modern technological tools as mediums in education, with the goal to facilitate
and enhance teaching and learning. (Laliberte2, 2010) defines the term as:
Educational technology is a tool that increases performance levels while
allowing the use of innovative approaches with regard to teaching and learning.
Yet due to the broadness of the field, one can find different and sometimes
contradictory definitions for it (Schneider, 2013). For example, some see it as a
design science, or as a collection of research interests related to teaching and
learning (Educational Technology, n.d.b).
There are many definitions of mobile technology. Some schools of thought
focus on the definition of the technology itself, while others focus on the learner
(Brad, 2013). Some scholars view it as the use of technology primarily to
improve education. (Adams, 2014) defines the term as The study and ethical
practice of facilitating learning and improving performance by creating, using
and managing appropriate technological processes and resources.
However, relevant and appropriate apps are not always available; teachers
can only judge apps by reviews and anecdotes instead of testing them. (Iqbal
and Qureshi, 2012) indicate that the effectiveness of m-learning programs

depends on the field of study it is utilized in and future studies should focus on
specific disciplines. These reasons lead to the needs and benefits in creating
ones mobile apps for teaching and learning. In addition, empowering educators
to create their own mobile apps for teaching and learning is likely to lead to
advantageous use of mobile technology that benefits student learning (Price et
al,. 2012) Android development is like a puzzle where you have to put the right
tiles together in order to get working (Akbar(Shahab) Faghihi Mughaddam ,
Ummair Tahir, Piraba Kaugathasan, Shahab Bakhtiyari, 2011).
Mobile hardware and software platforms allow running of faster and richer
applications (Pocatilu, 2010). Users enjoy the variety of features that mobile apps
can provide quickly and without introducing unnecessary complexity into their
designs (Ypsilanti Michigan, 2012) With the demand of mobile applications, low
barrier to entry into the market, and general interest from the computer science
student population, mobile application development is an excellent skill for
computer science students to learn (James Reed, 2010). Mobile devices are
considered as limitations many times, students are inventing ways to use their
phones to learn what they want to know. If the educators can use smart ways to
deliver the knowledge in a way that its into today's students enthusiasm, it
would leave a bigger and positive impact on the overall learning process. A
European study looked at the impact of using mobile devices to aid the learning
of a group of young reluctant students and the study showed a positive impact
when their learning was supported by mobile devices (Rashmi Padiadpu).
In education, mobile phones have led to the evolution of new paradigm
known as mobile learning (Muyinda et al, 2011). The rapid growth of access to
mobile phones around the world and in Africa and Middle East regions in
particular have a potential of improving teaching, learning and institutional
efficiencies to enable national education system transformation (UNESCO, 2012).
According to (Huang et al, 2010), mobile learning applications can facilitate
students not only learning contents conveniently but also interacting with others
collaboratively anytime and anywhere. Most instructors use some form of elearning in their courses (Schmid, et al., 2014).Mobile technologies are
increasingly being integrated in classrooms in an effort to facilitate and enhance
students learning (Tyler J. Goad, 2014). Hence, the development of m-learning
as a new strategy for education has implications for the way students and tutors
in educational institutions interact.
The new context enables students as users of mobile devices with
access to a communications network to study anywhere and anytime. Faced
with this new scenario, educational institutions have no option but to adapt; they
have to modify their platforms to enable various means of access to resources
from different types of device. The objective must be not to lose the competitive
advantage (Cobcroft et al., 2010). It has been maintained that devices like
tablets and smartphones must be considered more as learning hubs than
multiple devices. This is so because these devices dynamically integrate all the
personal learning tools, resources and self-created artefacts at one place. In
addition, mobile learning devices have been related to the concept of ubiquitous
learning (u-learning) where computing, communication, and sensor devices are
embedded and integrated into learners daily life to make learning immersive
(Boris Handal, Jean MacNish and Peter Petocz, 2013).

Mobile devices integrate a series of features used in various learning

environments. In some mobile learning applications currently available, mobile
features are being utilized for various educational practices include the use of
Short Message Services (SMS), GPS, camera, browsing, downloading, bluetooth,
Wi-Fi, voice calls and gaming (Kizito, 2012). According to (Cui and Wang, 2010),
SMSSystem can be used to help students learn foreign languages and teachers
can `use SMS to communicate with one student or even one group of students.
For instance teachers in higher education in UK have made use of SMS as prompt
for course requirements, polling classes, pop quizzes to students and sending
information about time table and reminding students about dates for
examination (Ferry, 2009). Mobile phones have downloading feature which can
be used by students and tutors to download various kinds of materials through
their mobile phones easily. Teachers can download video through their mobile
phones and present them to students through a TV set available in the
classrooms (Kafyulilo, 2012).
There has been a considerable body of work undertaken over the past 10+
years looking at the use of SMDs (small mobile devices) for teaching and
learning, with more recent work focusing on the advent of smart phones, tablets
and phablets (mobile devices that are between a smart phone and a tablet
computer, such as the iPad or iPad mini, in size) (Hwang & Tsai, 2011; Hsu, Ho,
Tsai, Hwang, Chu, & Wang, 2012). Mobile-learning projects are common in
primary and secondary schools in the region (e.g. Hwang, Wu, Tseng, & Huang,
2010), but the impacts do not seem to have moved significantly to higher
education, although it is heartening to see recent evidence-based pedagogical
papers about designing for use of mobile technology (e.g. Elias, 2011). The
ability to access learning opportunities outside the classroom can also help
learners contextualize and apply their learning in the real world (Jan Hyln,
2015).
In assessing the potential of m-learning as a subset of e-learning to effect
a new paradigm of higher education, this paper seeks a mobile-learning
approach that retains the original DNA of distance education which has
developed into numerous subtle derivatives, to evaluate the use of mobile
technologies that increase access to education for increasingly mobile learners
seeking just-in-time and just for me education outcomes (Lalita Rajasingham,
2011). Everyday they are becoming more like pocket computers, because every
new generation of the phones brings some new hardware and software solutions
(Zoran Kalini , Slavko Arsovski, 2010). With new knowledge and additional
chapters is a great help for many of us who are still very much on the learning
curve in our understanding of online learning (AU Press, 2013).
In general, mobile learning has often been viewed as learning mediated
through mobile technology. There is a great deal of effort being expended around
the world on the development of systems that will standardize the development
of resources, catalog them, and store them (ICT in School Education (Primary and
Secondary) 2010). According to (Park, 2011), mobile learning refers to the use
of mobile or wireless devices for the purpose of learning while on the move. It
has been widely recognized that context is the most distinctive feature in mobile
learning (Yau et al., 2010). Context-aware mobile learning applications leverage
the context information of the learner to provide personalized and motivating

learning experiences. As a result of the incremental improvements in design of

mobile devices, these technologies are increasingly perceived as essential in peoples
everyday lives (Evans-Cowley 2010). Our mobile devices are being overwhelmed by
apps and it can be very daunting when seeking to incorporate apps in teaching
and learning (Mcgrath, 2013).
One technology that promises to dramatically change learning is mobile
learning. Mobile technology has quickly been adopted in everyday life, and it is
common for most people to have, and carry, a mobile device with them at all
times in addition mobile devices are becoming more and more powerful and are
replacing some of the tasks that would normally be done on traditional PCs or
laptops (Dawabi et al ., 2013). Researchers have started to explore how mobile
technology can be harnessed in the educational arena (Zeng & Luyegu, 2011 ).
This study will investigate how mobile phone tutorial applications will
improve or affect teaching and learning purposes in higher learning institutions.
Specifically the study assessed how mobile phones facilitated the teaching and
learning process, identified the mobile phone applications used for teaching and
learning, determined the types of learning activities facilitated through mobile
phones and assessed the common limitations of m-learning (MTEGA, BERNARD,
MSUNGU, SANARE. 2012). The move towards globalization of education will be
successful only if we can find the ways and strategies (BCcampus and
Commonwealth of Learning, 2011). Though universities are eager to leverage the
potential of mobile learning to provide learning flexibly, most balk at the cost of
providing students with mobile hardware. The practice of using tutorials in your mobile
application are often mooted as a cost-effective alternative.
This mobile app will be convenient for demonstrating examples of specific
topics that you would cover in a small tutorial that would be a great resource for
students especially for revisions leading up to an assignment or final exams. This
study broadens the availability of quality education materials and increasing
access through distance learning. It is important that research focus is on how
new educational techniques can support students learning and collaboration in a
more digitalised mobile education, instead of merely focusing on how such new
media techniques can make education more effective or detrimental (e.g.
Amhag, 20011; 2013; Lee & Salman, 2012; Rockinson-Szapkiw et al., 2013; Sana
et al., 2013). Applied effectively technology not only increases students
learning, understanding, and achievement, but also augments their motivation to
learn, encourages collaborative learning, and develops critical thinking and
problem-solving strategies (Pitler, 2012). A major practice of technology
integration in education is mobile learning, which allows for anytime and
anywhere learning through use of mobile devices such as Smartphones and
tablets.

The impact of the digital technologies and especially the Internet in the
21st century post-secondary classroom is unquestionable and dramatic (Tamim
et al.,2011). Due to its convenience, mobile learning has found significant

importance in education, particularly in higher education. This application is to

assist students in their learning and provide them a fun and easy way to increase
their retention of class materials via smart phones and tablet devices.

Objectives of the Study

To represents an innovative shift in the field of learning, providing rapid
access to specific knowledge and information. This study broadens the
availability of quality education materials and increasing access through distance
learning. It offers instruction and tutorials for IT/CS subjects anytime and
anywhere through a wide range of electronic learning solutions.
To present or yield recent trends of mobile and wireless learning programs
about IT/CS subjects and let the students to study anywhere and anytime they
want.
To develop and design a mobile tutorial application with a home screen
that automatically displays the subjects. A very detailed mobile tutorial.
Interactive. Differentiate all the subjects using colors and labels.
Conceptual Framework of the Study
Scope and Delimitation of the Study
Significance of the Study
Definition of Terms