Abstract:

Digital technologies are increasingly becoming a fundamental part of our lives and are widely used (Kemp, 2022a). In education, they increasingly emerge as facilitators of access to information, and have revolutionized the way students and teachers interact with each other. In addition, the evolution of mobile devices and their high use, specially by young adults, has given rise to the insertion of new educational practices in the teaching and learning process (Kemp, 2022b; Canavilhas et al., 2020; A. Sousa, 2014). The consensus among several authors (e.g., Crompton & Traxler, 2018) is that mobile-learning (m-learning) is an approach characterized by the use of mobile devices anytime, anywhere, allowing the teaching and learning process to expand. It is thus understood as a type of approach characterised mainly by its portability, flexibility and spontaneity, which allows an expansion of the way teaching and learning are carried out (Abreu, 2017). According to Al-Emran (2020), the m-learning approach is also increasingly expanding in educational practices in Higher Education Institutions (HEI).
For the m-learning continue its successful implementation in HEI, it is essential that there is some knowledge, by teachers and also by students, about how it contributes to educational practices, taking into account its advantages and disadvantages, potentialities and shortcomings. Thus, in the stated context and to answer the identified problem, the research question “What are the contributions of m-learning to educational practices in higher education institutions?” was established.
The nature of this research is exploratory and was conducted through a mixed approach (Creswell, 2009), using quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques and instruments. Data were collected through a questionnaire (1st phase) and interviews (2nd phase), following the guidelines of Quivy and Campenhoudt (2005). In the 1st phase, the objectives were to understand the reality of the University of Aveiro (UA) in the adoption of m-learning, the profile of the users of this approach and also to identify the teachers predisposed to grant a subsequent interview. To support the questionnaire design, an analysis model was previously developed with concepts that make up the research question. This study was carried out at the UA universe, around 1000 teachers. A sample of 60 responses was validated. Subsequently, the semi-structured interviews were conducted, allowing to obtain more detailed answers about experiences, events or even feelings of the teachers (Gray, 2014). The sample consisted of 5 teachers, 3 men and 2 women. The analysis of collected data was conducted supported in IBM SPSS and Microsoft Excel software.
The results of the research suggest the existence of m-learning contributions to educational practices, such as: generating a more relaxed atmosphere in the classroom, instigating more dynamic educational practices, allowing immediate feedback from students and providing real-time information about their difficulties and their knowledge regarding the taught contents. The analysis of the data generated allowed, at the end of the study, to produce a video whose objective was to share a set of guidelines on the use of m-learning in the classroom, which can serve as a reference framework for HEI teachers. The video was produced according to the practice-based research methodology (PbR) (Candy, 2006).

Keywords:

Mobile-learning, m-learning, mobile device, educational practice, teacher, student, higher education institutions, HEI.