Abstract:

Developing countries believe in a tradition method of education which advocates that a lecture is delivered when a lecturer stands in front of learners, the mode referred to as face-to-face. In circumstances that prohibit the lecturer to turn up for the lecture, the period is lost and in many cases permanent loss due to heavy schedules of day programs, evening programs, weekend programs and night programs. This leaves no room for compensation. This study investigates the possibility of harnessing mobile technology to augment face-to-face learning. This is intended for institutions with tight programs but cannot afford any of the available technological solutions on the market. The research was guided by this question: How can educators harness available mobile technology to conduct remote teaching?
The proposed approach uses concepts from m-learning adoption model as suggested by Barker 2005. We use concepts from Barker’s model that are applicable to this situation and these include: critical success factors and key elements (communication infrastructure, mobile devices, learners and teachers). Tools for this approach are; two (2) mobile phones, a sub hoofer, a projector, two (2) laptops, and two (2) headphones. Note that each headphone should have a mouthpiece. A teleconferencing facility is proposed out of these tools. The mobile phones, the sub hoofer and headphones play a key role in relaying voice interactions between learners and the lecturer at a remote location. The laptops and the projector are for displaying the same replica of lectures slides at both sides (student environment and the lecture’s locality). Thirty (30) third year students from Busitema University were selected as subjects for experimentation. Performance of this facility was measured by analyzing the questionnaires filled by subjects to establish if this could be a viable solution for augmenting face-to-face learning.
Previous related studies acknowledge importance of mobile learning and the outcomes of this study suggest similar trends. Our validation with students indicates positive perception of the technology. The use of easily accessible and affordable technology is a key strength here which makes the study applicable to financially constrained institutions. Institutions interested at employing cheap technology to address similar challenge can also adopt this. The study can also be used to facilitate distance learning. Another key attribute of this study is that educators need not be Information Technology experts to setup this. Our approach has one major drawback: Video conferencing which could provide a more advanced interaction between an educator and learners is not supported. Further studies will focus at a extending this technology to support video conferencing.

Keywords:

Mobile Technology, Face-to-Face Learning.