Abstract:

The concept of mobile learning has gained popularity over the last number of years. As resources come under more pressure alternatives to the traditionally resource-heavy teaching are sought. As more students enrol and resources either remain the same or are reduced the student time, particularly in the lab, becomes more pressurised. Contact hours must be maximised for both faculty and students. In 2013 undergraduate students of Physics and Technical Communication at the University of Limerick experienced, to a varying extent, mobile learning.

The paper describes the approach taken by faculty to develop these learning resources and also discusses how students used these digital resources. The resources included video recordings of lab experiments which were made available ahead of the scheduled laboratory sessions. The resources also included podcasts created by faculty and selected items from YouTube where appropriate.

The research presented in this paper builds on the literature available for mobile learning and the flipped classroom. In addition to this new approach the students were also required to keep learner diaries. Their reflections provide insight into how the students perceived the new learning strategy. This paper presents an analysis of the usage and outcomes of both faculty and student use of mobile resources. The results highlight the benefits and issues arising when introducing this innovative approach to the traditional lecture and laboratory sessions.

Keywords:

Open Educational Resources (OERs), ICT, Mobile Learning.