The presence of computer technologies in our daily life is growing by leaps and bounds. One of the recent trends is the use of mobile technologies and cloud services for supporting everyday tasks and the sharing of information between users. The field of education is not absent from these developments and many organizations are adopting Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in various ways for supporting teaching and learning. The field of Mobile Learning (M-Learning) offers new opportunities for carrying out collaborative educational activities in a variety of settings and situations. The use of mobile technologies for enhancing collaboration provides new opportunities but at the same time new challenges emerge. One of those challenges is discussed in this thesis and it con- cerns with uncertainties related to the dynamic aspects that characterized outdoor M-Learning activities. The existence of these uncertainties force software developers to make assumptions in their developments. However, these uncertainties are the cause of risks that may affect the required outcomes for M-Learning activities. Mitigations mechanisms can be developed and included to reduce the risks’ impact during the different phases of development. However, uncertainties which are present at runtime require adaptation mechanisms to mitigate the resulting risks. This thesis analyzes the current state of the art in self-adaptation in Technology-Enhanced Learning (TEL) and M-Learning. The results of an extensive literature survey in the field and the outcomes of the Geometry Mobile (GEM) research project are reported. A list of uncertainties in collaborative M-Learning activities and the associated risks that threaten the critical QoS outcomes for collaboration are identified and discussed. A detailed elaboration addressing mitigation mechanisms to cope with these problems is elaborated and presented. The results of these efforts provide valuable insights and the basis towards the design of a multi-agent self-adaptive architecture for multiple concerns that is illustrated with a prototype implementation. The proposed conceptual architecture is an initial cornerstone towards the creation of a decentralized distributed self-adaptive system for multiple concerns to guarantee collaboration in M-Learning.

This research investigates mobile learning effectiveness in higher education. Mobile learning is composition of two words Mobile and Learning. In simple words mobile learning is mobility of learners by using mobile technologies in learning environment. Many researches addressed mobile learning but few of them covered mobile learning effectiveness. This study explores mobile learning effectiveness with the help of learning theories and models. Behaviorist, cognitive, humanistic, situational, and mobile learning theories are discussed that elaborate social, psychological, and philosophical aspects of learning.  Detailed evolution of learning is also part of this report that covers the literature of distance learning, electronic learning as well as formal and informal learning. Three effective learning models are taken in consideration: the Garrison’s Community of Inquiry, the Swan’s Interactivity and Online Learning, and the Danaher and his colleagues’ model of mobile learning and teaching evaluation model. Danaher’s model is selected as a conceptual framework of the study that is composed of three elements that are engagement, presence and flexibility. Engagement is the active participation of the learner in learning activities. Presence means being there, physically or mentally, in learning activity or place. Flexibility is how easy and facilitative the system is for teachers and students. These three elements are used to determine mobile learning effectiveness.  Survey method was used as our research approach. Empirical data was collected from Linnaeus University (prev. Växjö University) Sweden, by using two separate questionnaires for students and teachers. Collected data was analyzed with respect to learning theories and the theoretical model. The result reveals the potential of mobile learning as an effective mode of learning in terms of engagement and presence but flexibilty approved to be weaker in mobile learning.

Mobile technology has allowed the traditional boundaries that exist between formal learning and informal learning to blend. The purpose of this research is to understand and describe the use of established and new “support networks” and the process of knowledge acquisition and knowledge creation in a formal learning environment. Factors affecting the design, testing and ultimate feasibility of using mobile devices such as cell phones to enhance teaching and learning in well-resourced developed, and under-resourced developing schools are identified. Findings in this study point to the general acceptance of using mobile technology as a readily available vehicle, to provide access to contents and allow learners to contribute to the collective body of knowledge from their own perspective. Copyright 2007, University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. Please cite as follows: Batchelor, J 2007, Mobile information communication and technology use in secondary schools : a feasibility study, MEd dissertation, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, viewed yymmdd < http://upetd.up.ac.za/thesis/available/etd-09102007-161045 / > / Dissertation (MEd (Computer Integrated Education))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Curriculum Studies / unrestricted

El uso de app móviles para facilitar actividades cotidianas es algo que en los últimos años se ha visto con mayor frecuencia en todas las generaciones. Pero aún existe un amplio panorama a investigar cuando se trata del uso de estas app móviles “mainstream” para uso académico. Esta investigación tiene como finalidad analizar el uso de app móviles en el proceso de preproducción, producción y postproducción de proyectos audiovisuales universitarios. Se investigarán las funciones y funcionalidad de las diferentes apps dentro de cada campo de acción al realizar un proyecto audiovisual. La estrategia metodológica que se utilizará será las entrevistas semi estructuradas. Estas recogerán la percepción de maestros y alumnos de la universidad UPC- Lima Perú pertenecientes a la facultad de Comunicación Audiovisual acerca de el uso de apps móviles en trabajos universitarios. Además se analizará la propuesta de enseñanza/aprendizaje “mobile learning”para contextos universitarios. Para ello nos basaremos en la perspectiva del mobile learning a partir de lo que mencionan autores como Mojarro (2019) y Zambrano (2009) entre otros. ¿Qué percepción tienen los maestros acerca de la misma ?, ¿Qué relación guarda con el uso de apps móviles ?. Son algunas de las preguntas que se resolverán. Además se impulsará la posibilidad a futuro de seguir explorando las ventajas del amplio espectro que tienen las funciones de las aplicaciones móviles. / The use of mobile apps to facilitate everyday activities is something that in recent years has been seen more frequently in all generations. But there is still a wide panorama to investigate when it comes to the use of these "mainstream" mobile apps for academic use. This research aims to analyze the use of mobile apps in the process of pre-production, production and post-production of university audiovisual projects. The functions and functionality of the different apps will be investigated within each field of action when carrying out an audiovisual project. The methodological strategy to be used will be semi-structured interviews. These will collect the perception of teachers and students of the university UPC- Lima Peru belonging to the faculty of Audiovisual Communication about the use of mobile apps in university work. In addition, we will analyze the teaching/learning proposal "mobile learning" for university contexts. For this purpose, we will be based on the mobile learning perspective from what is mentioned by authors such as. Mojarro (2019) and Zambrano (2009) among others. What perception do teachers have about it, how does it relate to the use of mobile apps? These are some of the questions that will be solved. In addition, the possibility of further exploring the advantages of the wide range of functions of mobile applications in the future will be encouraged. / Trabajo de investigación

With globally increased migration and mobility between countries, it has become critical for many people to learn to speak a second language. The focus of this study is on adult migrant language learners that are learning a second language of the host country on the side of their working life. This study aims to support learners in their second language acquisition outside classrooms settings. In particular, it explores how the use of a specially designed application aimed at helping learners to keep track on how much time they spend on studying a second language affects their engagement and motivation to continue study the target language. To support migrant learners keeping track of the time spent on language learning activities (e.g., speaking, writing, reading and listening), a web-based application, the TimeTracker App, accessible through users’ mobile device has been developed by the researcher and offered to the learners. Participants in this study used the application for around two weeks. A mixed method approach was employed: data was collected through semi-structured interviews and by extracting log data from the application’s database. Interview data was analysed by means of a conventional content analysis and log data by using descriptive statistics. Overall, the study’s results show that the use of the TimeTracker App enabled the respondents to feel more aware of how much time they spent on their studies, and inspired them to devote more time to study the target language compared to before using the application. The findings suggest that migrant learners become more motivated and engaged in their second language learning when using the application. / Globalt ökad migration och rörlighet mellan länder har gjort det kritiskt för många att lära sig att tala ett andraspråk. Denna studie fokuserar på arbetande migranter som lär sig ett andraspråk vid sidan av sitt arbetsliv. Studien syftar till att stödja de studerande i sitt lärande av ett andraspråk utanför klassrummet. I synnerhet undersöker den hur användningen av en speciellt utformad applikation som syftar till att hjälpa eleverna att hålla reda på hur mycket tid de spenderar på att studera ett andraspråk påverkar deras engagemang och motivation för att fortsätta studera målspråket. För att hjälpa studerande migranter hålla reda på den tid som spenderas på språkinlärning (t ex att tala, skriva, läsa och lyssna) har en webbaserad applikation, TimeTracker App, som är tillgänglig via användarnas mobiltelefon, utvecklats av författaren och erbjudits till eleverna. Deltagarna i denna studie använde applikationen i cirka två veckor. En blandad metod användes: data samlades in genom halvstrukturerade intervjuer och genom att extrahera loggdata från applikationsdatabasen. Intervjudata analyserades med hjälp av en konventionell innehållsanalys och loggdata med hjälp av beskrivande statistik. Sammantaget visar studiens resultat att användningen av TimeTracker App gjorde det möjligt för respondenterna att bli mer medvetna om hur mycket tid de spenderade på sina studier och det inspirerade dem att ägna mer tid att studera målspråket jämfört med innan man använde applikationen. Resultaten tyder på att arbetande migranter blir mer motiverade och engagerade i sitt studerande av ett andraspråk när de använder applikationen.

Duolingo is a popular mobile language-learning application that has been around the market since 2012 and has been researched in its language-learning abilities. It is crucial for mobile language learning applications to keep their users interested, nevertheless, as users easily lose interest in continuing their language study. This thesis looks at how Duolingo's gamified system design implements persuasive principles to increase user engagement. The thesis aims to advance the knowledge of user engagement in language learning apps and help create useful mobile language learning applications. To achieve the goal, it was necessary to determine which persuasive principles were being applied by Duolingo's gamified system design. This was done using the Persuasive System Design (PSD) model by Oinas Kukkonen and Harjumaa (2009). The research consisted of qualitative semi-structured interviews with 8 young adults living in Sweden. The aim of the interviews was to find detailed, deep, empirical data and compare it to a theoretical framework using thematic analysis. The results of these interviews showed that Duolingo's gamified system design effectively applies persuasive principles to engage and encourage language learners. However, it was discovered that several persuasive principles needed to be improved in order to further enhance user involvement. This study adds to the understanding of persuasion by demonstrating how these principles can be applied to other mobile language learning applications to increase user engagement.

I ett allt mer digitaliserat samhälle har även utbildningen blivit genomsyrad av denna digitalisering. Det har lett till en ökning i produktion av videoföreläsningar som studenter, på högskolenivå främst, allt oftare använder sig av i inlärningssyfte. E-lärande har många fördelar eftersom det bland annat leder till ökad studieflexibilitet. Det finns ett rikt utbud av tidigare forskning som kretsar kring områdena inlärningsbeteenden, skärmstorlekar och videoföreläsningar. Tidigare studier visar både på att det kan skilja sig i inlärning beroende på skärmstorlek men det finns också studier som tyder på motsatsen. Detta kandidatarbete undersöker om skärmstorlek har någon påverkan på hur mycket man lär sig av att se på en videoföreläsning. Det gjordes genom att gruppera 34 försöksdeltagare i tre grupper där alla fick se en vald föreläsningsvideo på tre olika grupper av skärmstorlekar: liten (4-7 tum), medel (13-17 tum) eller stor (27 tum). Några dagar innan och direkt efter undersökningen besvarade deltagarna även en enkät med sakfrågor om innehållet i den valda videon. Utifrån de resultat som framkom så visar det sig att olikheter mellan dessa skärmstorlekar inte ger en signifikant påverkan på hur mycket man lär sig av en föreläsningsvideo av intervju-typ. Det innebär alltså att man för sådana föreläsningvideor inte behöver ta hänsyn till skärmstorleken, varken som student eller som videoproducent. / In a more and more digitized society, the education has also been steeped in this digitization. This has lead to a rise in the production of video lectures which students, mostly at degree level, more often use for learning purposes. E-learning has many advantages since it, among other things, leads to an increased flexibility when studying. There are many previous studies on learning behaviours, screen sizes and video lectures. Earlier studies show that learning can differ depending on screen size but there are also studies showing the opposite. This bachelor’s thesis examines if screen size has an effect on how much one learns from watching a video lecture. This was done by grouping 34 test participants into three groups where they all watched a video lecture on three groups of screen sizes: small (4”-7”), medium (13”-17”) or large (27”). A few days before and directly after the test the contestants answered a survey with questions regarding the content in the specific video. The results are that differences between these screen sizes do not have a significant impact on how much one learns from a video lecture of interview type. This therefore means that one does not have to consider the screen size for that type of video lecture, either as a student or a video producer.

M. Tech. (Department of Information Communication Technology, Faculty of Applied and Computer Sciences), Vaal University of Technology. / The influence of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the education system has encouraged both students and educators to become more and more computer literate. With the increased use of portable devices (tablets, PDAs, Smartphones, iPads etc.), mobile learning (m-learning) has gained popularity as it is believed to be an effective and efficient tool for content presentation and knowledge acquisition in education sector. The realisation of the benefits depends on the effective adoption of m-learning technology. The superseding purpose of this study was to investigate the adoption of mobile learning at a University of Technology (UoT) in South Africa. A quantitative study was carried out at an UoT in South Africa, with respect to mobile learning perceptions; 64 valid questionnaires were received from the participants. The proposed research framework/model derived from Extended Technology Acceptance Model (ETAM) and Technology Acceptance Model 3 (TAM3) was used. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), version 25.0. was used for analysing data. The findings revealed that perceived usefulness of mobile learning, attitude toward mobile learning, service and system quality as well as perceived ease of use are significant predictors of intention to use mobile learning application. Perceived mobility on mobile learning strongly influences perceived usefulness more than perceived ease of use of mobile learning application. The study concluded that it is necessary to measure perception of potential users using the variables in the model proposed before adoption of mobile learning application to ascertain an effective adoption of the technology in education.

Recent accessibility drives and price wars between the major South African (SA) cell phone companies suggest that the landscape for the adoption of mobile learning (m-learning) at the Higher Education Institution (HEI) level may be changing. As such, there is a need to gauge the current mobile readiness of students for m-learning. Mobile technology readiness refers to the extent to which students have access to mobile devices (not only handsets), and can afford data bundles that meet or exceed the requirements of a base set of currently available m-learning applications (Naicker and Van der Merwe 2012). Mobile operational readiness refers to students’ awareness of, attitude towards, support and training that is required for m-learning. This study conducted an assessment of the technology and operational readiness of students at a SA HEI. An in-depth literature survey was undertaken to delineate technology and operational readiness of students for m-learning. For technology readiness, an investigation was conducted on m- learning applications that are currently available and the technology requirements of these mobile applications. This was undertaken to determine the extent that the current student mobile handset profile match these requirements. The literature review also included a search for mobile opeeratratiioonnaall ffaactorctorss ssuuchch aass ssttuuddeennttss’’ aawwaarenerenessss ooff aanndd aattttiittuuddee ttoowwaarrddss mm--lleaearrnininngg as well as m-learning support and training that students require. The philosophical underpinning of this study was based on Activity Theory. The strategy of inquiry employed was a case study approach. Data was collected from students at the Durban University of Technology, a resident based SA HEI. A mixed methods data collection strategy was employed. The researcher used a field survey questionnaire as the primary research instrument to assess mobile technology and operational readiness. Focus group interviews were used as a secondary data gathering tool to triangulate and strengthen the results. The results were presented using descriptive and inferential statistics and were analyzed using the lens of activity theory. In terms of technology readiness, despite a high level of ownership and reasonable compliance with application requirements, data costs remain prohibitive. In assessing operational readiness, despite a positive attitude, the majority of the students require awareness, ongoing support and training. Several recommendations based on the findings are offered. For example, one of the findings showed that mobile connectivity affordability was low amongst students and it is recommended that the HEI work around exorbitant connectivity costs by combining m-learning technologies to form meaningful m-learning approaches at a minimum v cost. Another finding showed low awareness of m-learning at the HEI. A recommendation advanced to combat this finding is for the HEI to encourage and support dialogue among key stakeholders. This study concludes that any m-learning endeavour to implement m-learning at this HEI is bound to fail as only a small percentage of students are aware of m-learning and can afford data bundles to implement m-learning in its true sense. As an implication of this study to other HEI’s, the researcher suggests that regular mobile readiness surveys be conducted. / Science and Technology Education / M. A. (Information Systems)

The main aim of this diploma thesis is to chart the trend of m-learning in Czech schools and to find out, if m-learning influences student' information behavior and how do they use mobile devices in such process. Basic theoretical concepts are defined in first chapters, for example m-learning itself, information behavior and other. Thesis as well contains chapter, where are described different definition of what digital generation is and who are its members. These definitons are the basic theoretical framework of this diploma thesis. One chapter desribes specific projects, statistics and web pages that are dealing with m-learning. Practical part consists of questionnaire evaluation. Survey results are included in the last chapter.