Mobile devices and collaborative learning environments are common tools in education but not all collaborative learning is structured the same. This study evaluated student learning in three different collaborative learning environments, both with and without mobile technology, to assess students' engagement, critical thinking, and attitudes toward collaborative learning. The results indicate that mobile technology is associated with positive student perceptions of collaborative learning but with increased disengagement by students during class. In addition, the level of students' critical thinking was more closely associated with the tools used to construct written responses than with the collaborative learning environment style. Students constructing paragraph responses on a mobile device demonstrated significantly less critical thinking than those who used a computer keyboard or wrote responses by hand. Speech and eye contact are strong indicators of student engagement in groups.Technology serves important functions but often distracts from engagement.Critical thinking is more evident in typed or written versus texted essays.

Impact of mobile technology on student attitudes, engagement, and learning

Many universities offer Distance Education (DE) courses and programs to address the diverse educational needs of students and to stay current with advancing technology. Some Institutions of Higher Education (IHE) that do not offer DE find it difficult to navigate through the steps that are needed to provide such courses and programs. Investigating learners’ perceptions, attitudes and willingness to try DE can provide guidance and recommendations for IHEs that are considering expanding use of DE formats. A survey was distributed to undergraduate students in Portugal, UAE and Ukraine. The results of this pilot study showed that in all three countries, students’ major concerns about such programs were time management, motivation, and English language skills. Although students were somewhat apprehensive many indicated they were interested in taking DE courses. Six recommendations informed by interpretation of students’ responses and the literature, are offered to assist institutions who want to offer DE as part of their educational strategy.

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Students’ perceptions on distance education: a multinational study

Background: This review focused on how immersive head-mounted display virtual reality (VR) was used in post-secondary level education and skill training, with the aim to better understand its state of the art as found from the literature. While numerous studies describe the use of immersive VR within a specific educational setting, they are often standalone events not fully detailed regarding their curricular integration. This review aims to analyse these events, with a focus on immersive VR’s incorporation into post-secondary education. Objectives: O1) Review the existing literature on the use of immersive VR in post-secondary settings, determining where and how it has been used within each educational discipline. This criterion focused on literature featuring the use of immersive VR, due to its influence on a user’s perceived levels of presence and imagination. O2) Identify favourable outcomes from the use of immersive VR when compared to other learning methods. O3) Determine the conceptual rationale (purpose) for each implementation of immersive VR as found throughout the literature. O4) Identify learning theories and recommendations for the utilization of immersive VR in post-secondary education. Methods: A literature review was undertaken with searches of Education Research Complete, ERIC, MEDLINE, EMBASE, IEEE Xplore, Scopus and Web of Science: Core Collection to locate reports on the use of immersive VR in post-secondary curricula. Results: 119 articles were identified, featuring disciplines across Arts and Humanities, Health Sciences, Military and Aerospace, Science and Technology. 35 out of 38 experiments reported to have found a positive outcome for immersive VR, after being compared with a non-immersive platform. Each simulation’s purpose included one or more of the following designations: skill training, convenience, engagement, safety, highlighting, interactivity, team building and suggestion. Recommendations for immersive VR in post-secondary education emphasize experiential learning and social constructivist approaches, including student-created virtual environments that are mainly led by the students themselves under team collaboration. Conclusion: Immersive VR brings convenient, engaging and interactive alternatives to traditional classroom settings as well as offers additional capability over traditional methods. There is a diverse assortment of educational disciplines that have each attempted to harness the power of this technological medium.

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Head-Mounted Display Virtual Reality in Post-secondary Education and Skill Training

The availability of smart phones connected to mobile network and the occurrence of APPs developed for the educational purposes provide us with the possibility and feasibility of mobile teaching and learning. English Fun Dubbing, an APP designed for its users to practice oral English, was employed in this one-academic-year empirical study to evaluate the benefits of mobile APPs in the field of pedagogy. When the study ended, an anonymous online questionnaire was distributed to the 123 participants to survey the effects of English Fun Dubbing on their English language learning. The results showed that the majority of the respondents were satisfied with it in many aspects including its conveniences, flexibility, user-friendliness, rich materials, authentic language context, etc. and also its functions to inspire learning interests, foster learner autonomy, help realize personalized learning, and so on. We concluded that a reasonable and wise choice of APPs would not only be useful for students’ English learning, but also help lead them to use mobile phones in a positive way.

Mobile English Learning: An Empirical Study on an APP, English Fun Dubbing

The mass influx of refugees into Europe since 2013 and their educational challenges have increased the need for high-quality refugee education. One proposal for addressing these challenges was to leverage mobile devices for educational purposes (mobile learning). Although significant research has been done in this field, mobile learning’s effectiveness on different social groups has yet to be explored. The present review paper aims to outline: (a) the factors that challenge refugee education, (b) the use of smart mobile devices by the refugee population, (c) the conflicting views about the effect of mobile learning in refugee education, and (d) the proposed characteristics for mobile refugee applications as found in the literature. A juxtaposition of refugee needs with the characteristics of mobile learning apps is attempted. By surveying the literature, the present paper concludes that mobile learning seems beneficial for refugees in two ways: providing refugees access to education and improving the quality of the provided refugee education. However, it is not a one-solution-fits-all regarding their education. At the end, future research proposals are included.

https://www.mdpi.com/2078-1547/11/2/31/pdf

An Overview of Mobile Learning for Refugee Students: Juxtaposing Refugee Needs with Mobile Applications’ Characteristics

The purpose of this research was to make suggestions for choosing Apps for a Foundation level English program in the United Arab Emirates. The program had to prepare for the integration of iPads into the English program for approximately 800 students. To prepare, the program launched a pilot study with a small group of teachers, administrators and technology specialists. We used qualitative research to fulfill our research needs which included participant diaries, focus groups, a research journal and observations. From the data, we developed a list of criteria for choosing Apps and a process for selecting Apps.

https://zuscholars.zu.ac.ae/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4527&context=works

The Next Generation of Technology: Mobile Apps in the English Language Classroom

Universities in the UAE are entering the age of virtual and open access education. This paper describes the evolution of a MOOC at a state-funded university in Dubai. We will describe the challenges as well as a reflection of our experiences as creating virtual learning spaces in this culture differs somewhat from Western models.

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Localising content for an XMOOC in the UAE

This exploratory case study investigates the use of flipped learning in a second language classroom at a university in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Flipped learning was researched as a possible teaching/learning strategy for this population. As this study was exploratory, a case study was chosen as the research method. Students in one class participated in the flipped learning approach for one semester. Results were triangulated through students' test scores, interviews with participants, and teacher reflections. The data showed that flipped learning was viewed positively in terms of self-efficacy, leaner autonomy, a resource for an introduction to the concept and for review. However, participants clearly indicated that flipped learning should not replace the integral role of the teacher. Finally, implications in terms of the use of the flipped learning approach in English language classes are discussed as well as recommendations for future studies.

Integrating Flipped Learning Into an English Pre-Sessional Class at a Public University in the UAE: Reports From an SLL University Classroom

Academic reading circles can be adapted from in class to an online platform where students can work collaboratively. This paper outlines how reading circles are used online with Second Language Learners. A description of the stages and necessary roles is provided.

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Preeya Reddy

Papers

The Next Generation of Technology: Mobile Apps in the English Language Classroom

Localising content for an XMOOC in the UAE

Integrating Flipped Learning Into an English Pre-Sessional Class at a Public University in the UAE: Reports From an SLL University Classroom

Academic Reading on a Collaborative, Online Platform.