Master of Education in Open, Digital, and Distance Education (MDDE) 623

Overview

MDDE 623: Introduction to Mobile Learning  provides students with the opportunity to explore and experience firsthand the potential of mobile learning in a distance learning environment. the course provides an overview of mobile learning research, trends, and instructional design strategies for curriculum integration and professional development in a variety of learning and training contexts. It blends the theory and practice of m-learning as students experiment with mobile technology to engage in the course-related activities and analyse existing m-learning designs. A number of trends and issues relating to the real-world practice of m-learning are explored to help students make a critical evaluation of m-learning tools, strategies, and approaches. Once students have examined the pedagogy, technology, design and critical factors of m-learning, they progress to evaluate existing mobile learning artifacts and solutions to assess their effectiveness in addressing educational needs and performance problems. The course lays the foundations critical for m-learning practitioners and enthusiasts to understand, create, facilitate, and implement mobile learning.

Outline

The course consists of six units:

• Unit 1: Definitions, key notions and technologies of mobile learning.
• Unit 2: The real-world application of mobile learning.
• Unit 3: The roles and uses of technology in mobile teaching and learning.
• Unit 4: Mobile learning at a distance.
• Unit 5: Introduction to instructional design for mobile learning.
• Unit 6: Mobile learning case studies.

Learning outcomes

The course is designed for student to achieve the following goals:

1. Evaluate the potential of mobile learning in distance education by critically analyzing current research on mobile learning affordances and challenges.
2. Critically evaluate the effectiveness and applicability of existing mobile learning solutions, including strategies, technologies, and materials in the students' own educational environments or in case studies.
3. Identify educational contexts for which mobile learning is an appropriate learning approach and describe m-learning strategies and technologies that should be applied in these particular contexts.
4. Develop effective m-learning instructional strategies that integrate existing learning and teaching theories and/or approaches while recognizing the pedagogical nuances of mobile learning.
5. Analyze the ethical implications of m-learning design and curriculum integration choices in distance education contexts.
6. Synthesize a variety of instructional design frameworks and/or models and describe their application in a mobile learning instructional design context.
7. Discuss common criticisms and controversies related to the adaptation of mobile learning.
8. Select appropriate mobile learning technologies for individual mobile learning contexts.

Evaluation

Materials

Physical course materials

The following course materials are included in a course package that will be shipped to your home prior to your course’s start date:

Ally, M. (Ed.) (2009). Mobile learning transforming the delivery of education and training. Athabasca, Alberta: Athabasca University Press.

Ally, M. & Tsinakos, A. (2014). Perspectives on open and distance learning: Increasing access through mobile learning. Vancouver, BC: Commonwealth of Learning.

Palalas, A., & Ally, M. (Eds.) (2016). The International Handbook of Mobile-Assisted Language Learning. Beijing, China: China Central Radio & TV University Press.

Tsinakos, A., & Ally, M. (Eds.) (2013). Global mobile learning implementations and trends. China Central Radio & TV University Press, Beijing China.

Other Materials

Online Study Guide and Readings.

Important links

• Course schedule