iUBICOM'11 Proceedings of the 6th international conference on Ubiquitous and Collaborative Computing
Unobtrusive student collaboration during lectures with smartphones
iUBICOM'11 Proceedings of the 6th international conference on Ubiquitous and Collaborative Computing
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The rapid evolution and ubiquitous use of mobile devices is an historical opportunity to improve experiential interactivity in education practices to support “deep” learning. A major barrier to the widespread adoption of mLearning in higher education is that of cost. Usage charges and the cost of mobile hardware are key issues. Opportunities to overcome this barrier include the high rate of ownership of mobile phones by university students and technological solutions such as packet transmission technologies. The paper introduces mInteract, a system which uses packet technology (mobile WAP/WML) to build no-to-low cost interactivity into learning spaces. The online tool supports active experiential learning transactions for both student and teacher. In 2008 mInteract was trialled in a subject with large numbers. Focus group feedback is presented that indicates high levels of engagement with both users and non-users of the tool.