Experimenting With AI-Powered Learning Tools and Mobile-Assisted Learning to Improve Student Learning Performance, Autonomy, and Metacognitive Skills: A Case Study of Quizlet

Introduction

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a general-purpose technology that can perform several activities that were previously only performed by human beings. Some people reckon AI is a simulation of human mental functions carried out by machines. It is an area of research with many subfields. AI has recently had a fast and transformational impact on various industries i.e., healthcare, transportation, business, retail, construction, food industry, manufacturing, and education (Dwivedi et al., 2021). Due to the fast evolution of technology, the internet connection can now be accessed by learners from multiple devices, i.e., through their mobile devices, anytime and anywhere and allow them to access anything they wish. Students can easily download and use any learning application they want to enhance their academic performance. Although parents and lecturers often complain because students can easily get addicted on their phones and use them constantly, lecturers may also use techniques and tools that students have easily access to through their mobile devices to enhance their learning by engaging students more easily and offering opportunities for personalised learning (Whalley et al., 2020).

This project used Quizlet as a revising tool to help students enhance their content learning in the domain of Leadership in Human Resource Management (HRM). Quizlet is a popular online learning tool which can be accessed through both computer and mobile device. It can be utilised to study any subject, but it can primarily support content learning and term retention, especially with low-proficiency and international students (Waluyo & Bucol, 2021). In Quizlet, students can effectively concentrate on either self-study, pairwork or group study to learn content, terms and develop their language mastery as well. In addition, lecturers can invite their students to create their own study sets, share them, and track their progress. Most importantly, it can be accessed freely by any student anywhere.

Vocabulary is undoubtedly linked to the production and comprehension of language. Insufficient vocabulary may hinder students from understanding and producing speech and text. For example, Groot (2000) claims that vocabulary is closely connected with reading, listening, speaking, and writing. Despite its primacy, many students lack the necessary vocabulary for their academic studies (Barr, 2016), which can obstruct them from producing and comprehending a large coverage of speech or text. This is even more evident with international students who speak and write English as a second language (ESL) (Gass & Selinker, 2008). Many students show indifference to learning new terms as they consider it boring, extremely time-consuming, and ineffective. Therefore, vocabulary needs to be learnt in an alternative way meeting the students’ specific needs.

An exciting way of learning new vocabulary, terms and definitions is by incorporating technology into the learning process, known as Computer Assisted Learning (CAL). It requires minimal guidance as students are already familiar with learning applications and using their mobile phones to download them and utilise them. Embedding CAL in content and vocabulary learning is crucial since it offers learners metacognitive tasks allowing for making inferences through contexts using imagery and semantic techniques (Kose, Cimen, & Mede, 2016). Research indicates that the use of technology in learning is extremely beneficial as it engages learners promoting autonomy and enjoyment and developing students’ digital literacy (Wieking, 2016).