Information and Records Management Department Students' Attitudes Towards Mobile Learning

Introduction

Mobile devices, one of the most important reflections of information and communication technologies-based change in recent years, are used effectively in many areas of life thanks to their functionality. Depending on the development of wireless connectivity technologies, the increase in the operational and hardware capacities of mobile devices makes the use of these tools more widespread (Skillen, 2015). As a matter of fact, today, individuals of almost every age use mobile devices such as tablets, laptop computers and mobile phones intensively. These technological tools which have no limitation of time and space, thanks to wireless internet is used in many different fields, such as health, communication, transportation, trade, etc. are now ubiquitously available. One of the areas where mobile technologies are used extensively is education (Pan ve Akay, 2016). The potential of mobile devices to be used for educational purposes is of particular importance for reaching wider audiences inside and outside of school. Mobile learning, which is realized through mobile technologies and is becoming more widespread every day, creates new opportunities in educational processes thanks to its advantages such as being student-centred, giving the opportunity to communicate with the teacher and other students using communication tools when the student does not understand the subject, as well as being open to cooperation and sharing ideas (Güzelyazıcı, Dönmez, Kurtuluş & Hacıosmanoğlu, 2011; Al-Emran, Elsherif & Saalan, 2016). Mobile learning, which is becoming increasingly widespread in universities, provides students and academics with global opportunities in education, especially with the advantages of the online environment provided by internet access (Sayımer & Küçüksaraç, 2015). As the use of mobile applications in education increases, written documents and classroom or campus-based education approach are increasingly evolving into virtual environments. Education goes beyond classroom environments and opens to the whole world, independent of time and place, with the opportunities offered by the internet and social media tools (Yeler & Ocak, 2021).

The use of mobile technologies in the courses within the field of Information and Records Management, which is the subject of the study, also brings new experiences to both academics and students. These applications enable academics to use effective pedagogical approaches and practices in addition to facilitating to use of various teaching methods, techniques and many applications within the field in courses. The use of mobile applications in mobile courses by the students of the information and records management department will positively affect their future careers, as one of the institutions where mobile technologies and mobile learning applications are widely used is information centres. In this regard, it is highly important for information and records management department students to identify the appropriate information type and sources by using mobile technologies effectively, to access appropriate information effectively and efficiently, to accurately identify and critically evaluate information and its sources, to use appropriate and reliable information as a business tool. In addition, the flexibility and autonomy of the students of information and records management departments would increase among those who use mobile learning applications effectively.

This study aims to determine the attitudes and approaches of Çankırı Karatekin University Faculty of Letters Information and Records Management Department students towards mobile learning. This study that employs quantitative research methods is projected to provide a perspective for future studies on mobile learning applications in information and records management education and information centres.