Mobile App to Support Teaching in Distance Mode at Fiji National University: Design and Evaluation

Background

Distance Learning is a broad term which includes studying at your convenience allowing learners to make choices about where, when, and how learning occurs (Koole, McQuilkin, & Ally, 2010). Students studying through distance education are geographically isolated from their teachers and are often separated from their peers as a source of support (Matthíasdóttir, 2006). Instructors use various methods to facilitate courses in distance mode such as printed study guides and learning management systems. Many researchers working in the field of distance education have been exploring on tools and techniques that could improve the delivery of courses in distance mode. Many technologies have been applied in the past to bridge the gap between distance education and classroom learning. As early as the mid-1970s, universities began to use email and asynchronous text-based conferencing to complement their courses, the early 1980s saw the first online courses and today, the literature is growing rich with studies of mobile learning (Harasim, 2000). Small, hand-held devices are now being used in language learning, medical training, music composition, and general education (Kukulska-Hulme, Sharples, Arnedillo-Sánchez, Milrad, & Vavoula, 2009; Traxler, 2009). These easy-to-carry tools allow more freedom to interact with others and to access a variety of multimedia.