This chapter considers how technology can enhance teaching and learning through technology within the higher education setting. The chapter considers findings and draws conclusions from a recent project conducted by the authors involved in this technologically innovative project. In particular this chapter aims to consider how mobile apps can be beneficial for learning and education purposes, consider the pedagogic value of technology use within higher education (HE), look at how students can be co-creators in their own learning, and provide an overview of the mobile app and the research findings that it was developed from. The chapter will also take into consideration the challenges associated with developing and implementing a technological intervention in HE.
TopMobile Apps For Learning And Education Purposes
Mobile devices are becoming increasingly popular with research indicating that Smartphone ownership now exceeds laptop ownership (Zydney & Warner, 2016). New updated versions of these devices with their innovative features make them more convenient and affordable for users (Zydney & Warner, 2016). Apps are constantly designed to make our lives easier with unprecedented opportunities for communicating, interacting and sharing of content (Cook & Pachler, 2012).
West (2013) suggests that the younger generation is accustomed to personalised content and synchronous communication. The Millennial generation born between 1977 and 1995 are said to have adopted mobile devices to the centre of their everyday lives, with 97% owning a mobile device (Nielsen Reports, 2016). Similarly, generation Z (Gen Z), people born after 1995, are suggested to be the most digitally oriented generation to date and have adopted more immersive digital behaviours at the pace of technological advancement (Boruff & Storie, 2014).
The introduction of mobile devices has had a positive impact in various fields, one, in particular, being health (M-Health) (Li et al., 2018) and the use of apps for therapeutic purposes (Rathbone & Prescott, 2017; Rathbone, Clarry & Prescott, 2017). The education sector is also witnessing a rise in the use of technology and mobile apps. The New Media Consortiums 2013 Horizon Report predicted that mobile applications and tablet computing would have a time-to-adoption of less than one year in higher education (Johnson et al., 2018). The increasing ownership of smart devices by students and their integral part of their educational experience is forcing educators to adapt their teaching style and utilize these technologies as tools for teaching and learning, due to their potential in enhancing student engagement (Yu-Chang & Yu-Hui, 2013). Due to this rise is ownership a significant number of Universities now use mobile technologies or create mobile-optimized versions of their websites that can be downloaded from mobile application stores. These mobile technologies play a vital role in University life (Mansour, 2016).