Student retention in open and distance learning (ODL) is comparatively poor to traditional education and, in some contexts, embarrassingly low. Literature on the subject of student retention in ODL indicates that even when interventions are designed and undertaken to improve student retention, they tend to fall short. Moreover, this area has not been well researched. The main aim of our research, therefore, is to better understand and measure students' attitudes and perceptions towards the effectiveness of mobile learning. Our hope is to determine how this technology can be optimally used to improve student retention at Bachelor of Science programmes at Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in India. For our research, we used a survey. Results of this survey clearly indicate that offering mobile learning could be one method improving retention of BSc students, by enhancing their teaching/ learning and improving the efficacy of IGNOU's existing student support system. The biggest advantage of this technology is that it can be used anywhere, anytime. Moreover, as mobile phone usage in India explodes, it offers IGNOU easy access to a larger number of learners. This study is intended to help inform those who are seeking to adopt mobile learning systems with the aim of improving communication and enriching students' learning experiences in their ODL institutions. (Contains 3 tables and 2 figures.)

With the proliferation of the mobile device technologies, mobile learning can be used to complement and improve traditional learning problems. Both students and teachers need a proper and handy system to monitor and keep track the performance of the students. This paper presents an implementation of M-learning for primary school in Malaysia by using an open source technology. It focuses on learning mathematics using handheld devices for primary schools’ students aged 11 and 12 years old. Main users for this system include students, teachers and the administrator. This application suggests a new mobile learning environment with mobile graph for tracking the students’ progress and performance. The purpose of this system is not to replace traditional classroom but to complement the learning process. In a testing conducted, students who used this system performed better in their examination. (Authors' abstract)

This paper looks at the diffusion and applications of mobile phone technology in Asia and Africa, compared with North America. It indicates that Asian distance education can be the global leader in the development of educational uses for the mobile phone; and it considers the potential for mobile learning in Africa and other developing regions. The paper concludes that it would be a serious disservice to learners and instructors if Asia and Africa were to cast their lot with Web-based learning. By comparison, mobile phone technology is widespread, easy to use, and familiar to learners and instructors. (Author's abstract)

Pada era yang serba maju dan moden, kita tidak dapat lari daripada kecanggihan teknologi yang semakin berkembang. Perkembangan pendidikan daripada kaedah tradisional hingga ke Pembelajaran Berasaskan Masalah masih diperkatakan hingga kini. Di Malaysia, Mobile Learning ( M-Learning) baru diperkenalkan. Kertas kerja ini membincangkan tentang perkembangan Pembelajaran M-Learning di Malaysia, faedah serta masalah yang dihadapi dalam mengintegrasikan alatan mudah alih dengan senario pendidikan. Selain itu, kaitan pendidikan dengan teknologi mudah alih turut dibincangkan dengan lebih terperinci. Cadangan untuk menjayakan kaedah pendidikan M-Learning juga diutarakan bagi mengaplikasikan teknik ini di Malaysia.

The aim of this research is to examine learners’ perception concerning the satisfaction level of Mobile
learning. The learners are the students who have enrolled in the distance education academic program at
the School of Distance Education, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in the 2008/2009 academic year. To
what extent did Mobile learning benefited the learners? Data were collected from a sample of 105
undergraduate students from Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Social Science and
Bachelor of Management through a specially designed questionnaire relating to the satisfaction of using
the Mobile learning in their studies. This paper utilised the Rasch model to analyze the data. Results
showed that the satisfaction of the respondents towards the Mobile learning was high. All the items in this
survey are fit to this survey. From the result, it is indicated that most of the respondents were satisfied
with Mobile learning. The items that showed the higher satisfaction are relates to the study material,
important notes, reminder can reach them daily. Besides, they highly agreed that Mobile learning has
helped them pace their studies in distance learning courses. However the survey also reviewed that the
respondents are not satisfied with the cost of communication with the tutor and other students in Mobile
learning courses.

Tribal is a global thought leader in m-learning. We have been active in mobile empowerment and learning since 2001, working to widen opportunities for learning through the use of mobile technologies.

If you are looking for strategic advice and support with mobile pedagogy and technologies, or the design and provision of m-learning materials and tools, Tribal can help you.

We work both in the UK, and internationally with employers, schools, colleges, universities and NGOs to incorporate and embed mobile learning into all areas of education and training.

M-Learning is a new learning paradigm of the new social structure with mobile and wireless technologies.
Smart school is one of the four flagship applications for Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) under
Malaysian government initiative to improve education standard in the country. With the advances of
mobile devices technologies, mobile learning could help the government in realizing the initiative. This
paper discusses the prospect of implementing mobile learning for primary school students. It indicates
significant and challenges and analysis of user perceptions on potential mobile applications through a
survey done in primary school context. The authors propose the m-Learning for mathematics by allowing
the extension of technology in the traditional classroom in term of learning and teaching. (Abstract by authors)

Mobile technologies are increasingly being promoted as tools to enhance learning. They can be used to augment ongoing activities, such as exploring outdoors, by enabling users to move back and forth between the physical environment and a variety of digital resources and representations. In so doing, they have the potential to facilitate sensemaking activities, where people seek to find structure in an uncertain situation through using a combination of information, communication and computation. However, continuous switching of attention between different representations and activities can be distracting. Our research is concerned with how mobile devices can be used to engender collaborative sensemaking activities during scientific tasks. We present two studies showing how different versions of a mobile learning application, LillyPad, were used by teams to make sense of their ongoing observations, when measuring the effects of different planting methods for an environmental restoration site. The findings show marked differences in the amount and type of sensemaking. We discuss reasons for this in terms of task demands and workload, information type and distribution of devices.

The advent of mobile learning offers opportunities for students to do two things at once in an educational context. Students can learn while performing another activity. Two experiments were set up to examine the effect of performing a secondary task while learning with a mobile device. In the experimental group, the participants had to combine a learning task (watching movies on an iPod while sitting at a desk) with a secondary task (screwing). The control group only had to perform the learning task. Additionally, participants of the experimental group received different instructions. Some were asked to do both tasks as good as possible, others were told that the learning was important and the screwing less important and the opposite was told to the participants of the third experimental group. Afterwards, all the participants had to complete a learning test and participants of the experimental group also received a screwing score. In general, the effect of condition on the learning task was rather limited. Only one significant effect was found and it was limited to a difference between students of the control group who outperformed the students focusing on the screwing task while learning. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT] .

Mobile Learning, or M-learning as it is often called, is a relatively new tool in the pedagogical arsenal to assist students and teachers as they navigate the options available in the expanding distance learning world. This article assesses some of the possible methods, challenges and future potential of using this approach in a college classroom and describes an empirical evaluation of the effectiveness of M-learning in a college classroom. One hundred twelve students in an introductory survey course in sociology were given the opportunity to use an M-Learning product developed by HotLava Software for the purpose of assisting them in preparation for two scheduled exams. Both practice and review questions were made available on Smart Phones, Web enabled phones, PDAs and other Internet capable mobile devices via Learning Mobile Author. Forty-two of the 112 students in the class chose to access these data via their personal devices and their responses were collected and recorded. The results of their performance, as indicated by a final grade in the course, were compared to the outcomes for those students who chose not to use the M-Learning tool. Students using the software demonstrated a higher level of knowledge of the subject matter covered in the course when compared to students choosing not to use the tools (p less than 0.01). Conclusions and a discussion of these outcomes are offered as well as some inferences and speculation regarding the future of M-Learning in the classroom and beyond.