The pedagogy of mobile learning in supporting distance learners

Abstract

One of the main barriers of learning in distance education is the absence of interaction in a learning environment. The distance education character of individual forms of learning and the absence of interaction is a challenge for both students who need help and lecturers who want to assist students in their cognitive development. The key to the successful enactment of interaction in distance education, according to Evans and Nation (1989, p.154), does not rest with the way the course is designed, delivered and assessed or on the media used, “but it rests on the philosophy of distance education which informs the decisions about techniques and technology”. The nature of distance education compels providers to use mediated forms of interaction to support their students. The idea is to use technological devices that are already accessible to students in order to develop ways in which they could be supported. The use of cell phones for education is premised on the idea of building on informal learning, which most students are familiar with, to develop formal learning opportunities for distance education students. To understand the pedagogical suitability of using cell phones, it is important to look at different theories that impact on teaching and learning.The aim is to investigate the pedagogical approach that best supports effective use of cell phones in a distance education.