A Review of the Article "Factors Influencing Students’ Acceptance of M-Learning: An Investigation in Higher Education"

 

This review discusses an article titled "Factors Influencing Students’ Acceptance of M-Learning: An Investigation in Higher Education" by Ahmad Abu-Al-Aish and Steve Love, published in the journal "International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning," Volume 14, Number 5, December 2013. The study explores the acceptance of mobile learning (M-learning) among university students, considering factors and prior experiences with mobile devices.

The paper focuses on the growing importance of M-learning for teaching and learning in higher education. Its implementation is dependent on user acceptance. The research describes a model based on the Unified Theory of adoption and Use of Technology (UTAUT) for identifying factors impacting M-learning adoption and examining the impact of prior mobile device usage. The study collected data from 174 people and analysed it using a structural equation model. According to the findings, performance expectancy, effort expectancy, lecturer influence, service quality, and personal innovativeness all have a substantial impact on the intention to use M-learning. Furthermore, past mobile device experience mitigates the impact of these characteristics.

This study expands on the UTAUT model by including service quality and personal innovation, and it provides practical guidelines for creating effective M-learning systems. It emphasises the importance of higher education institutions developing strategic plans and rules that take student acceptance into account in order to secure the long-term use of M-learning. These findings provide useful information for developing effective M-learning systems in higher education.

The article describes M-learning as a new phase in e-learning and distance education enabled by wireless mobile devices such as smartphones, PDAs, and tablet PCs in the introduction. It emphasises mobile devices' appeal to higher education students due to their cost and ease. M-learning is viewed as a supplement to existing learning paradigms and is projected to transform the distribution of higher education content. Examples of M-learning applications include SMS-based English vocabulary learning and context-aware mobile learning systems for nursing education.

This paper acknowledges the difficulties in implementing M-learning, such as worries about classroom distractions and user acceptance, particularly among students and instructors. Understanding students' perspectives of M-learning is critical for successful use. The elements impacting M-learning acceptability, such as the role of university instructors and the quality of M-learning services, are investigated. The investigation also emphasises the significance of students' trust in using mobile devices, as well as the need for basic M-learning technology training.

Overall, the study emphasises the importance of M-learning in higher education and gives significant insights into the factors influencing its acceptance. It provides practical ideas for practitioners and university administration on how to promote and improve M-learning.

Ashida. A. P.,  Assistant Professor & Head, Dept. of Commerce, Al Shifa College of Arts and Science, Keezhattur, Perinthakmanna