Purpose The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate the use of a library mobile website at a university library. This paper aims to present the approach adopted to investigate users’ reactions to the new mobile platform. A usability test was also conducted to examine its effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach Mobile websites for academic libraries were first reviewed prior to identifying the functions and elements to be included. To assess the intended design purpose, the usability of the design was examined through a comparison of the mobile website and the full PC website used by 50 students to accomplish a set of search tasks. A questionnaire survey was used to assess 336 students’ responses regarding various criteria including learnability, control, presentation and efficiency. Findings The usability test that was conducted before the mobile Web was formally released indicated that the students using it finished more search tasks (p < 0.001), and were more efficient in completing search tasks than they were using the PC website (p < 0.001). Data from 336 questionnaire responses also indicated the students’ positive reactions to the developed mobile system in four defined facets (mean >= 4.0). Research limitations/implications The difficulty of recruiting volunteers and the small number of subjects who participated was also a major limitation experienced in this study. Replications or use of different measurements might be needed in future research to confirm the result. Practical implications In this study, a library mobile website was developed, tested and evaluated by users. Currently, the library mobile website is being implemented in the university. On-going revisions will continue to improve its effectiveness and efficiency for information retrieval. Social implications It is expected that through the library mobile services, a ubiquitous learning environment can be provided to students to fulfil their academic and leisure needs. Originality/value Summative evaluation of the mobile system revealed the students’ positive reactions to a set of predetermined criteria in various dimensions, including: learnability, control, presentation and efficiency.
Providing students with opportunities for both experiential and theoretical learning is very important for professional development in higher education. Internship opportunities encourage an authentic learning experience by offering opportunities to integrate course knowledge with practical experience in specific context. With the advent of modern technology, the use of content management systems provides the opportunity to help students document their own learning process from internship experiences. In fostering students' reflection on what is experienced at their work sites during the internship period, an online journal system was developed. The platform is aimed to facilitate review and retrospection relevant to competence development among interns. In this study, students' responses toward the use of online journal system were assessed by a set of questionnaire items containing 23 items (regarding learning, system function, and management issues). Data from 70 interns were gathered. The results of the study indicate that most interns are reacted positively to the learning and reflective processes embedded in journal writing.
Equal access has serious implications for the growing chasm in learning in remote areas and in economically disadvantaged communities. To help bridge the digital divide for children in remote areas, engaging communities to provide the needed resources in remote schools is essential. With an aim to promoting teachers’ adaptation of tablet reading and teaching among remote schools, a platform for sharing experiences and exchanging ideas among teachers was developed. College students also volunteered for follow-up mobile reading promotion in order to provide needed human resources for tablet reading integration among disadvantaged communities. Collaborative efforts by the university and teachers in remote schools provided a case for study. The main issues explored in this study were: (1) how teachers in remote areas adapted tablet reading in the classroom, and (2) what university students experienced from promoting tablet reading. This paper presents a qualitative analysis of integrating volunteer services and civic engagement in promoting tablet reading, and highlights the mutual benefits, challenges, and recommendations for future implementation. Various data resources were integrated into the inductive analysis, and different resources were used for triangulating the reported phenomena. The study concludes that the teachers obtained experience of tablet reading, and the college students experienced innovative volunteer-service opportunities. The collaboration among the society, the university, and learning sites were all essential for promoting tablet reading among children in remote areas.
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