Key themes in mobile learning: Prospects for learner-generated learning through AR and VR

Abstract

This paper summarises the findings from a literature review in mobile learning, developed as part of a 2-year six-institution project in New Zealand. Through the development of a key themes codebook, we address selected key themes with respect to their relevance to learner-generated learning through emerging technologies, with attention to mobile augmented reality and mobile virtual reality. We see that these two current mobile learning affordances, complemented though relevant approaches to research and practice in mobile learning such as design-based research and connected social learning, are critical to reconceptualise learning through mobile devices. We conclude that mobile learning still requires the theories, methodologies, and practices of its own as a field. We also see a need for mobile learning to be conceptualised around ever-changing learning affordances and educational settings, rather than focusing on static structures such as content-delivery approaches, while embedding it within the scholarship of technology enhanced learning.

Educational Uses of Augmented Reality (AR): Experiences in Educational Science

“…Its use in training or teaching [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] has allowed different possibilities, such as: (a) erase that content which could make it difficult to obtain relevant information for the student to use; (b) generate content that makes the information more understandable to the student; (c) give the student the possibility to observe the object from different points of view and different angles; (d) facilitate the generation of ubiquitous learning for the student; (e) the student is immersed in an "artificial" environment, such as simulators or laboratories; (f) an enriched printed material through different resources; (g) improve the way in which students learn through motivation; (h) learning objects that generate "prosumers" students instead of "consumers" of information. The potential offered by this technology is increased with its incorporation through different disciplines (education, medicine, architecture .…”

“…Nevertheless, we should also be aware that there are a series of obstacles for its inclusion to teaching activities: it is a novel technology, the lack of implementation of educational experiences/experiments, the lack of resources and learning objects produced in AR, the lack of teachers' training, the need for the students to have positive attitudes for its addition into educational practice, the lack of educational experiences in the development of AR learning objects, the size of the viewing screen, the lack of conceptual frameworks to rely on for searching for innovative educational practices for the application of AR, the need to create support centers for teachers to facilitate the production of AR learning objects and the maintenance of the servers, the need for the students to have basic technology for its viewing, and the overload of information [4,22,24,31].…”

A Framework for Mixed Reality Free-Choice, Self-Determined Learning

“…The focus of the DBR approach on dynamic and iterative design and development led us to incorporate an XR approach which, for various reasons, was not even imagined at the outset of the 2-year project. Such digital dynamism and rapid adaptation to new technologies may be a key strength in the potential of mobile learning (Aguayo, Cochrane, and Narayan 2017;Pachler, Bachmair, and Cook 2010).…”

“…BYOD is situated within and informed by the wider body of mobile learning research and practice that is now informed by almost two decades of research (Aguayo, Cochrane and Narayan 2017;Lai 2019;Parsons 2014b;Sharples 2000). Research in mobile learning has moved from an initial focus upon devices to enabling informal learning (Laurillard 2007) and the mobility of the learner (Cook and Santos 2016).…”

“…Mobile devices are particularly suited to enabling augmented and VR learning experiences (Cochrane 2016;Cochrane, Smart, and Narayan 2018), enabling the design of learning experiences that give the user agency and self-determination of informal learning. Such learning environments encourage user exploration and learner-generated content and contexts (Aguayo, Cochrane, and Narayan 2017).…”