A guest post by Jaquez Johnson (*)
Introduction
Mobile devices have taken over the landscape of electronics, ranging from laptops and MP3 players in the 2000s to tablets and smartphones in the 2010s. Now in the year 2020, the potential for mobile devices are endless for the next decade. In each generation there are technology advances that help shape the minds and habits of the people, and it is consistent with the current generation and mobile devices. The impact is inevitable to recognize even on the most basic level. Take a five-minute stroll around any college campus and notice the small handheld devices that clutches the attention of the horde. Even looking within and honestly critiquing my personal habits, my smartphone has a constant hold on my attention. Within the last twenty-four hours the screen display of my smartphone has been on for six hours and twenty-five minutes.
Smartphones initially arrived in the later part of the 2000s with limited access to websites and other technologies. The first created smartphone was the IBM Simon Personal Communicator, manufactured in 1992. The device resembles many of the smartphone features that we see in present day. The Blackberry was the mobile device that introduced the world to modern day smartphones, well up until the iPhone released in 2007 (Andrew). Even though smartphones showed drastic improvement from the flip phones before them, industries were reluctant to fully embrace the new trend. Many websites were not useful on mobile devices, but the evolution of mobile devices affected every industry by forcing creation of mobile alternatives to webpages. Mobile webpages exist to provide an effective way to surf the web on a mobile device. The creation of mobile applications provides a way to go directly to any product by selecting a logo on a screen. Mobile applications, a lot like the webpages before them, have completely destroyed industries that were unwilling to adapt. The industry that has a history of being one of the last to adapt new trends is Education. Instead of embracing the new innovative ways to access information, educational institutions originally discouraged the use of mobile applications. Higher learning institutions are usually the early implementers of innovative ideology and technology, and this case is no different. Now that mobile applications have been integrated into the world of education, what are the capabilities? How can mobile applications refurbish the education system? Is it more of a distraction than a supplement?
Topic Description
Mobile applications in the industry of education is a multifaceted topic, a lot like the industry itself. Specifically looking at the use of mobile applications on college campuses, apps are used for multiple reasons due to the many aspects of being a college student. Payment, parking, campus maps, campus engagement, and registration are amongst many features that a mobile application can provide for a singular college campus. Mobile application use has trickled down to high schools and elementary schools as well, but to truly tackle this topic thoroughly the focus will remain on post-secondary education use of mobile applications.
The Mobile Generation
The implication of mobile apps at universities serve great according to the state of mobile application industry and its top demographic. According to the 2019 Global State of Mobile Report the demographic of 18 to 24 years old lead in mobile application use in three out of the four main industry categories (Comscore, 2019). Those categories consist of Gaming, Ride sharing and mobility, Retail and digital commerce, and Mobile ordering. Gaming is the only category that is not led by the college aged demographic, but they are close second place. The information displays a great picture of the impact that mobile applications has on the demographic as well as the importance of integrating mobile application to effectively educate them. Specifically, for college age students, smartphone mobile applications take 72% of digital use according to the 2019 Global State of Mobile Report (Comscore, 2019). It is interesting to see that the trends of the demographic mobile use are global. According to Daniel Mican’s survey at Babeş-Bolyai University in Romania, 80% of 19-to-22-year old’s owned smartphones due to lowered cost and relaxed access (Mican, 2019).
Looking at the effectiveness of mobile applications in education can easily be a distraction or supplement depending on the lenses used to analyze the status. The perspective of the educators and students can be completely different due to the age gap and generational ideology. The average age of a full-time college professor in the United States is fifty-five years old, and the demographic for college aged students range from eighteen to twenty-four. The ages are important to consider when viewing their standpoint on mobile impact. The 2017 Mobile Report tells us that college aged students spend double the amount of time on mobile applications daily as fifty-five to sixty-four-year old. Eighteen to twenty-four-year-old are captured using mobile applications for 3.2 hours daily.
The Application of Higher Education
There have been several mobile applications created to modernize education. Two of the largest learning management systems in education are Blackboard Learn and Canvas. The creation and implication of LMS systems were huge in the transition to creating more virtual learning opportunities. Also, LMS systems were the only thing that the education industry had close to mobile device application. The construct of the systems mirrored that of a mobile application mostly because of the centralization of all aspects. Documentation, recording, examining, and all other aspects of a single course or schedule can be accessed all at one central location (Sharma, 2017). LMS systems made the transition to mobile applications effortless for higher education institutions since the infrastructure was already in existence.
Mobile devices such as laptops, tablets, and smartphones are optimizing the use of LMS systems. Systems such as Blackboard Learn and Canvas were on par with the industry and created mobile applications to mirror their systems to truly garner the full potential of their roles in higher education. The use of mobile devices in the education is defined as m-learning. The definition of m-learning is ever-changing and inconsistent, but this is understandable because the abilities of mobile devices increase so frequently. The focus of m-learning has shifted from the simple use of mobile devices to students actively participating in meaningful learning experiences (Joo et al., 2016; Kim., 2016). The potential of m-learning is far from being reached, but the ability to create active learning environments for students that do not typically thrive in conventional learning settings is sensational. Allowing students the freedom to answer questions in unlimited methods create personalized interest and original ideas for the proposed information (Nuanmeesri, 2019).
The Business of Education
Though we often think of higher education institutions as places for great minds and ideal learning environments. They are also businesses. The cost of a four-year degree rose 2.45% from 2007-08 to 2017-18 academic years (Goldy-Brown, 2019). For many universities the highest priority is to gain more students. Students pay tuition, and also the caliber of students can increase state funding for public universities. A great platform used for admission departments across the country is Common App. Common Application was created to streamline the application process for potential undergraduate students. The website allows students create one application and send it to multiple universities instead of filling out each individual admission application. Many universities have transitioned into using the platform due to the convenience of recruitment and relevance. Common App On Track is the mobile application that allows students to stay up-to-date with their applications and deadlines. This is very important when thinking about the demographic of students that we are focused on. The app is something that can send notifications directly to their smartphones, and it allows them to tackle task immediately on their mobile devices. Often times university officials like these features because they allow them to constantly stay in touch with students and recruit them to their university.
Mobile applications’ biggest feature is related to the most influential portion of the college experience. Students need access to campus resources and mobile applications are ideal for providing resources at the touch of a button. For many colleges, there is a centralized university application that has features and links to all resources that the university provides. For example, the MyFAU application at Florida Atlantic University provides features for signed in users to visit Canvas, FAU Self Service, OwlsApps, MyPOS, SPOT, Degree Audit, Success Network, Parking, and plenty more. The purpose of the application is to meet students where they are, which is on their mobile devices. Allowing students to see the resources available and use them from their smartphone is remarkable.
Critique
Mobile Apps in the Classroom
Mobile applications can be great learning tools for conventional and e-learning course settings. The implementation of LMS systems such as Canvas and Blackboard Learn have created seamless transition for students to handle the different types of courses. Having the capability to access all course materials and files at the convenience of a smartphone or any other mobile device, should allow learning to be more adaptive. As we know from previous modules during the first half of our course, the flooding or normalizing of mobile applications have not been a direct correlation of the usage. Mobile devices are still at times a distraction in most education settings, and that is easily because of the ability to access all aspects of life on one device. During the previous section we often alluded to the fact that the college demographic lead in all but one of the top four industries of mobile applications. This is once again important because it tells a story of priorities for this generation. Students are not prioritizing the use of their mobile devices to use for education, but more so to use for everything and education when convenient. A huge part of this problem is that most professors do not create or design mobile technology incorporated assignments in their courses. Only 30% of instructors take advantage of the potential that mobile apps and devices can bring to the learning environment. The generation gap between instructors and students is seen as something hindering the advancement of mobile technology in the educational industry as well. 67% of professors continuously view smartphones and other mobile devices as a distraction, and 47% of college students agree with them. In many cases, certain instructors are not allowing students to use mobile devices in class (2016).
Mobile Applications Enhancing Student Engagement
As a young higher education professional, I am privy to be more understanding of the ideologies of students. The following topic is very important when focusing on impacting students the best way possible, in all aspect of their college experiences. Having mobility around the university has allowed a great understanding of the different processes on campus for staff and students alike. Common App, GradesFirst, Blackboard Learn, and Canvas are all platforms and applications that have been prevalent departments that I have been a part of. The thing that is a lot of times overlooked when speaking about mobile applications in the education industry would be the convenience of communication. We have learned in class the significance of social media and other communication platforms to the college demographic, but many articles fail to correlate the importance of instant communication. In my current position I am the coordinator of the Urban Male Initiative program under the Office of First-Generation Student Success. The largest part of the program’s existence is to provide resources to students. During module one we were tasked with reading portions of “Mobile Developers Guide to the Galaxy” and it talked about the most important reason that so many applications fail. It asks the question “how does your product fit into people’s lives”. Understanding this question about the UMI program influenced a decision to move the program to completely on Canvas instead using the typical student affair platform OwlCentral. Mobile applications cannot supplement the education of our students if they are not using the application.
People are not downloading new mobile applications, and it is prevalent across all industries. Understanding the apps that are used the most or enjoyed the most is key to truly meeting them halfway and optimizing the resources. Initially Canvas was not created to be a mobile application, but it was created to have many of the same values as a system. Those values make seamless transitions into becoming a mobile application and for universities to use the platform past the original purpose as classroom support. For many programs such as UMI, canvas is used as a centralized location to access all aspects of a student’s college experience. For example, the Career Center at FAU provides a lot of career development services that many students aren’t aware of, but canvas has allowed them to change that. The department has created modules that are easily inserted to different courses to help students with career development without them ever visiting the office. Each module can be completed using the Canvas mobile application and it saves time for the students, instructors, and Career Center.
Making Recruiting Look Easy
The Common Application has a very similar effect for students looking to enter college. This platform in a sense, dumbs down the application process for students and uninformed parents, and streamlines the admission process for them and universities. Regardless if universities would want to pay to access the Common Application, it would be considered malpractice if they weren’t. The ability to draw applications in from students around the world without them having to physically find the universities specific application website is colossal to bringing more applications to the university, which equals money. Once students are admitted, the most confusing part of the process is the onboarding aspect. Filling out an application is simply that, filling out an application, but onboarding into a university is a separate beast. Florida Atlantic University, the mobile application used is OwlDone. OwlDone brings all the tedious onboarding processes all under one roof and streamlines the process for students to complete their immunization, orientation, security deposit, and other onboarding processes. The impact that the combination of the two applications provide is refreshing for students and professional staff. It allows the students to become more comfortable with the idea of attending the university and ultimately convinces them to “Choose FAU”.
The Future
Mobile applications have the potential to truly dismantle the current and traditional way of learning and teaching. Using mobile devices and applications to their full potential can surpass them being supplemental and make them vital parts of the industry. The university setting is usually the most innovative places of learning, but the infrastructure of the education system can honestly distract the growth of mobile applications in the classroom. Tenured professors are great for the occupation of educators, but not allows the best thing for creating innovation on a college campus. Professors are a lot of times hired for their research, not their ability to be great innovative instructors, and they can just about refuse to capitalize on the impact that mobile application can provide. Despite it all the future looks bright, and that is mostly because the upsurge of young professors that understand the importance of using updated technology to reach students.
Students are going to have to be more accountable as well. Due to their entire lives being on their mobile devices, it is often easy for them to be distracted while trying to use it. Students often use applications such as Quizlet for studying, but the future has to be more interactive in the beginning stages of the learning process. Mobile applications must find ways to constantly make its way into the classroom.
In other aspects of the education industry, mobile apps will continue to rise. Especially student engagement, to truly development students, universities must be willing to adapt with the demographic. Also, staff members are typically a bit younger than does that are faculty. The business of education is all about providing students a place that they are willing to call home for a four-to-six-year span, and the business of education must always use the technology that students find most productive. There is no coincidence that every department in the Division of Student Affairs at FAU has their own Instagram and Facebook accounts. Being relevant matters, and to make money in the industry of education mobile application use matters more and more each day.
Conclusion
Mobile Applications have taken over the industry of education, but how effective has it been? Understanding the demographic of college age students, and their mobile device and application habits is easily the first step to using mobile applications correctly. The education industry is also about the professionals that are forced administer the mobile applications to the students amongst themselves. Like all industries, education has many facets, and all of them are better streamlined. All services that a college campus provides have been in some way, shape, or form transitioned onto a mobile app to effectively be used by students, faculty, and staff. On most campuses the most influenced aspects by mobile applications are not the classroom. Student engagement, admissions, onboarding, payment, and other processes outside of academic affairs are truly embracing the use of mobile devices to amplify the experience of students on their respective college campus.
The industry has yet to master the usage of mobile applications in the classroom, but the different LMS systems are helping the transition a lot. The LMS systems have created a healthy platform for file sharing and communication, but the portion that has not been capitalized is learning. Instructors are doing a great job with uploading material to supplement the conventional learning experience, but to truly reach all students there will have to be a new way of teaching. Mobile apps can create that new identity by allowing students to actively learn outside of the classroom. Students have yet to fully embrace the change as well. Even though students are normally actively on their mobile devices, many of them still see it as a distraction during lectures rather than a tool for class engagement. How can we maximize the effectiveness of education by using mobile apps?
References
- Andrew, O. (n.d.). The History and Evolution of the Smartphone: 1992-2018. Retrieved March 1, 2020, from https://www.textrequest.com/blog/history-evolution-smartphone/
- Balaz, A. (2019). From Idea to Prototype. In Don’t Panic Mobile Developer’s Guide To The Galaxy (18th ed., pp. 14–14). Oper Hutte: Open-Xchange.
- Comscore MMX® Multi-Platform & Mobile Metrix Web & App, Total Minutes, June 2019, U.S.
- Goldy-Brown, S. (2019, October 21). The Average Cost of College in 2018 – Student Debt Relief. Retrieved March 1, 2020, from https://www.studentdebtrelief.us/news/average-cost-of-college-2018/
- Joo, Y. J., Kim, N., & Kim, N. H. (2016). Factors predicting online university students’ use of a mobile learning management system (m-LMS). Educational Technology Research and Development, 64(4), 611–630. doi: 10.1007/s11423-016-9436-7
- Mican, D. (2019). Examining Adoption of Mobile Devices and Applications among College Students in Romania. Journal of Applied Computer Science & Mathematics, 13(2), 19–24. doi: 10.4316/jacsm.201902003
- Nuanmeesri, S. (2019). Extended Study of Undergraduate Students’ Usage of Mobile Application for Individual Differentiation Learning Support of Lecture-based General Education Subjects. International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies (IJIM), 13(09), 99. doi: 10.3991/ijim.v13i09.10558
- Sharma, A. (2017, September 19). Discovering Learning Management Systems: Basic Functions And Benefits. Retrieved March 1, 2020, from https://elearningindustry.com/discovering-learning-management-systems-basic-functions-benefits
(*) This blog post initially appeared as an essay for one of my courses at Florida Atlantic University. It is being shared here as a guest blog post with the author’s consent.
All views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect my opinion or the official policy or position of any agency, organization, or company.
Featured image: photo by Marvin Meyer on Unsplash