An observational study of undergraduate students’ adoption of (mobile) note-taking software

Abstract

Mobile learning is increasing in popularity, but not all university students have mobile devices to support it. Our study investigated cross-platform software that has the potential to allow education practitioners to provide mobile support to their students’ learning, while offering similar functionality to non-mobile users via more traditional computing platforms. Undergraduate students were trained in the use of multi-platform cloud-based note-taking software (Evernote), and used the software in independent study for 8 weeks. Data show adoption for a range of functions, particularly gathering and managing information, organisation and planning, and the recording of ideas. Multimedia functions were also adopted innovatively by some students. Use for reflection was rare. Non-adopters were in a minority, giving low utility appraisals and difficulty in changing habits as reasons. Subjective evaluations and recommendations showed that a majority of students felt positive about the software and found it quick and easy to use. Mobile and non-mobile users only differed on the number of locations in which they used the software, and the proportion of notes classified as ideas, both being higher in mobile users. The data provide decision support for education practitioners who wish to provide mobile learning to their students alongside traditional platforms.

Introduction

Ownership of mobile communication and information technology is increasing rapidly, and mobile technology is becoming ever more sophisticated. Many people use mobile devices, such as smartphones, to support their personal and professional functioning. Mobile devices can also be valuable in higher education. Evidence suggests that mobile devices can influence how information is gathered and used in education (Johnson et al., 2010, Martin et al., 2011). They can also facilitate time management, access to content, communication (see Corlett et al., 2005, Motiwalla, 2007) collaboration and reflection-in-action (Aubusson et al., 2009, Hsieh et al., 2011) and enhance engagement with learning both at traditional study locations and in external practice (Chao and Chen, 2009, Martin et al., 2011). Given their increasing computational power, and their potential ubiquitous use, mobile technologies are predicted to play an increasing role in education (Johnson et al., 2010, Martin et al., 2011).

In practice, embedding mobile technology into learning and teaching settings is not necessarily straightforward. Not all students own mobile devices that support mobile learning (Smith & Caruso, 2010). While it is possible to circumvent this problem during research projects, by lending students equipment (e.g. Corlett et al., 2005, Sandberg et al., 2011), such a solution cannot always be applied in actual education settings, particularly due to cost restrictions (Fallon, 2002). Thus, the lessons from such trials do not always translate readily into practice. Moreover, mobile learning is not universally accepted, with some users displaying a lack of engagement or a dislike (Liu et al., 2010, Smith and Caruso, 2010). Further, some trials have tested the use of tailor-made mobile applications (de-Marcos et al., 2010, Sandberg et al., 2011), but not all institutions have the funds to commission tailor-made applications for different learning settings (Fallon, 2002). Taken together, these three constraints make it desirable to use technology which enables mobile learning on hardware that students already own, but which also caters for learners who prefer traditional computing platforms, and which utilises relatively generic software which can be tailored to different learning tasks. Therefore, our aim was to explore a way for education practitioners to be able to offer mobile learning to students, alongside learning in other forms, by using multi-purpose software that ran on multiple platforms.

In our study we aimed to optimise the generalizability of our findings, by using generic independent study behaviour as a test-bed. Independent study behaviour (also referred to as private study, guided study, or directed study) includes reading, note-taking, information seeking, assessment writing, planning, organising, problem solving and reflection. On many higher education courses, independent study accounts for an equal or larger proportion of the students’ time than time spent in class (Bekhradnia, 2009), and we therefore tapped into a common behaviour. If evidence emerged that students adopt the software for a range of study behaviours by free choice, it would provide strong evidence that it would be suitable for adoption in more structured settings (e.g. within a course). This is in contrast to a potential alternative test model in which students would use software within a course, or for a specific purpose. Findings from such a potential study would not necessarily generalise beyond the context in which the software was used. Moreover, it could be difficult to know whether observed use was due to a perceived “compulsion”, or actual preference. A further advantage of using independent study as a test-bed is that we were able to study software use across a range of disciplines, further maximising the generalizability of the findings.

Based on the criteria outlined above we searched for note-taking software that was available on as many platforms as possible, could support independent study, and that could be used for a multitude of purposes. After surveying note-taking packages that had mobile and non-mobile versions, we identified one package as having the greatest functionality, highest number of media formats, and greatest availability via multiple platforms, alongside free availability for individual users. This software was Evernote (Evernote.com a).

Evernote is a cloud-based note taking system, which allows for the storage and retrieval of text notes, voice notes, photo notes, and ink notes. It also enables web clipping, i.e. the capture of complete or partial web pages as notes by a single mouse click. It also allows users to create “to-do” items, which can be checked off as finished when completed. It has the function to search for various features, and includes character recognition (finding, for example, text in images). Evernote runs via desktop clients on Windows-based PCs and Macintosh computers, and as apps on a range of smart phones (iPhone, some BlackBerry models, Android, Palm Pre, Palm Pixi, Windows Mobile, some Nokia models), and via other mobile devices, namely iPad and iPod Touch. It also runs via a web interface, with a version optimised for larger PC screens, and one for smaller mobile screens. It operates free and premium services, with premium users, at the time of our trial, being able to store a wider range of file formats, and having a larger monthly storage allocation. Note that the file format restriction on non-premium users has since been lifted. In June 2011, Evernote had 10,026,431 users, of which 4.2% were premium users (Libin, 2011). Evernote can be used by students on any suitable devices that they might own or have access to.

To establish viability of offering the software to students using their own devices at our institution, we gathered ownership data via a larger induction questionnaire given out to all newly arriving first-year students in September 2010 (N = 1539). This revealed that at intake, 99.7% of the sample owned a mobile phone, 78% owned a mobile phone with internet facilities, and 47.6% owned a smart phone, mostly of types that supported our chosen software. In addition, 83.1% owned a laptop computer, 7.5% a netbook, and 14.1% an iPod Touch. Ownership of an iPad was rare at the time of polling, at 0.7%. Thus, a relatively high proportion of the students in the sample had access to mobile devices that enabled them to use the software in its mobile version, ensuring viability of our study and contributing to the utility of its findings. Our figures are similar to those of Smith and Caruso (2010), which suggests that our sample may be representative of similar populations.

Our primary research question was whether students, following appropriate training, would adopt electronic note-taking in their independent study behaviour, and if so for what purposes. We aimed to record actual objective use during an observation period of 8 weeks, alongside subjective evaluations of the software, and illustrations and reports of usage. We were particularly interested in evidence of adoption for academic purposes.

An important focus of our research was to compare mobile with non-mobile users. Because ownership of internet-enabled mobile devices is not universal, it is important to establish whether the software in question is adopted as readily and perceived in the same way by non-mobile users as it is by mobile users. If not, then practitioners may feel hesitant to introduce it, because it might disadvantage those who do not own mobile devices.

A further, subsidiary, aim of our study was to explore to what extent electronic note-taking software was adopted to support reflection or reflection-in-action (Aubusson et al., 2009, Boud et al., 1985). We chose to examine this separately because reflection is an increasingly important part of the higher education experience. Further, our institution offers a range of vocational courses (e.g. teaching, nursing, midwifery, etc.), in which students produce assessed reflective writing in which they integrate experiences gained during professional placements with theory, while reflection is also used in other courses to develop subject-related skills (e.g. dance, drama, sport science, etc.). Reflection is used in a variety of further contexts including medical training (e.g. Wald, Davis, Reis, Monroe, & Borkan, 2009) and law (e.g. Hinett, 2002). We believed that the software had the potential to support this function due to its ubiquitous availability, and we aimed to observe students’ use of the software for this specific function. Finally, as a by-product of our main research questions, our research also tested student use of cloud computing, forecast to play an increasing role in the future (e.g. Hammond, Hawtin, Gillam, & Oppenheim, 2010).

The objective of our study was to provide “decision support” (Hammond et al., 2010) to practitioners who may consider adopting cloud-based cross-platform note-taking software in their education programmes for a range of functions, and for whom empirical data would facilitate their decision-making process.