Elsevier

Computers & Education

Volume 81, February 2015, Pages 202-210
Computers & Education

From deconstructive misalignment to constructive alignment: Exploring student uses of mobile technologies in university classrooms

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2014.10.014Get rights and content

Highlights

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    Students actively distract themselves through ICT use at university.

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    Different student groups use ICTs during classes for different reasons.

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    Students understand that non-course related ICT use during class is distracting.

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    Students use ICTs in positive ways to access course related materials.

Abstract

Becoming increasingly ubiquitous for students are the various uses of information and communication technologies (ICTs) within their wireless and networked learning environments. Many students use ICTs during lectures or tutorials for tasks unrelated to class learning activities, thus providing a potential misalignment with the intended learning outcomes. A sample of undergraduate and postgraduate psychology and business students were surveyed to determine their frequency of mobile ICT use in the classroom and the students' motivations and rationale for undertaking those activities unrelated to classroom learning. The survey contained quantitative items (categorical and Likert scale response items) and qualitative items requiring responses to open ended questions. Students indicated that using ICTs in ways misaligned with lesson learning outcomes, was related to the course content delivery mode, the promotion of passive or active learning, being domestic or international students, learner maturity, and the need for supporting course information. Understanding how and why students use mobile ICTs in classes can inform the redesign of classroom activities, to actively involve those technologies to assist in constructive alignment with the learning outcomes and enhance the student learning experience.

Section snippets

Introduction and background

Students' and teachers' experiences of classroom learning and teaching interactions are now commonly immersed in the unseen informal environments of wireless networks and social networking sites. The use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) such as Internet capable smart phones, laptops, tablets and netbooks, and non-smart mobile phones, provides a variety of potential interconnected interactions within academic environments. The extent to which these interactions occur within

Educational context

The students participating in this research were enrolled in three different courses (subjects) from two degree programs of study at an Australian university. Courses were each delivered in the same format of a two hour lecture and a one hour tutorial each week. In lectures, applied and theoretical course content was presented by a lecturer/teacher in a traditional delivery format from a lectern and/or computer console panel in a lecture theatre, often with an overhead PowerPoint presentation.

Subjects

Participants were sixty-three University students (49 females and 14 males) aged between 17 and 48 years (M = 25.40, SD = 6.59). Psychology students comprised 41.3% of the sample with 58.7% of students from the Business Faculty. Of the total number of participants, 52.4% were domestic students and 47.6% were international students. Students were enrolled in undergraduate 42.9% and postgraduate degrees 57.1%. This sample was deliberately heterogeneous in nature so as to provide a wider scope of

Quantitative data: descriptive statistics

Over half the students (58.7%) used a Smartphone and most (80.7%) also used some type of computer or tablet or pad device while on campus. A small proportion used some other Internet capable device and less than 5% indicated they did not have an Internet capable device while at University. Most students indicated that they used these devices during lectures (Do you use these devices during lectures? Yes = 69.4%, No = 25.8% and Do not have one at University 4.8%). For most participants who

Discussion and conclusion

It is worth noting that this study was not designed to critique the varying perspectives on learning and teaching uses of ICTs. Rather it was undertaken to investigate how students independently used ICTs within their learning environments. As such it identified a varied and substantial use of ICTs, through the associated devices and networks used by students. While this was not surprising, the degree to which students used such devices during lectures and tutorials, for purposes other than

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