20101002 - McCombs, Mobile Learning...preferences & perceptions..Podcasting

Mobile learning: An analysis of student preferences and perceptions surrounding podcasting by McCombs, Shawn William, Ed.D., University of Houston, 2010 , 104 pages; AAT 3411306 My Interest: 1) Mobile learning. 2) Podcast. 3) Podcasting = MLearn content delivery. 4) Efficacy of podcasting. 5) Factor analysis. Action: To read the Dissertation in future. Motivation Today's learner arrives on our campuses with certain expectations, among them are technology innovation and availability, and the use of modern and efficient technology solutions to communicate and coexist. Meanwhile, institutions of higher learning across the country struggle with increased operating costs, decreasing legislative funding, and diminished returns on endowments. The need for innovative instructional delivery methods has become fodder for discussions in boardrooms everywhere as administrators struggle with identifying appropriate speed of adoption and allotment of resources. Mobile Learning, also known as M-Learning, is an exciting and emergent curriculum delivery method that is growing increasingly popular in many learning environments. M-Learning is dynamic and allows both educators and students the opportunity to leverage a variety of technologies, such as podcasting, in the course of academic content delivery and consumption. One major challenge for MLearning is the inability to consistently satisfy the overriding anytime anywhere definition because of the lack of Internet connectivity as a constant in the time continuum. This is, perhaps, one reason that podcasting is both unique and popular as a channel of curriculum delivery in a mobile learning environment. Podcasting is an instructional technology successfully used in M-Learning initiatives because its ease of use, and because it satisfies the underlying dynamic Mobile Learning definition. Research Goal A study was conducted to examine the influence of podcasting as a mobile learning curriculum delivery channel on student learning outcomes. Methodology A cross-sectional non-experimental research design was used to collect data and to test the influence of a set of attitudes and perceptions related to podcasting on student mobile learning. The data were collected through an electronic survey to students enrolled in both traditional and nontraditional sections of an Information & Communication Technologies undergraduate course. Research Questions Research questions for this study: RQ 1 : What attitudinal and perceptual domains (dimensions) underline podcasting as a latent construct? RQ 2 : What impact do those dimensions have on student mobile learning? Methodology The sample was comprised of 1,345 students representing a population of 1,509 undergraduate students enrolled in an upper- division course. The course was delivered in multiple formats: traditional lecture, online, and a hybrid (50% traditional, 50% online). The majority of participants were between 20 and 25 years old (72.3%). More females (61%) participated in the study than did their male counterparts (39%). Results Discussion The results of the factor analysis revealed a total of five statistically significant latent constructs underlying the items in the survey instrument. These constructs include * Efficacy of Podcasting, * Podcasting Preferences and Perceptions, * Podcasting Attitudes and Behaviors, * Podcasting Flexible Mobility, and * Podcasting Frequency of Use. Hierarchical regression analysis was used to test the explanatory power of variables identified through factor analysis on student learning outcomes. Results of the multivariate analysis revealed no significant variance explained by any of the variables entered into the regression equations. Conclusion Given the strong interest and universal, innovative nature of podcasting use in today's traditional and non-traditional learning environments, understanding student preferences and perceptions surrounding the use of this ubiquitous medium can ultimately help educators create better learning materials and experiences for students. I. INTRODUCTION 1 Overview of the Study and Research Problem 1 Podcasting as an Emergent Mobile Learning Format 3 A Problem Worth Studying 5 Population, Data, and Research Questions 7 Defining the Problem 8 Purpose of the Study 8 Organization of the Dissertation 9 II. REVIEW OF LITERATURE 10 Defining Mobile Learning 10 The Dynamic Mobile Learning Environment 14 Technology Change 15 Social Change 18 Lifestyle Change 22 M-Learning in Curriculum Delivery 24 M-Learning in Practice 26 M-Learning, Media, and Learning Outcomes 27 The Literature and the Latent Constructs to be Studied 29 Latent Construct Overview 29 Mobile Learning Frequency of Use 29 Mobile Learning Attitudes and Behaviors 30 Flexible Mobility and Mobile Learning 30 Efficacy of Podcasting in Mobile Learning 31 Perceptions and Preferences with Mobile Learning 31 M-Learners as Information Seekers 31 Research Problem, Question, and Technical Background 32 Chapter Summary 33 III. METHODOLOGY 34 Research Design and Sample 34 Procedures 35 Instrumentation, Items, and Variables Being Studied 35 Overview of Data Collection and Data Reduction 35 Frequency of Academic Podcast Use 36 Attitudes and Behaviors Toward Academic Podcasting 36 Flexible Mobility and Dynamic Learning 37 Efficacy of Podcast Use in Curriculum Delivery 37 Student Perceptions and Preferences of Academic Podcasting.. 38 Data Analysis 39 Chapter Summary 40 IV. RESULTS 42 Profile of Students in the Sample 42 Factor Analysis 49 Multiple Regression 55 Chapter Summary 56