Mobile Distance Learning with Smartphones and Apps in Higher Education.

AbstractIn this paper, the results of researcher' ongoing activities regarding the use of smartphones and a specific subject-app used at the Spanish National University of Distance Education (UNED) have been reported. The purpose of this trial is to assess the app's didactic use and potential to enhance student learning in university subjects in ubiquitous environments and developing generic competencies according to the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). To this end, a scale has been developed and validated to identify these factors based on the participation of 388 students from the class "Curriculum design and innovation" within the "University Degree in Pedagogy" program. This study has been developed through two perspectives; the first being through a descriptive methodology in which the current researcher has detailed the creation process of an app. The second perspective being through a quantitative methodology in which students' perceptions regarding the capabilities of smartphones and apps for improving learning processes in university subjects were assessed. The conclusions indicate that the use of apps developed specifically for following university subjects is highly valued by students as a new format which both supports and enhances learning practices while also providing not only further opportunities to establish connections and relations with their subjects, but also fostering collaborative work among students and professors. Therefore, it is recommended that universities continue developing new didactic strategies to connect both formal-informal and face-to-face ubiquitous learning settings.KeywordsApps, Distance Education, Generic Competencies, Higher Education, mLearning, Smartphones.Smartphones and other mobile digital devices, such as tablets, can be surprisingly useful didactic resources for developing subjects in both distance and face-to-face university studies. They may, moreover, be used as an instrument conducive to educational and personal interaction, fostering relationships between students and their professors (Bedall-Hill, 2010; Chayko, 2008; Franklin, 2011; Johnson, Adams Beker, Estrada, & Freeman, 2014; Oulasvirta, Wahlstrom, & Ericsson, 2011; UNESCO, 2013). Both traditional and new ways of teaching based on Learning Management Systems (LMS) and educational platforms developed by universities can be enhanced by the use of personalized apps which can be used in a collaborative way to develop curricular content. They may also be used to improve new ways of developing generic and specific competencies of university degrees within the framework of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). Nowadays, students experience digital environments in a very tactile and personal way through a wide variety of mobile devices (i.e., smartphones and tablets) whose uses can be converted into collaborative learning practices. Smartphones are increasingly becoming ever- present, penetrating and transforming everyday social practices and space. These practices can be complemented with text documents in different formats, audiovisual contents with mini-videos, microblogging applications, and social networks (Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, etc.). Smartphones are no longer only a tool for communication, but in many cases have become an instrument of people's social and work life, and possibly, a powerful instrument in academic life. Therefore, middle and higher education in developed and developing countries are now trying to adopt the use of smartphones in the learning process from different perspectives and teaching methods (Johnson et al., 2014; UNESCO, 2013). Looking at the wider context of mobile learning, mobile devices are responsible for new forms of art, employment, language, commerce, and learning. Nowadays, there is no separation between real and digital life: staying in online contact with friends and colleagues, working virtually on international projects, writing an online text, or researching recommendations for interesting locations nearby; digital communication enriches the real world (Eteokleous & Ktoridou, 2009; Norris, Hossain, & Soloway, 2011). …