Purpose The purpose of this study is to evaluate the use and effectiveness of a bespoke mobile learning resource, Pocket Tutor. This resource responds to a number of teaching and learning challenges within the tertiary education context. These include those related to the number and type of learning activities that can be offered, class pacing, subject-specific content considerations and the availability and quality of off-the-shelf learning resources. Educators have to potentially contend with all of these amidst mounting institutional constraints and external pressures. Yet, a supplemental, from-scratch online learning resource can help mitigate some of these challenges. Design/methodology/approach This study presents the successes and challenges of introducing a mobile learning resource, Pocket Tutor, to bolster autonomous learning in a supported university learning environment. Pocket Tutor was designed and developed in 2019 and integrated in 2020 and 2021 into a multimedia design class offered at a large university in the Asia-Pacific. The resource’s effectiveness is measured against common technology acceptance factors – including self-efficacy, enthusiasm and enjoyment in relation to contextual purpose and class learning outcomes – through a multi-pronged approach consisting of a class-wide survey, developed specifically for this purpose and analysis of usage data. Deeper context was also provided through a small pool of follow-up interviews. Findings Evidence from this study’s data suggests that a bespoke, mobile-learning resource can provide greater consistency, more relevance, more flexibility for when and where students learn and more efficiency with limited opportunities for synchronous interaction. At the same time, a bespoke mobile-learning resource represents a significant investment of skill and time to develop and maintain. Originality/value This study responds to calls from scholars who argue that more research (especially that is qualitative and discipline-specific) is needed to investigate students’ willingness to use learning apps on their mobile devices. This study pairs such research about student willingness with actual usage data and student reflections to more concretely address the role of mobile learning resources in higher education contexts. This study also, importantly, does not just assess perceptions and attitudes about mobile learning resources in the abstract but assesses attitudes and usage patterns for specific generic and bespoke mobile learning resources available for students in a specific university class (thereby providing discipline-specific insights). This study also provides a unique contribution by including multiple years of data and, thus, offers a longitudinal view on how mobile-learning resources are perceived and used in a particular higher education context.

In a higher education environment massively disrupted by the pandemic, the importance of exploring the efficacy of purposeful, flexible, online learning is essential. Research shows that blended approaches to learning can be active, flexible, and student-centred. However, this research suggests that without human intervention or a bespoke context, there can also be very poor engagement. As such, this study presents the successes and challenges of introducing a personalised mobile-learning resource in a supported, personalized environment. The resource was designed and developed in 2019 and integrated in 2020 and 2021 into a large (n=200+) communication design class at an Australian university. This paper evaluates the effectiveness of the app using measures drawn from Abdullah & Ward’s (2016) take on the Technology Acceptance Model. Their model, GETAMEL (general extended technology acceptance model for e-learning) measures technology acceptance factors in eLearning such as enthusiasm, self-efficacy, and student enjoyment of technology in relation to contextual purpose. This paper also considers the value of self-directed learning and co-curricular activities in the context of additional learning to support core curriculum. This paper presents an evaluation of student experience drawn from a class-wide survey and analysis of usage data. We conclude that the use of a personalised app fosters an autonomously supportive experience that leads to intrinsic motivation and improves overall learning (Baker & Goodboy, 2018). The app provides additional support for students unable to attend tutorials and enabled students to remain engaged and abreast of the general topics each week and provided some additional prompts about self-directed learning activities they could engage in, that they wouldn’t have otherwise had. Enjoyment, as one of the key factors of the GETAMEL model, was explicitly mentioned by students.  While a personalised tool is labour intensive and expensive in cost and time, this study concludes that the rewards regarding student experience make it worthwhile.