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The study focused on the application of the design science research approach in the course of developing a mobile learning application, MobileEdu, for computing education in the Nigerian higher education context. MobileEdu facilitates the learning of computer science courses on mobile devices. The application supports ubiquitous, collaborative, and social aspects of learning among higher education students. Moreover, the application eases access to learning resources. The paper first describes analysis, design, and implementation activities related to the development of MobileEdu. Also, the paper deliberated on the characteristics and scope of the adherence of MobileEdu to the traits and ideas of design science research. To evaluate MobileEdu in a real-life learning setting, experiment was conducted with 142 third-year undergraduate students in a Nigerian university. Besides the learning achievement of the students using MobileEdu, the study examined the impact of MobileEdu on students' attitudes toward studying in a system analysis and design course. Experimental data were collected from pre-and post quizzes, interviews, and a questionnaire administered to students. The results of the evaluation are encouraging and showed that the MobileEdu application has a potential to improve students' learning achievements. In addition, the pedagogical experiences of students were mostly positive and students' attitudes toward the system analysis and design course through MobileEdu was better than those of students who studied the course via traditional methods. Finally, the study offered suggestions for how to implement effectively a mobile learning-supported course in computing curriculum.

This study examines the research landscape of smart learning environments by conducting a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the field over the years. The study focused on the research trends, scholar’s productivity, and thematic focus of scientific publications in the field of smart learning environments. A total of 1081 data consisting of peer-reviewed articles were retrieved from the Scopus database. A bibliometric approach was applied to analyse the data for a comprehensive overview of the trend, thematic focus, and scientific production in the field of smart learning environments. The result from this bibliometric analysis indicates that the first paper on smart learning environments was published in 2002; implying the beginning of the field. Among other sources, “Computers & Education,” “Smart Learning Environments,” and “Computers in Human Behaviour” are the most relevant outlets publishing articles associated with smart learning environments. The work of Kinshuk et al., published in 2016, stands out as the most cited work among the analysed documents. The United States has the highest number of scientific productions and remained the most relevant country in the smart learning environment field. Besides, the results also showed names of prolific scholars and most relevant institutions in the field. Keywords such as “learning analytics,” “adaptive learning,” “personalized learning,” “blockchain,” and “deep learning” remain the trending keywords. Furthermore, thematic analysis shows that “digital storytelling” and its associated components such as “virtual reality,” “critical thinking,” and “serious games” are the emerging themes of the smart learning environments but need to be further developed to establish more ties with “smart learning”. The study provides useful contribution to the field by clearly presenting a comprehensive overview and research hotspots, thematic focus, and future direction of the field. These findings can guide scholars, especially the young ones in field of smart learning environments in defining their research focus and what aspect of smart leaning can be explored.

Abstract—Mobile learning (m-learning) is the study and practice of using mobile devices, such as smart phones, mobile phones, tablets, PDAs, MP3s and pocket PCs in order to support learning for anyone, anytime and anywhere. M-learning has become paramount for developing countries such as Nigeria, as many of these countries have the required infrastructure and a rapidly increasing amount of mobile device users. In addition, the mobile devices are able to support a variety of learning activities and students are also ready to use the devices for learning. In this article, we have enumerated the possibilities and challenges of implementing m-learning in developing countries, specifically in Nigeria, and identified potential m-learning solutions to support learning of ICT in Nigeria. We administrated a questionnaire in order to find out primary school students readiness in Nigeria to adopt m-learning, their preferences to use specific features of m-learning devices in learning situations, as well as their opinions regarding the suitability of m-learning for ICT-related subjects. We also propose a cloud-based m-learning model for learning ICT topics in Nigeria.