Developing a typology of mobile apps in Higher Education: A national case-study

Abstract

Mobile applications (apps) are used in higher education (HE) in a variety of ways, including as learning tools, study organisers, for marketing, and recruitment of new students. Purposed with easing student transition into university life, organiser apps have a capacity to assist students with various aspects of university experience, freeing up time and energy for study, while apps used as learning tools can help students solidify the content of lectures, self-test their knowledge of the subject, and collaborate with peers. Despite the proliferation of HE apps, there is still no systematic understanding of this field, with a number of important questions remaining unanswered, such as what types of apps are most commonly found in HE, what their complex uses are, and how their affordances and functionalities are deployed by universities and students. This study addresses this gap. After analysing 177 apps affiliated with Australian universities, a typology of HE apps is proposed. Study management and navigation apps emerge as the most common types of apps offered to students, with augmented and/or virtual reality apps forming another key category. New insights are offered pertaining to the complex terrain of HE mobile apps, and problematic areas arising from this research, such as safety, student support, privacy, and equity, are discussed.

Helping doctoral students crack the publication code: An evaluation and content analysis of the Australasian Journal of Educational Technology

“…• Student engagement with and preference for multi-purpose or sole-purpose higher education apps (e.g., Pechenkina, 2017).…”

Using a gamified mobile app to increase student engagement, retention and academic achievement

“…Mobile applications (apps) used as learning and teaching tools are not uncommon in Higher Education (HE) (Pechenkina, 2017). However, what makes an educational mobile app effective is a subject of ongoing interest to academics, lecturers, learning designers and other stakeholders invested in education (Hirsh-Pasek et al, 2015).…”

Uso de una aplicación como apoyo al aprendizaje de arreglos de la asignatura Lógica para computación de la Universidad Estatal a Distancia

“…Asimismo, como un porcentaje alto de la población utiliza líneas pospago y por ocho horas al día y; por el contrario, el resto de la población tiene línea prepago y la utiliza menos de una hora al día; es esencial tomar en cuenta este detalle en el diseño de la aplicación móvil, de manera que la población con menos acceso a internet no vaya a ser afectada. Sin embargo, un estudio realizado por Pechenkina (2017), indica que una de las expectativas del estudiantado es tener este tipo de aplicaciones dentro del material a estudiar en sus asignaturas, por lo que la universidad está en obligación de ir de la mano con estas tecnologías emergentes y satisfacer las necesidades, sin dejar de lado las limitaciones que cada población pueda tener.…”