Faculty Research Theme (FRT): Mobile Learning

Convenor: Dr D Churchill

Project: Educational Applications of TouchPad Technology in Higher Education in Hong Kong: Explorative Case Studies of University Teachers' Adoption of iPads (GRF)

Investigators: Dr D Churchill  Dr B Fox

The research is following ten teachers from key disciplines at a Hong Kong university using iPad devices in their teaching over a period of one year. The study oucomes will contribute to theoretical understanding of higher education teacher changes through adoption of technology. Furthermore, the study will deliver a set of recommendations for applications of TouchPad technology in higher education and ways to support teachers to effectively adopt such technology in their practics.

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Project: A Study of Affordances of Social Networking and Mobile Learning Environment:A Case of a Postgraduate Class at a University in Hong Kong

Investigators: Dr D Churchill  Dr J Lu

This study is designed to explore how postgraduate students engage with affordances of social networking learning environment and how these affordances, more specifically, benefit their learning when used via mobile technology. The study will build upon existing work on social networking in education and affordances of mobile learning technology.The study is expected to produce interesting patterns to inform potentially useful applications of social networking technology in postgraduate education. A set of recommendations will be developed for teachers how to design their courses and use mobile and social networking to support student learning. In addition, the study is expected to further understanding and deliver a model of social networking learning environment supported by mobile technology, and how such combination develops students’ learning skills from theoretical perspective. The study is expected to open further areas for research, and the overreaching objective is inform development of larger GRF funded study in near future.