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Handbook of Mobile Teaching and Learning

DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-41981-2_27-1
# Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015

Implementation of Mobile Teaching and Learning in University Education


in Nigeria: Issues and Challenges
D. J. Kayode*, A. T. Alabi, A. O. Sofoluwe and R. O. Oduwaiye
Department of Educational Management, Faculty of Education, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria

Abstract
The issue of access to university education due to low capacity of the universities to accommodate the
qualified students into the university system has become a great concern for parents and the governments.
The introduction of mobile learning will be a welcome development to reduce poor student access to the
university. However, there are issues and challenges that are likely to create a barrier toward a successful
implementation of mobile learning in universities in Nigeria. This paper therefore explains the concept of
mobile teaching and learning, features and benefits of mobile learning in the university system as well as
the issues and challenges toward a successful implementation of mobile teaching and learning in
universities in Nigeria. Some recommendations were suggested on how such issues and challenges can
be addressed which include the training of both the students and the academic staffs on the benefits of
some of the networking like LinkedIn, Facebook, etc., to enhance teaching and learning in higher
education.

1 Introduction
As the world has become a global village because of the technological advancement in the world and
Nigeria in particular (Alabi, 2008; Kayode & Ojo, 2011, mobile teaching and learning (m-learning) in
recent years has become a valuable and real contribution to learning environment rather than what it used
to be in previous years as a theory, academic exploration, and technological idea (Alzaza and Yaakub
2011). Mobile technology according to Premadasa and Meegama (2013) has become an imperative
technology that landed recently upon the arena of emerging educational technologies in the global
academic sphere (p. 106). Some scholarly observers of educational trends expect mobile learning to be
the next significant innovation in higher education (Alexander 2004; Wagner 2005). Therefore, the role of
the lecturers and the students are considered as a fundamental element in the learning situation.
Even though mobile learning has advanced from testing stage to a new educational trend widely being
used by countries like Britain, Denmark, Japan, and the USA (Osang et al. 2013), mobile learning is still
very new and has not being fully implemented in most of the higher institutions in Nigeria. In a review of
the literature on mobile learning as stressed by Croop (2008), the exact origin of mobile learning could not
be pinpointed. However, according to Keegan (2000), the first extensive use of mobile learning as a label
for learning through the use of mobile devices surfaced in several pan-European mobile learning projects
that started in the late 1990s and the early 2000s.
According to Osang et al. (2013), the University of Ibadan in partnership with Education Advancement
Centre has also implemented it for the senior secondary students preparing for Joint Admission and

*Email: kayodedj@unilorin.edu.ng
*Email: davetol@yahoo.com

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Handbook of Mobile Teaching and Learning
DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-41981-2_27-1
# Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015

Matriculation Board (JAMB UTME) in order to guarantee outstanding result in their exams. However, the
University of Ilorin which is one of the federal universities in Nigeria in an effort to implement mobile
teaching and learning has provided tablet PCs to over 7,000 students matriculated for 2013/2014
academic session. It therefore becomes pertinent to discuss how mobile teaching and learning can be
successfully implemented as many schools, both private and public, are working toward mobile teaching
and learning in their various schools.
The current young generation is growing up in a world dominated by communication with others and
access to information through the use of cell phones and other mobile devices (Croop 2008). Conversing
on the fly, text messaging, accessing media and information uninterrupted anywhere, and viewing text and
other media on a small screen may be affecting the manner in which young students prefer, and possibly
will need, to study and learn. Therefore, this paper discussed the issues and challenges in the implemen-
tation of mobile learning in higher education in Nigeria and how such challenges can be addressed.

2 What Is Mobile Learning?


Despite the fact that there is no single definition for mobile learning and Winters (2007) stressing that
mobile learning has not yet been defined (Croop 2008), many researchers have put forth proposed
definitions of the concept. Some of the authors who have suggested definitions have emphasized the
mobile technologies that make nomadic learning possible (Aderinoye et al. 2007), while other researchers
have chosen to focus on the experience of the learner in regard to the location and the type of learning
activity encountered in mobile learning (Balasundaram and Ramadoss 2007).
Mobile learning according to Alexander (2004) is often abbreviated as m-learning or mLearning. It is a
concept that has “different meanings for different communities that refer to a subset of E-learning
educational technology and distance education that focuses on learning across contexts as well as learning
with mobile devices” (Mehdipour and Zerehkafi 2013, p. 93). It is a concept with different names which
include m-learning (Alexander 2004), u-learning (Alexander 2004), personalized learning (Crompton
2013), learning while mobile, ubiquitous learning (Clark and Flaherty 2002), anytime/anywhere learning
(Crescente and Lee 2011; Alzaza and Yaakub 2011), and handheld learning (Yusri and Godwin 2013;
Mehdipour and Zerehkafi 2013).
Ozdamli and Cavus (2011) defined mobile learning as a mode of learning that allows learners to obtain
learning materials anytime and anywhere using all sort of wireless handheld devices which include mobile
phones, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless laptop, personal computer (PC), and tablets. Also,
Cobcroft, Towers, Smith, and Bruns (2006) defined mobile learning as the type of learning that provides
opportunity for learners using mobile devices to access learning resources anytime and anywhere.
As argued by Mehdipour and Zerehkafi (2013), mobile learning is not just a mere conjunction of
“mobile” and “learning” but has always absolutely meant “mobile E-learning” (p. 93). However, its
history and development have to be understood as both a continuation of “conventional” E-learning and a
reaction to this “conventional” E-learning inadequacies and limitations. In other words, it is the “mobile”
that makes it to stand apart from other types of learning. Mobile learning has been described as a
subdivision or subset of electronic learning (Peters 2007). Therefore, mobile learning focuses on the
mobility of the learners, interacting with portable technologies and learning that reflects a focus on how
society and its institutions can accommodate and support an increasingly mobile population.
According to MOBIlearn (2003), mobile learning is seen as any sort of learning that happens when the
learner is not at a fixed, predetermined location, or learning that happens when the learner takes advantage
of the learning opportunities offered by mobile technologies. This was further stressed by Aderinoye
et al. (2007) when he defined mobile learning as any learning carried out with the employment of a

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Handbook of Mobile Teaching and Learning
DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-41981-2_27-1
# Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015

wireless or mobile device. Fraga (2012) further defined mobile learning based on: facilitating technolo-
gies (Traxler 2007; Richardson 2006); location and type of activity (O’Mailey et al. 2003; Balasundaram
and Ramadoss 2007; Clark and Flaherty 2002) and in the context of research (Fraga 2012).

3 Mobile Learning Devices


In the study conducted by Georgieva et al. (2005), mobile learning system was classified into seven
components based on mobile devices and their capabilities which are: communication technology used,
access of services whether online or offline, communication between students and lecturers, information
which comprise learning materials and administrative information, the location of learners, and e-learning
standards whether supported or not (Rekkedal and Dye 2007).
According to Alzaza and Yaakub (2011), mobile learning features include WAP-based protocol;
anywhere and anytime accessibility; wireless network; mobile network connectivity (GSM, GPRS,
UMTS, or CDMA); mobile phone, smartphone, or PDA; and device size – very small screen size of a
mobile phone has maximum of 480  640 pixels, while the common PDA has 240  320 pixels (p. 96).
Riva and Villani (2005) enumerated specific devices for mobile learning which include cell phones,
PDAs, web-enabled cell phones, wirelessly network-connected PDAs, wirelessly network-connected
laptop computers, wirelessly network-connected tablet personal computers (tablet PCs), and the ultra-
mobile personal computer (UMPC). This list was expanded by Alexander (2004) in his definition of
mobile learning to include MP3 players or iPods, Bluetooth-enabled devices, handheld gaming devices,
digital cameras, wireless access points, USB drivers, and radio frequency identification (RFID) tags.
However, van’t Hooft coined the term highly mobile which further limited devices to ones operated
with one hand (Croop 2008) which if considered will eliminate laptops and most tablet PCs from the list of
devices considered as mobile learning devices or appliances. But, for the time being, the inclusion of
laptops and tablet PCs as mobile learning devices is predominant in the relevant literature.
As found in relevant literature according to Croop (2008), the usage of mobile device is illustrated in
Table 1.

4 Benefit of Mobile Learning in Higher Education


Access, context, collaboration, and appeal are considered to be the primary advantages of a mobile
learning environment (MLE) compared to any other traditional classroom-based learning methods
identified so far (Premadasa and Meegama 2013). However, to set up a reliable MLE, a number of
important factors, such as contents of the learning material, learner’s mental ability, learning environment,
space for the mobile learning, delivery method, technological aspects, and time for mobile learning, need
to be considered (Laouris and Eteokleous 2005). Lecturers are busy in numerous academic activities
which include preparing learning materials, assignments, quizzes, group discussions, and news forums to
organize a better learning environment (Premadasa and Meegama 2013). Therefore, supporting the
lecturers in their teaching activities is an indirect form of supporting a student’s learning ability
(Gaudioso et al. (2009). As stressed by Bartlett-Bragg (2013), mobile learning is all about the learners
experience and also about reframing traditional design and pedagogical frameworks to consider critical
elements like time and place, relevance, collaboration, user control, and personalization (p. 25).
According to Yusri and Goodwin (2013), mobile phones have more potential as a tool for mobile
learning than any other handheld devices because it is available to everyone, has a low-cost services, has
wide coverage of the mobile network, and is a familiar devices (Douch et al. 2010). According to

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Handbook of Mobile Teaching and Learning
DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-41981-2_27-1
# Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015

Table 1 Examples of mobile devices and its usage


Mobile devices Examples of mobile learning Source(s)
Cell phone Using cell phones to teach English in Japan requiring students to, Thornton and Houser (2005);
throughout a typical day, exchange text messages in English outside of Levy and Kennedy (2005)
class
PDA Employing PDAs to access PowerPoint and other course resources, Ramsden (2005)
participate in discussion boards, e-mail other students and the
instructor, and share work
SMS Relying upon SMS to pose questions to students and receive responses Balasundaram and Ramadoss
via cell phones in facilitating daily assessment of achieving learning (2007)
objectives
PDA Utilizing PDAs to run class organization software Sharpies et al. (2005)
Cell phone Using cell phones to teach literature though multimedia messaging, Shih and Mills (2007)
Web searching, mobile posting to blogs, and content-related gaming
Laptop, cell Distributing to students audio files that can be played on the learners’ Lee and Chan (2005)
phones, PDAs, portable media players to address false preconceptions and anxiety
related to an information technology class
Cell phones Facilitating the polling of students, assessing comprehension, and Fisher and Baird (2006)
fostering increased interactivity during a large business
communications class with the help of students’ mobile phones
Source: Croop (2008)

technology time’s newspaper, out of the 167 million Nigerians, 63.9 % of the population has access to
mobile phones. Mobile phones have been seen as a sensible choice for educational investment (Williams
2006), and it is perceived as beneficial for both the learners and instructors in developing nations because
of its cost-efficient method (Motlik 2008).
As stated by Croop (2008), the impact upon higher education of a global society that is becoming more
mobile can be seen in a 2005 survey of 1,600 randomly selected University of Wisconsin-Madison
students. The study reveals a quick abandoning of desktop computers in favor of laptops. This was also
revealed in the study conducted by eMarketer in 2006 according to Oblinger (2006) that over 80 % of
college students have cell phones, 56 % of college students own a laptop, and 75 % of college cell phone
owners use text messaging most often on their phones.
According to Premadasa and Meegama (2013), mobile learning technology has improved the learning
efficiency between the lecturers and the student as SMS has become one of the best communication
technologies that can be used to bond the two roles, the lecturers and the student, for distributing
information in the MLE. Therefore, the communication media as stressed by Rau et al. (2008) is an
essential factor in the mobile learning environment (MLE) to increase intrinsic motivation without
causing additional pressure in a demanding learning performance.
As highlighted by Attewell (2005), mobile devices can help improve literacy and numeracy skills,
encourage independent and collaborative learning experiences, identify areas where learners need
assistance and support, mitigate resistance using ICTs, engage reluctant learners, enable learners to
remain more focused for longer periods, and promote self-esteem and self-confidence (pp. 13–15). This
was supported by Crompton (2013) in her discussion about the benefit of mobile learning to the students
where she discusses five learning approaches using mobile devices; this is shown in Table 2.
According to Croop (2008), the impact upon higher education of a global society that is becoming more
mobile can be seen in a 2005 survey of 1,600 randomly selected University of Wisconsin-Madison
students. The study reveals a quick abandoning of desktop computers in favor of laptops. This was also
revealed in the study conducted by eMarketer in 2006 according to Oblinger (2006) that over 80 % of

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Handbook of Mobile Teaching and Learning
DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-41981-2_27-1
# Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015

Table 2 Learning approaches through mobile devices


Learning types Description Example
Contingent Students respond to the changes in A student can be walking down the street and may see a word on
environment and experiences a billboard that interests him, so he looks it up then and there on
his mobile device. Learning was not planned, but it happened
Situated Students learn in an environment Students listen to a podcast about erosion as they examine rocks
appropriate to their learning in a quarry
Authentic Tasks are directly related to the learning Students use the vibration meter app as they learn about
goals earthquakes
Context- Students interact with the environment On a visit to a museum, a student scans a QR code to find out
aware using the tools on their mobile devices more about a warrior helmet she is looking at
Personalized Learning is customized to the As the students in the class are watching a short video clip on
preferences and needs of each student their mobile devices, one student who is hard of hearing,
realized his sound was too low. He stopped his video, turned up
the volume, and then continued to watch the video
Source: Crompton (2013)

college students have cell phones, 56 % of college students own a laptop, and 75 % of college cell phone
owners use text messaging most often on their phones. Furthermore, based on a survey of 107 students in
Texas where all were owners of cell phones, Corbeil and Valdes-Corbeil (2007) proposed the first device
that should be researched as a vehicle to implement mobile learning is the cell phone. Mehdipour and
Kerehkafi (2013) heighted some applications of mobile phones which is shown in Table 3.
Fraga (2012) further highlighted the benefits of mobile leaning as: it is convenient and flexible (Peters
2007; Motiwalla 2007); mobile learning can be ubiquitous, localized, and personalized (Clarke and
Flaherty 2002; Alexander 2004; Keegan 2002; Peters 2007; Shih and Mills 2007); it is more portability at
a lower cost (Kukulska-Hulme 2005; Motiwalla 2007; Balasundaram and Ramadoss 2007; Attewell
2005; Nyiri 2006); it increased learner motivation and engagement (Balasundaram and Ramadoss 2007;
Kukulska-Hulme 2005); it increased collaboration (Brown 2005; Ramsden 2005; Oblinger and Oblinger
2005); mobile learning can complement other learning platforms (Traxler 2007; Aderinoye et al. 2007);
mobile learning is student focused (Kukulska-Hulme and Traxler 2005; Kukulska-Hulme 2005; Fisher
and Baird 2006); and mobile learning can contribute to the achievement of learning objectives (Shih and
Mills 2007).

5 Issues and Challenges Toward the Implementation of Mobile Learning in


Higher Education in Nigeria
As stated by Traxler (2010), Corbeil and Valdes-Corbel (2007), implementing mobile learning in higher
education is still challenging due to cultural, social, and organizational factors. Therefore, the first step
toward a successful implementation of mobile teaching and learning in higher education is the under-
standing of factors the influence learners’ adoption of mobile learning.
According to Mohamad et al. (2012), the challenges of introducing mobile learning in Malaysian
schools are grouped into six key issues which are: misuse, management and maintenance, current
educational policy, digital divide, stakeholders’ attitude, and personal space invasion (p. 133). Therefore,
some issues and challenges discuss in this paper as pertinent to higher education in Nigeria include
electricity supply, management and maintenance of mobile devices, acceptability by both the lecturers

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Handbook of Mobile Teaching and Learning
DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-41981-2_27-1
# Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015

Table 3 Current capacities and application of mobile phones


Subject M-learning
Place Learning anywhere, anytime
Pedagogical change More voice, graphics, and animation-based instructions
Learning occurring in the field or while mobile
Instructor student communication Instant delivery of e-mail or SMS
Instant communication
Synchronous
Spontaneous
Student to student communication Flexible
Audio and video teleconference possible
27/4 instantaneous messaging
No geographic boundaries
No travel time with wireless internet connectivity
Flexible timing on 27/4 basis
Rich communication due to one-to-one communication, reduced inhibitions
Feedback to student One-to-one basis possible
Both asynchronous and synchronous
Customized instruction
Performance and improvement based grading
Real-life cases and on the site experiments
Less paper, less printing, lower cost
Assignment and test Any location
27/4 instantaneous
Any amount of time possible
Individualized tests
Instant feedback possible
Flexible length/number of questions
Presentations, Exams, and Assignment Practical oriented exams direct on site, hands on based
Observe in the field and monitoring from remote location
One-to-one presentations with much richer communication
Automatic translation for delivery of instructions in many languages (possible)
Simultaneous collaborative group work
Electronic-based assignment delivery
E-delivery of assignment at any place and time
Instructor’s time used to offer individualized instructions and help
Source: Mehdipour and Zerehkafi (2013)

and the student, affordability of mobile device, and little knowledge about some of the mobile teaching
applications.

6 Electricity Supply
One of the utmost challenges to the development of Nigeria is electricity. Electricity supply was not in
tune with the geometric increase in the population of the country, and because of that, some locations may
not witness up to 5-h electric supply in a day and that is a challenge to the use of mobile devices that
requires constant electricity of at least eight hours in a day. In the study conducted by Osang et al. (2013),
it was reviewed that 64 out of the 80 respondents (educators) identified power supply in the country as a
major challenge to the implementation of mobile learning in Nigeria.

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# Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015

According to Mohamad et al. (2012), change is difficult to introduce and implement because it
sometimes disempowered than empower people, and causing them to learn new skills requires personal
investment of time, effort, and sometimes finances. According to Mohamad et al. (2012), organization of
mobile learning is time consuming.
It was further stated by Crompton (2013) that one of the issues of mobile learning implementation into
the schools is that the lecturers have to change their everyday behaviors to incorporate technologies into
tasks that they previously did without digital technology, and this has been perceived as a different change
for many lecturers.

7 Management and Maintenance of Mobile Devices


One of the perceived issues and challenges in the implementation of mobile learning in conventional
universities in Nigeria is the issue of management and maintenance of mobile technologies. In the
research conducted by Mohamad et al (2012), it was revealed that the organization of mobile learning
is time consuming and there is perceived cost in deploying mobile phones for teaching and learning.
According to Naismith et al. (2004), as mobile devices encourage learning outside a classroom
environment being managed by the lecturer, it is therefore necessary for the learners (Students) to have
some effective tools like MP3 and Webinars to record, organize, and reflect in their learning experiences.
Therefore, the experience and epileptic nature of data connections in Nigeria would be a major challenge.
For instance, out of the 38 federal universities in Nigeria, the University of Ilorin is still the only
university that has a fiber-optic internet connection, and up till now, it is the lecturers that have to source
for internet connection for themselves in some of the universities in Nigeria. Therefore, the inability to
rely on the devices and mobile network connections have made it difficult for mobile learning to move
more quickly into mainstream education (Kukulska-Hulme 2005).

8 Acceptability by Both the Lecturers and the Student


The success of mobile teaching and learning implementation lies on the lecturers and students readiness to
use the new technology. Research has shown that large population of the lecturer does not really have the
enthusiasm for teaching with technology as this will extend their workload through inclusion of course
website, classroom technology as well as learning the technology (Osang et al 2013; Crompton 2013). It
was also revealed that students prefer to be on net for social networking, online chatting, listening to
music, and other social networking activities that distract their attention from studying rather than moving
into the mobile space for their course work.
The researchers conducted a random sampling of 50 fresh students that was given a tablet PC in the
University of Ilorin, and it was discovered that 31 (62 %) of the students use it for social networking
(Facebook, chatting, 2go, Skype, WhatsApp) rather than using it for studies, although it was explained by
the students that social networking is less expensive on the tablet compared with the data bundle required
for educational purposes.
This is also in line with the study conducted by Mohamad et al (2012) where the respondents also
believed that the stakeholders’ attitude might be a challenge to implement mobile learning in Malaysia.
This challenge might arise from the students, teachers, parents, and the community.

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Handbook of Mobile Teaching and Learning
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# Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2015

9 Affordability of Mobile Device


The cost of mobile learning devices ranging from programs used for the development of the mobile-based
system and the devices used to run the mobile application is one of the issues in the implementation of
mobile teaching and learning. In an interview that was conducted among the students of the University of
Ilorin, it was revealed that the model of a power determines the capacity of what the power can be used for
and according to them, not many of them have the financial resources to purchase a good mobile learning
compatible phone.

10 Little Knowledge About Some of the Mobile Teaching Applications


There is low awareness of mobile learning applications on the part of students and even lecturers. Fifty
students and 10 lecturers were interviewed. Table 4 shows the types of the usage of some mobile learning
applications the students and lecturers uses and their purpose of being in that forum.
As stressed by Croop (2008), the limitations of mobile learning implementation are classified as
technical and pedagogical challenges. The technical challenges are in relations to the input and output
functions of the mobile devices. According to Motiwalla (2007) and Ramsden (2005), entering text using
the keyboards on mobile appliances is at times very difficult and represents dissuasion to using the devices
in learning activities, and also the small size of the viewing screen has been noticed as a limitation (Riva
and Villani 2005; Fisher and Baird 2006). Fozdar and Kumar (2007) identified the difficulty that arises in
reading from the mobile devices when in sunlight. Furthermore, Heath et al. (2005) wrote about the
inability with many mobile devices for the learner to send output to a printer.
However, the issues of limited bandwidth of wireless cellular, the slow broadband network connections
(Rekkedal and Dye 2007; Riva and Villani 2005), and small memory storage are the contributing factors
to the slow nature of mobile device facilitated learning activities (Kukulska-Hulme 2005, 2007). Other
technical issues and challenges in mobile learning according to Croop (2008) include short or inadequate
battery life (Corbeil and Valdes-Corbeil 2007; Kukulska-Hulme 2005; Riva and Villani 2005), difficult-
to-use interfaces (Mottiwalla 2007), the lack of a standard mobile operating platform and a risky security
environment (Riva and Villani 2005), inability to mark text (Yarnall et al. 2007), and difficult or
impossible cut and paste operations (Kukulska-Hulme 2005).
Other issues and challenges in the implementation of mobile learning were highlighted by Croop
(2008) which are the pedagogical issues that include: the use of text messaging by its nature may
contribute to students not knowing and/or not caring how to spell (Attewell and Savill-Smith 2004);
the students might be overwhelmed with information overload (Motiwalla 2007); it may be easier to cheat
(Corbeil and Valdes-Corbeil 2007); and according to Fozdar and Kumar (2007), if not used properly,
mobile learning can be counterproductive and there is the possibility of misuse via MMS, Bluetooth, and
cyber bullying.

11 How to Address the Identified Issues and Challenges


In order to address the above-highlighted challenges toward the implementation of mobile learning in
universities in Nigeria, the following measures are suggested:

1. The school leader should create an encouraged atmosphere to both the students and the staff in order to
arise their willingness toward mobile learning through seminars and workshops on the values and

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Handbook of Mobile Teaching and Learning
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Table 4 Uses of mobile learning applications by samples students and lecturers in the University of Ilorin
Application usage
Connections/social
Mobile learning Usage of application by Lecturers’ usage of the Academic usage networking usage
applications the students application Student Lecturer Student Lecturer
Facebook 42 7 3 1 39 6
LinkedIn 21 8 3 7 21 4
SlideShare 3 5 1 5 – –
Skype 16 1 – – 16 1
WhatsApp 39 6 – – 39 6
Source: Data collected for this study

usage of some of the educational social networking like LinkedIn, Facebook, SlideShare, etc., so that
the students can see them as a way of improving their learning rather than using it for social connection
and other illegal activities. The school leaders should also provide strong internet facilities to the
students especially when on campus. The school management can also encourage the university
community by providing them their desired mobile device, for them to be paying it back on installment
basis depending on the school capabilities.
2. The lectures should encourage the learners by creating an educational page in some of the networking
forums like Facebook, and they should encourage one another in joining some of the professional
LinkedIn group on the internet to improve themselves and discussing any challenge faced in their
process of lecture delivery of professional growth.
3. It is also suggested that mobile phones that have parental features to control students through limiting
the phone functionality will be necessary.
4. The government needs to amend some of it policies regarding ICT usage in higher education.
5. The school should have industrial-university collaboration with some of this mobile device manufac-
turer to discuss the specifications of mobile device they need as well as organization workshops for
both the lecturers and the students on the usage of those devices to build self-confidence in them. The
collaboration will also help in terms of getting those devices secure as each device will be customized
with the users detail to avoid theft.

12 Future Directions
The role of mobile learning in reducing the rate of low access to university education by Nigerian student
will be a welcomed development in responding to inadequate lecture rooms, personnel, and other facilities
needed by the schools to accommodate more students. As students are more used to mobile devices, if
such tools are being converted as learning device, it will increase their enthusiasm toward learning.
However, for successful implementation of mobile learning especially in conventional universities in
Nigeria, the students, the school leaders, the parents, as well as the government have a role to play in
addressing the likely challenges of mobile learning.

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13 Cross-References
▶ Characteristics of mobile teaching and learning
▶ Design of mobile teaching and learning in higher education, an introduction
▶ Expectation from future technologies and e-learning in higher education in Albania
▶ Mobile technologies for teaching and learning
▶ The development of mobile learning in China university

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