‘Please switch off your (im)mobile’: The demise of immobile learning in higher education

Abstract

Mobile devices are more and more becoming indispensible tools in everyday life. However, universities continue to rely on the provision of computer labs for ICT-based instruction where in many cases mobile phones would be a much more appropriate choice. In this paper, we question the proliferation and continued provision of computer labs in universities, and suggest the need to instead adopt the widespread use of mobile phones for pedagogical purposes in university classrooms (and beyond). We review the affordances and potential barriers to extensive mobile penetration in learning contexts in higher education, and examine the pedagogical foundations of mobile learning and guidelines and principles emerging in recent research.