A comparative study about mobile learning in Iberian Peninsula Universities: Are Professors Ready?

Abstract

Mobile technology is increasingly an element to be considered a paradigm that is changing in education in general, and in higher education in particular. In addition, computers and information technology have increased educational opportunities and have opened the way to new teaching/learning approaches. Due to this, several concepts from the e-learning, m-learning and u-learning appeared. Therefore, it is critical to understand whether users (students and professors) are receptive and aware to adapt to this new paradigm before deciding to implement teaching learning methods based on mobile technology. Thus, it is necessary to make a fundamental question “How do professors percept m-leaning?” In this context, the aim of this paper is to investigate the perception of higher education professors in Portugal and Spain (Iberian Peninsula) regarding the m-learning, and to identify the needs of professors as they relate to mobile technologies and how they can be used to promote student’s engagement inside and outside of the classroom. The main results obtained allow us to conclude that the majority of Iberian Peninsula professors have knowledge on how to perform the most trivial task with mobile devices and a high results about the utilization of both augmented reality and gamification applications.