Design Considerations for Mobile Learning

Abstract

For good reasons, the instructional design practices for classroom environments and e-Learning have been largely limited to the cognitive domain. With the increasingly widespread adoption of mobile technology, a paradigm shift is taking place, offering new opportunities for improving performance and augmenting skills (in addition to knowledge transfer). But how is curriculum design and instructional design for mobile learning any different? Traditional course offerings replaced with or augmented by mobile technology may actually follow many of the same instructional design frameworks or processes in alignment with the widely accepted phases of ADDIE (Analysis, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate). But what other types of m-Learning can or should be considered during design? What are the current gaps in design knowledge for educators, instructors, and instructional designers? The answer to these important questions requires a solid understanding of mobile device affordances as well as considerations from two key domains of research and practice: Learning Sciences and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). This chapter will cover these considerations with the goal of helping readers establish an informed design strategy for m-Learning, rather than relying solely on prior instructional design experience.