Paper Title :Mobile Learning - An Innovative Mode in Open and Distance Education

Author :Pallavi Y. Soman

Article Citation :Pallavi Y. Soman , (2016 ) " Mobile Learning - An Innovative Mode in Open and Distance Education " , International Journal of Management and Applied Science (IJMAS) , pp. 58-62, Volume-2,Issue-10

Abstract : During recent years, many distance teaching as well as residential institutions have started to experiment with mobile learning through pilot projects as part of their e-learning and technology enhanced learning environments. Mobile learning should be regarded as a medium for distance learning. Distance learning technologies,online and mobile learning, are the established fields, whichwill provide valuable insight into strategies, approaches and practical experiences. Distance teaching institutions have a long history and much experience with media-based instruction. This affords them an advantage in the development and application of new information and communication technologies (ICTs) for teaching and learning. Student support systems have existed in traditional distance education for decades. ICTs – especially mobile devices – open up new paths for learning support and opportunities to reach a wider audience for higher education. Mobile learning is in many ways a new phenomenon and its theoretical, pedagogical, organizational and technical structure is currently still developing (Brown, 2004). The all-inclusive umbrella term for media-based learning and teaching is distance education or distance learning, which is characterized by the quasi-permanent separation of teacher and learner throughout the length of the learning process. The central concern of distance teaching pedagogy is to bridge the distance: "Because the distance to students was regarded as a deficit, and proximity as desirable and necessary, the first pedagogic approaches specific to distance education aimed immediately at finding ways by which the spatial distance could be bridged, reduced or even eliminated" (Peters, 2001). E- and mobile learning provide enormous possibilities for closing the gap between learners and teachers or the teaching institution, to overcome the misconception of distance learning as an isolated form of learning. M-learning is e-learning through mobile computational devices. Mobile learning devices are defined as handheld devices and can take the form of personal digital assistants, mobile phones, smartphones, audio players, video and multimedia players. They should be connected wirelessly, thus ensuring mobility and flexibility. Innovation in education refers to the changes in teaching and learning as a consequence of the tremendous impact of technological advances. An advanced form in education might mean that in education certain models or patterns no longer exist, because new models and have substituted them. The media applied in distance learning influence the form and nature of interaction and communication, the level of independence and flexibility, as well as scalability and therefore access and costs of distance learning courses. This paper aims to explore mobile learning as a new field of pedagogical activity in open and distance education. Key Words –Mobile learning, open and distance education, ICT.

Type : Research paper

Published : Volume-2,Issue-10

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