DATA_EXTRACT_SACAI_ELLIOT21

Abstract

There appears to be a disconnect between the implementation of technology and digital resources by instructors and the technology that students use for their academic work (Gierdowski, 2019). The distribution of course materials via a learning management system (LMS) is done so in a top-down fashion where the instructor has control over the format and delivery method (Mpungose & Khoza, 2020; Schoonenboom, 2014). Supplemental documents, course videos, discussions, and a variety of digital learning tools (e.g., interactive exercises) are used in concert with readings to produce a holistic package of content that ushers the student toward successful completion of learning objectives (Henderson et al., 2017). This style of technology-enhanced learning is supposed to provide more control to the learners by affording them more flexibility in the time and space where they engage with the content (Laurillard, 2002; Taylor et al., 2006). But if the technology through which the material is delivered does not match the technology through which the students are able to or choose to engage with it, then the benefits of the technology-enhanced learning are diminished or lost (Taylor et al., 2006).

This study investigates the use of mobile devices by students in higher education to support their formal learning processes