Enhancing teaching and learning through integrating mobile learning with Learning Management Systems

Abstract

Learning management systems (LMSs) (e.g. Moodle, SOUL, Blackboard) have been widely adopted by many higher education institutions around the world. One of the most commonly used LMS, Moodle, has been registered in more than 1,800 sites in over 120 countries. The versatility showcased by LMSs can be demonstrated by how tertiary educators in different disciplines adopt the LMS as an interactive learning environment, so as to facilitate teaching and learning. In addition, with the growing popularity of handheld mobile devices among staff and students in higher education, it is increasingly common for these parties to access information and services related to teaching and learning using mobile devices such as smartphones. Starting from 2014, a number of instructors and researchers in different faculties in HKU and HKU SPACE have been collaborating on a Teaching development grant (TDG) project on integrating mobile learning to LMS. The goal is to provide an empirical assessment of the impacts of LMS and those of mobile access to LMS on teaching and learning, leading to recommendations of pedagogical designs for mobile learning on LMS. The project also aims to summarize the best practices and share them with all instructors across the HKU community. In this symposium, presenters will describe the pedagogical strategies and LMS implementations adopted in various courses that benefit both students in their learning and instructors in their teaching. In particular, based on their experience with the mobile device friendly interfaces of LMSs (e.g., the Mobile Theme in HKU Moodle) and mobile applications (Apps) (e.g. SOUL App in HKU SPACE), presenters in this symposium will also discuss how mobile access to LMS was integrated into their courses. This symposium comprises three presentations given by three instructors in diverse settings: an undergraduate Common Core course, a foreign language (French) course, and a pre-university course, and involving two LMSs: Moodle in HKU and SOUL in HKU SPACE, offering insights into how LMS can be extensively used from different perspectives.