M-Learning in an Undergraduate Business Program: Recruitment Promises, Student Perceptions, and Mixed Realities

Abstract

The purpose of the study described in this paper was to explore student views (n=136) on the use of Apple iPad technology within various in-class courses offered by a School of Business at a small Ontario university as well as the overall effectiveness of a recruitment message focused on mobile learning. The results of the study are as follows: 1) over half of the students had not heard about the offer of a “free” iPad before they had enrolled at the University; 2) students expressed positive and negative views regarding the use of iPads in their face to face classes (e.g., the iPads were helpful in enhancing learning; the iPads were time consuming to use and distracting in the classroom; other devices work better in the classroom); and 3) differences that existed between students’ in-class and everyday use of their iPads could be connected to their frustrations with the steep learning curve experienced by faculty.

Key word descriptors: millennials, tablet technology, mobile technology, digital technology, learning transferability, higher education, iPad