Title: M-learning in Nigerian higher education: an experimental study with Edmodo

Authors: Solomon Sunday Oyelere; Vasileios Paliktzoglou; Jarkko Suhonen

Addresses: School of Computing, Joensuu Campus, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, FIN-80101 Joensuu, Finland ' School of Computing, Joensuu Campus, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, FIN-80101 Joensuu, Finland ' School of Computing, Joensuu Campus, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 111, FIN-80101 Joensuu, Finland

Abstract: Social media technologies have recently gained remarkable popularity in the education sector. Recent research indicated that students rely on social media for educational purposes like social networking, chatting, and knowledge sharing. With social media aiding learning experiences, m-learning is anticipated to improve the application of social media. In the paper, we investigated the preference of social media tools and mobile devices for learning, their benefits and effectiveness, and how they can possibly improve learning process in Nigeria. Furthermore, we evaluated learning experiences of students using Edmodo social media-based learning environment in a Nigerian university. We used a mixed method research approach, where the data was triangulated from two questionnaires and students' interviews. Data gathered after the course shows that students learning response was improved. Students were eager to use mobile devices for accessing social media sites, thus providing experimental evidence of the place of social media in m-learning.

Keywords: mobile learning; m-learning; Edmodo; social learning; social media; learning aids; learning experiences; mobile devices; higher education; mixed method research; experimental studies; Web 2.0; Nigeria; learning response.

DOI: 10.1504/IJSMILE.2016.075055

International Journal of Social Media and Interactive Learning Environments, 2016 Vol.4 No.1, pp.43 - 62

Received: 01 Sep 2015
Accepted: 08 Dec 2015
Published online: 01 Mar 2016 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article