Uses of Mobile Phones to Support Curriculum Related Activities Outside the Classroom

This paper reports a case study that explored how a group of undergraduate students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) used mobile phones to carry out informal learning activities related to the content of their courses. The study adopts multiple methods of data collection. The paper reports some of the data and conclusions from a larger study. Preliminary results indicate that students engaged in informal learning activities outside the classroom. They performed these activities mostly from home and interacted mostly with classmates. However, it was found that students’ use of mobile phones was limited to more familiar applications such as SMS and phone calls. Two main themes emerged from the preliminary results which may inform course design when considering connecting formal and informal learning activities using mobile phones or other mobile devices. Future work consists of more detailed exploration of students’ use of mobile phones outside the classroom.