How can mobile phones be used to make students feel part of the university: a pilot study

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How can mobile phones be used to make students
feel part of the university a pilot study

• Dave Harley
• School of Applied Social Science

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Background to the research
Student Retention and
Human Computer Interaction Design
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Presentation Outline

• The importance of students social networks to
  student retention.
• The role of mobile phones.
• The text messaging pilot study.
• Questions and Comments.
• Text language and mobile phone etiquette.
• Practical session create your own text.

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What can student retention research tell us about
university education ?

• A sense of belonging
• The importance of supportive relationships in and
  outside the university.
• Backdrop of increased student numbers and
  attempts at widening participation

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What does this have to do with mobile phones ?

• Negotiation of social networks
• A personal device
• It has been appropriated by this generation.

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What Learning and Teaching issues does this
address ?

• Peer support for learning directly and
  indirectly
• Social constructivism community and learning.

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1. Student questionnaire

• Students Access to Technology

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1. Student questionnaire

• Frequency of Use

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1. Student questionnaire

• Students attitudes towards being contacted via
  mobile phone by the university

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2. Staff interviews

• How does text messaging fit in with current
  practices ?
• Administration
• Teaching
• Student support

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3. The Text Messaging Pilot Study

• 2 seminar groups on the Approaches in the Social
  Sciences module.
• Each seminar groups comprised a number of
  research groups collaborative emphasis.
• Both encouraged to use text messaging
• 1 group sent text messages en masse
• Comparison between both groups.

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Weekly Schedule
Text Message

• Lecture

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Lecture
Seminar
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Negotiating Appropriate Text Messages

• Different opinions on what was useful.
• Lecturers had different expectations to those
  running the seminars.
• Technical difficulties.
• Use of Text Message Syntax ?

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Pragmatic Texts
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Pragmatic Texts
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Pragmatic Texts
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Thought Provoking Texts
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Thought Provoking Texts
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Inconsequential Texts
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Student Reaction
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Student Reaction

• Generally intrigued
• Specific feedback
• Some confusion as to purpose
• Preferred informality
• Wish to enter into dialogue or respond in some
  way

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Final Analysis
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The Impact of Technology
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Conclusions Text Messaging and Students

• Text messaging was important in maintaining the
  relationships of these first year undergraduates.
• This trend is likely to continue irrespective of
  any university interventions such as this study.
• It appears to be a reliable means of contacting
  students.

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Conclusions - The Pilot Study

• The pilot study may have had an impact upon a
  specific learning and teaching agenda, i.e. aims
  of the research groups.
• The development of social bonds within the
  seminar groups remained dependent upon actual
  face to face contact between students and staff.

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Conclusions - Future Use

• Continuity throughout the teaching process is
  vital - create a dialogue/ follow up text
  messages in seminars.
• Maintain a level of informality enter into the
  spirit of text messaging.
• Remember it should encourage actual face to face
  meetings this is still the prime mover of the
  learning experience and necessary for students to
  make friends.

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Learning and Teaching Issues Revisited

• Peer support for learning.
• The opportunity for students to reflect upon
  their learning outside of the classroom.
• The role of informality in respect of learning.

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Questions / Comments

• ?

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Create your own - TXT Langwij

• Text Poetry from the Guardian website

Info-skintChx cashd no ?s askdU stop T play th
gameRcade as th lite ramraidsYr c-thru skin
th rain rapsA dgtl code, th air bitmaps yr
last coin c'rodes
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• next 4 txt language is e-volving, u get the
  messge? mobile words, with letters deleted, but
  not characterless? communic8, abbrevi8, in2a new
  4m_at_

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• Prplxng isu Englsh crckt, wth ozi btzmn at th
  wkt, fldrz jst cnt sm 2 stkit, evrytme th bggrz
  snkit, ther ashs plnz mayb intrkit, 2 gt th urn
  thyl hav 2 nikit.

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Current Desktop Texting Applications

• fLoats Mobile Agent
• Open Source mobile phone application see
  www.sourceforge.net/projects/fma
• Student Messenger (in development)
• See me