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Using Short Message Services (SMS) for exam preparation
Dick Ng’ambiand
Angie KnaggsUniversity of Cape Town
South Africa
IADIS International Conference on Mobile Learning, 11-13 April 2008, Algarve, Portugal
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Outline
• Introduction• Case Study Description• Technology Mediated Actions• DFAQ tool used by students• Observations• Conclusion
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Introduction• To exploit existing technological literacies
among students • To use existing tools to manage
complexity within constraints of time, space and distance
• √ To facilitate knowledge sharing and consultation for cognitive and affective student support
• To effectively use real-world ubiquitous tools i.e. mobile phones
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Case Study
Institutional LMS used on campus
Integration of On/Off campus learning
Texting used for cognitive / affective support
Time to learn in isolation Exam
Preparation week
Texting as Social Practice (not seen as ed.)
Too busy to learn for exams
Cognitive /Affective support
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On-Campus Affective Peer Support
7On-Campus Cognitive Tutor/Peer Support
8A Cognitive / Affective Knowledge Resource
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Technology Mediated Actions
• Technology mediated action means two things: technology as a medium and technology as a tool. – media view of mobile phones allow
information seekers to communicate with information givers
– tools view is that information seeking is a part of human activity and a mobile phone is used whenever a need arises for which consultation is required
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• Course code identified forum – e.g. Fam1001.
• SMS course code to 31642• Access course news / notices from virtual
notice board• All incoming messages wait in a queue,
and automatically emails course convener• Any member of class can respond• Responses sent back via SMS
Dynamic Frequently Asked Questions (DFAQ) tool
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Student uses DFAQ: an anonymous consultation tool
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Observations• Twenty-five SMSes were posted into the system during
the semester constituting approximately 4 months. • Observed that system was under-utilised during term
time • So we wanted to find out why. Questionnaire was given
to students:– Did you use the SMS system?
• Yes/No– If yes, how often?
• Once/2-4 times/More than 5 times– If not, why?
• Cost/Difficult Technology/Complicated process– Comments
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Term Time: Positive feedback
• Very good, convenient system for our age group.
• It’s awesome! Helped a lot!• Never really had a reason to, but I think
it’s a good system that should remain in use.
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Term Time: Negative feedback
• I haven’t had airtime so it’s no 1’s fault really.
• I AM BROKE.• Too Expensive .• Airtime is a rare commodity.
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Exam Prep Time
• 75% of the total number of SMSes were received. This is an increase of almost 200% as compared to messages sent during term time
• Students viewed SMS as a necessary medium through which they could receive help
NB: Were students suddenly able to afford the cost of SMSes?
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• Term time concerns were. – students had no need to use the system and – they were concerned about the cost. – Observation:
• Once study week had begun, the students’ circumstances changed and their interest in the system peaked.
• As value of messages sent increased, cost became insignificant. Exam prep questions had high stakes and negated the cost of sending SMSes.
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Conclusion 1/2
• There were fewer SMS mediated interactions in the DFAQ environment during the semester but use of SMS increased when students were off campus.
• Circumstances created opportunities for using mobile phones not only to consult with the teaching staff but with fellow students.
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• Students described the use of SMS during the examination preparation period as “cool”.
• Questions asked during the preparation week were both about seeking to understand content as much as about anxiety.
• SMS did support students during examination preparation
• Further work will explore whether use of mobile phones impacts on examination performance.
Conclusion 2/2
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Questions / Discussion
Contact:
Dr. Dick Ng’[email protected]
Centre for Educational TechnologyUniversity of Cape Town