Abstract
Integration of Mobile Technology into Undergraduate Engineering Curriculum. The growing rates of mobile devices have led students to expect continuous access to lecture notes, syllabi, homework assignments, library resources, campus announcements, local and global news etc. However, available applications on mobile devices designed for education are limited. The question of how mobile devices will impact students’ learning and instructors’ effective teaching is unanswered. The objective of the current study is to investigate the effectiveness of mobile technology in enhancing students’ class engagement and learning outcomes. A pilot activity for integrating Blackboard Mobile Learn (BML) into an introductory level Fluid Mechanics course in the Fall semester of 2010 is undertaken. The BML is used to provide classroom announcements, group discussions, exam solution keys, grades, blogs, class roster, journals, media, and tasks. The BML will be used in the classroom when the instructor interacts with the students during the lecture time such as review of homework and exams and use of images and video clips to enhance students’ understanding of course concepts. Outside the regular class time, students will use the BML as their portable 24/7 classroom with on-time access to course materials and tools and real-time assistance from the instructor. Students and the instructor will evaluate the effectiveness of the BML on students’ learning outcomes through specific surveys, homework and exam grades. Some of the surveys developed for ABET assessment will be modified and administered to the students enrolled in the class. The assessment results will be compared with the evaluation for the same course in the Spring semester 2010 without the use of BML. The introduction of mobile devices into undergraduate engineering courses in order to enhance, NOT replace, the current traditional teaching will be evaluated. The expected educational outcomes include increasing students’ engagement,enhancing students’ understanding of course concepts, improving students’ performance, and providing real-time interactions between students and instructors. Details of the implementation strategies, identification of challenging issues, discussion related to possible solutions and recommendations for future improvement will be undertaken in this pilot study.