(IJACSA) International Journal of Advanced Computer Science and Applications,

Vol.3, No.3, 2012

Mobile Learning Environment System (MLES): The

Case of Android-based Learning Application on
Undergraduates Learning
Hafizul Fahri Hanafi
Computing Department Sultan Idris
Education University, Perak, Malaysia
hafizul@fskik.upsi.edu.my

Khairulanuar Samsudin
Computing Department Sultan Idris Education University,
Perak, Malaysia
khairul@fskik.upsi.edu.my

AbstractOf late, mobile technology has introduced new, novel

environment that can be capitalized to further enrich the
teaching and learning process in classrooms. Taking cognizance
of this promising setting, a study was undertaken to investigate
the impact of such an environment enabled by android platform
on the learning process among undergraduates of Sultan Idris
Education University, Malaysia; in particular, this paper
discusses critical aspects of the design and implementation of the
android learning system. Data were collected through a survey
involving 56 respondents, and these data were analyzed by using
SPSS 12.0. Findings showed that the respondents were very
receptive to the interactivity, accessibility, and convenience of the
system, but they were quite frustrated with the occasional
interruptions due to internet connectivity problems. Overall, the
mobile learning system can be utilized as an inexpensive but
potent learning tool that complements undergraduates learning
process.

Keywords mobile learning, android learning, teaching and

learning

I.

INTRODUCTION

Mobile technology has entered into the mainstream

society, affecting the lives of many in recent years. This novel
technology is slowly making its presence in the educational
realm, which accords many opportunities to the learning and
training. Its emergence in the educational world seems timely
given the nature of todays learning requirements: wider, fast
access to learning materials and persistent needs for prompt
communication. Thus, learning institutions must seek every
avenue for improvements to cope with new demands of
teaching and learning process. Not surprisingly, new and
emerging technologies are being passionately sought after by
many institutions to provide better learning environments to
their stakeholders, namely students and educators. One fine
example of the adoption of new technologies is e-learning
systems that have radically transformed learningfrom being
confined within the school walls to borderless landscape,
empowering many trainees, students, pupils and other to learn
with more academic rigor. With these formidable learning
systems, more and more people can now seek informal
education, irrespective of the academic background. Another
benefit of such tools is that learning cost incurred unto
students is drastically reduced as independent, self-paced

learning can be done outside the schools and campuses. Based

on these backdrops, it is eagerly anticipated that a new
learning approach called mobile learning will be the next
major enabler in this decade [1] that will take learning to
another level as learning can be literally be conducted on our
palms thorough wireless technologies [2]. Given the mass
technological consumption of this new technology, a new
learning paradigm will dawn over the academic horizon,
bringing in new learning opportunities to all.

II.

BACKGROUND AND RELATED WORKS

Mobile Learning or M-Learning is a type of e-learning that

delivers educational contents and learning support materials
through wireless communication devices [3]. Likewise,
Traxler [4] describes mobile learning as a personalized,
connected, and interactive use of handheld computers in
classrooms, in collaborative learning during fieldwork, and in
counseling and guidance. All these new learning activities are
now possible through M-Learning which is empowered by
recent advancements in mobile technology operating systems,
notably the ubiquitous android platform. Android technology
enables users to communicate with anyone at any time and
place almost instantaneously transcending many barriers. As
expected, mobile phones based on android platform have
become an indispensable communication device for many
people, particularly in younger segments of the population,
such as school students. Android is an open source mobile
operating system that has been supported by Google
Corporation, the world leading search Engine Company. One
major reason for the pervasive adoption of android in the
mobile market is that mobile applications developed through
android development technology is more efficient and
effective compared to the other technologies, such as mobile
Window or Symbian operating systems, producing fast, user
friendly and appealing applications. As application system
files running on android are freely distributed in its
Application Market, which is easily accessed over the internet,
more and more people are attracted to use this operating
system for their mobile devices. Moreover, android-based

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Vol.3, No.3, 2012

applications can be run on virtually any personal computers

through the android emulator; and this capability promotes the
growth of android market globally, leaving behind many rivals
in its trail.

III.

LEARNING FRAMEWORK

IV.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS

Mobile learning is a form of digital learning which can be

applied for teaching and learning purposes where some
educational experts view it as a subset of e-learning but with a
subtle differencecontents are delivered onto mobile devices
rather than the ubiquitous desktop personal computers.
Teaching and learning by using android platform can be easily
implemented without heavy computing investment. There are
several factors that make mobile computing as an appealing
platform. First, android operating system to run the mobile
devices is conveniently and freely available, thus making
installation a simple, neat process.

Figure 1 Mobile learning Application Learning Environment [3]

Mobile learning is developed by using multi platforms,

languages, and technologies. Thus, learning can be carried out
anywhere, anytime for as long as an institutions networking
system can gain access to the wireless coverage [5] as
illustrated in Figure 1. In this regard, android technology can
help realize a mobile learning environment based on the
network architecture shown with students gaining fast access
to learning contents and materials of their studies by using
their mobile phones.
This approach of learning is highly receptive to students as
they are more likely to seek and use learning contents via
mobile services rather than to find proprietary courseware that
is not easily accessed. Propelled by the growing market of
smart phones, M-learning is becoming more acceptable in
teaching and learning process as these mobile devices are
smart as they claimed to be customizing their contents
according to users specific needs [6]. Teaching and learning
has become more manageable and diverse as students can
perform many learning activities freely and easily, for
instance, they can download lectures notes almost
instantaneously for lectures that they had missed. Predictably,
mobile learning systems based on android technology are
poised to dominate the M-learning realm given the rich,
appealing multimedia contents such as audio, videos,
animations that can be downloaded effortlessly into students
mobile devices.

Figure 2 Example of Interface for Quiz

Second, there is a huge application base of learning

materials and contents, which is continually expanding, that
can be easily accessed by students and instructors alike. For
example, students can download and practice short tests or
quizzes on their mobile phones where prompt feedback is
instantly displayed to improve comprehension This type of
learning occurring in short bursts is appealing to young
generation [7]. Figure 2 depicts such a test available on
students mobile phones that asks simple questions pertaining
to a particular information technology course. In addition,
students can download notes from Google doc website using
android platform. Currently, the technology enables students
to share and edit documents online collaboratively; thus, the
notion of collective intelligence has transformed from an
abstract concept into tangible realization in the educational
realm. Figure 3 shown below illustrates the interface for
students to download documents over the related website.

Figure 3 Google Doc

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Vol.3, No.3, 2012

Third, there exists a repository of knowledge for sharing

information among practitioners of mobile learning that
contributes to the expansion of M-learning in campuses. This
creates a community of practice that continually enhances the
technical capabilities of M-learning systems irrespective of
their background.
In spite of the many benefits accorded by M-learning, there
are still some issues that need to be addressed by many
concerned. For example, it is not that easy to measure the
actual level of meaningful learning that takes place using this
type of learning at best, and such a mode of learning can be
easily abused at worst. Assimilating this technology into
normal classroom activities requires not only structural
changes but new thinking regarding learning of this nature is
urgently required [8]. This problem is further compounded as
individuals involved in M-learning come with different
knowledge, skills, and expertise; and understandably, their
involvements in this type of learning will be quite
unpredictable to judge [9].

Respondents were asked for their opinions on the items of

the questionnaire based on Likert-type scales as follows: 1 for
strong disagreement, 2 for disagreement, 3 for being neutral, 4
for agreement, and 5 for strong agreement. All data collected
were analyzed by using Statistical Package for Social Science
(SPSS) version 12. Descriptive statistics for the demographic
were based on frequency; for items pertaining to systems
features, mean scores were calculated to measure the
respondents responses.
B. Findings and Discussion
Table I as shown below summarizes the descriptive statistics
for the respondents demographic based on frequency counts.
TABLE I.

DEMOGRAPHY OF THE STUDENTS INCLUDING THE

ANDROID PLATFORM

Item

Range

Gender
Age (in years)

V.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

This study was conducted by means of a survey to measure

undergraduates perception of M-learning used throughout a
semester long, beginning May 2011 until September 2011.
Acknowledgement about the course contents and courses
program was carried out by text messaging or SMS. The
survey was conducted involving a total of 56 students were
voluntarily participated in this study. They were divided into
two different groups: the first group comprised undergraduates
who used the university e-learning; and the second group
consisting of undergraduates who used their mobile phones,
running on android 2.3.2, android 2.3.3 and android 2.3.4, to
gain access to learning contents.
For the survey, the questionnaires were prepared in Google
doc form, and the elicited data based on respondents
responses were collected from Google doc online database.
For the learning materials, the two groups of students had to
download notes from two different platforms. The first group
downloaded learning materials from the e-learning system of
the university, whilst the second group of students
downloaded similar materials from Google Doc by using their
mobile phones.
A. Instrument of Research
The questionnaires comprised 4 sections pertaining to
respondents demographic, android learning environment
system, e-Learning environment provided by the university,
and the effectiveness of the android learning system. For the
respondents demographic, the data collected were gender,
age, and academic achievement. For the Android learning
environment, data gathered were related to respondents
perceptions on its features and usability. Likewise, the same
perceptions of the respondents were elicited for the e-Learning
environment system.

Respondents
academic
achievements
Versions of Android
Operating Systems

Frequency

Male
Female
18-22
22-26
CGPA < 3
CGPA > 3

20
36
10
46
15
41

Gingerbread 2.3.2
Gingerbread 2.3.3
Gingerbread 2.3.4

10
20
26

Table II summarizes all the respondents responses pertaining

to their perceptions on the features provided by the novel
learning systems, namely the android mobile learning system
and the universitys e-learning learning system.

TABLE II.

RESPONDENTS PERCEPTIONS ON THE

LEARNING SYSTEMS FEATURES
Statements

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

The universitys e-learning

environments is interesting and fun
to use
Androids mobile learning
environment is interesting and fun
to use
Androids mobile learning
environment provides more space
for self-learning
I can easily download lecture notes
from Google Doc by using my
mobile phone at any time and place
I can easily download lecture notes
from the university e-learning
system at any time and place

Mean
4

4.5

4.5

3.5

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All the five items of the questionnaires were analyzed to

reveal mean scores based on the 56 respondents responses.
For items 1 and 2 (see Table II), the mean scores for the
universitys e-learning system and android mobile learning
system were 4.0 and 4.5, respectively. Clearly, the respondents
that had used the mobile learning system were more receptive
to using the system where they regarded the system to be easy
to use and also to be interesting. More poignant, all
respondents that used the mobile platform were unanimous
that they could use their hand phones for self-learning where
item 3 of the questionnaire recorded a mean score of 4.5. This
finding is not surprising as android-based mobile phones are
quite affordable to own, and in terms of performance, they are
very stable and could perform all the necessary functions with
greater ease. These two factors seem to be a driving force to
spur greater growth of mobile learning in the future.
For items 4 and 5 (see Table II), in terms of having the
capability to download lecture materials, the mobile learning
group and the e-learning group recorded mean scores of 5 and
3.5, respectively. Evidently, this feature of greater capability
for downloading is better accorded by mobile learning
platform compared to e-learning platform. Apparently, there
are several reasons why mobile learning is greatly favored for
this feature of a digital learning system. First, a learning
system that guarantees uninterrupted access to learning
materials can ensure smooth flow of learning process where
students can download any documents at anytime, no matter
where they are. This partly contributes to a more conducive
learning environment that suits the needs of todays younger
generation: the digital natives.
On the other hand, the availability of lecture materials by
many e-learning systems is sometimes compromised by
technical problems with most cases resulting in breakdowns,
which hinder constant access for online documents. Thus, the
feature of having full access of learning materials at all time
will be a decisive factor that favors a mobile learning system
over an e-learning system when the target groups of learning
are those of adolescent age.
Another factor that seemed to motivate students to use the
mobile learning system as compared to the universitys elearning system rested on the fact that the learning
environment based on android itself was more interactive and
simple to interact with. These students had ample time to
download lecture notes from the Google Doc website without
interruptions, and they could take quizzes and short tests at
leisure, which further enriches their learning experience. Thus,
learning becomes more fun. This is not unexpected as there is
a vast repository of learning tools, widgets, and applications
that could be accessed freely or bought at minimal cost from
the android market. Once downloaded, all these digital
materials can be utilized instantly and repetitively. Moreover,
those students that have these materials can share with their
peers by exchanging files through the Bluetooth technology,
which is one of the standard features of todays mobile
devices.

In sum, this research suggests that mobile learning can be

quite easily implemented as clearly demonstrated by the
respondents involved in this study. Mobile learning can be
cost-effectively implemented as android operating system used
to run the mobile phones is freely available. Moreover, newer,
better versions of this operating system are constantly update,
giving better performance in terms of processing and intuitive
interface design. Mobile learning systems powered by android
technology can make learning more fun, interactive and
intuitive. This mobile learning system can be used by
educational practitioners, such as instructors and teachers, to
prepare the study notes in any standard digital formats and
then upload them onto the Google Doc website, where they
can be accessed and shared. Self-paced learning and
collaborative learning can be realized with ease to improve the
learning process that befits todays challenging learning
environments.
VI.

FUTURE RESEARCH

Future research is needed to examine the full impact of

mobile learning both from the technological and pedagogical
perspectives. Expectedly, the introduction of any new, novel
technology would have profound impact, affecting both
students and educators. Students will be overwhelmed with the
technological gizmo that is normally designed for routine
chores, not for educational purposes. Thus, proper working
ethics and code of practices are entailed to ensure optimal use
of mobile devices for mobile learning. Likewise, educators
must keep abreast with latest technologies to make efficient
use of them. Therefore, future research should focus some of
these issues to help realize digital learning environments that
complement the conventional learning approach.

VII.

CONCLUSION

The use of mobile technologies, in particular the nonproprietary android technology, offers many educational
opportunities to the stake holders: the students, the instructors,
and the administrators. However, as for today, there are many
emerging information and communication technologies
entering the educational realm that forces practitioners to
rethink how this novelty can be judiciously applied to improve
the overall learning process. Many educational benefits of the
novelty can be easily identified; however, realizing these is not
a straightforward process as there is a web of interrelated
factors that needs delicate unweaving to ensure effective and
efficient implementations in educational institutions.

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AUTHORS PROFILE
Hafizul Fahri Hanafi is a lecturer in the Computer
Department of Sultan Idris Education University,
Malaysia. He specializes in Software Engineering and ELearning Technologies
(Email: apiltzs@gmail.com)

Khairulanuar Samsuddin is a lecturer in the Computer

Department of Sultan Idris Education University,
Malaysia. He specializes in Virtual Reality in Education
and Engineering
(Email: khairul@fskik.upsi.edu.my)

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