Discovering and using the context of distance learning activities for the development of pervasive learning tools

Abstract

Over the last few years, there is increasing adoption of distance learning methods in various aspects of education. As part of our research in digital distance learning platforms, we conducted longitudinal observations and a survey on the use of web 2.0 tools in adult education and found that 32% of the students who used such technology, were doing so through mobile devices. Motivated by the students’ use of mobile platforms as learning tools, the aim of this paper is to explore the context under which studying takes place for distance learning students, in order to gain a better understanding of existing practices, with a view of supporting and improving learning experiences through pervasive computing. For this, we started a process of collecting qualitative and quantitative data in order to find out more information about their study context. Our findings from the collected data are paired with post-collection period interviews, providing a quantitative and qualitative description of the context under which distance learning takes place.