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m-learning in TESOL, how far is it feasible in India?

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This is part of my IATEFL presentation. India today faces an uphill task to extend the benefits of education to its rural population. The challenge is to reach those who are otherwise unreached and to provide them with quality education. Mobile based education (m-education or m-learning) shows the potential to take the benefits of quality education to the millions of the underprivileged section in India.

Access to mobile technology is growing at an exponential rate and today’s rural youths are using this when their institutions, homes don’t have any access to computer and internet. However, access to mobile within classroom, and in some cases with the institution is strictly forbidden.

Even then there has been a lot of demand for m-learning services and applications. Some of the leading mobile service providers are offering a number of such solutions starting from conversational English lessons to discipline specific content to cater to this demand. This presentation will offer an overview of the existing m-learning solutions, their affordances in TESOL.

It will also report a 16 hours study that I conducted to gain a foundational understanding of the feasibility of m-learning in the everyday lives of rural youths. Results from this study show the feasibility of m- learning particularly in rural, out of the institution settings in the underdeveloped areas, increased level of motivation, and a reasonable level of academic engagement. Based on the overview and the present study I will discuss what I see as the future directions for more accessible and interactive m-learning in Indian context.

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m-learning in TESOL, how far is it feasible in India? : m-learning in TESOL, how far is it feasible in India? Kalyan Chattopadhyay Assistant Professor in English B.S.College, University of Calcutta, India

Talking points : Talking points Why m-learning in India? Existing m-learning solutions in India, their affordances in TESOL Report a study to show how far m-learning is feasible in rural India Future directions for m-learning in India

Why m-learning in India? : Why m-learning in India? Inadequate infrastructure to meet needs of 26 million babies born in India each year 2351858 primary schools (September 2009, DISE) 518 universities (UGC, 2011) 6014 non-technical colleges (UGC, 2011) 669 technical institutes (AICTE, 2011) Enrolment ratio 7% in Higher Education

Why m-learning in India? : Why m-learning in India? India needs 2000-3000 universities in next 10 years (Arokiasamy, 2009) NKC report puts the requirement to 1500 universities by 2015 to increase the enrolment ratio from 7% to 15% High drop-out rates Lack of trained teachers How to meet this CHALLENGE? What are the available options?

Why m-learning in India? : Why m-learning in India? Huge infrastructural investment??? Search for alternative for delivery of educational content??? What about a low-priced, low-power easily accessible, portable device that can support visuals and voiceovers??? Mobile phone is the fastest growing, cheapest technological platform.

Mobile phones in India : Mobile phones in India mobile subscriber base in India is expected to reach nearly one billion by end 2013 (Evalueserve). 26 million of India's 563 million mobile phone subscribers have handsets that are 3G enabled (Indian Cellular Association). The total number of 3G-enabled handsets will reach close to 395 million by end-2013 (Evalueserve).

m-learning solutions in India : m-learning solutions in India m-learning services include English lessons, dial-in tutorials, school syllabi, question sets, vocabulary general knowledge tutorials, exam tips, exam result alerts and education for the physically challenged.

m-learning solutions in India : m-learning solutions in India Aircel’s mGurujee app Tata Docomo’s English Seekho service Reliance’s m-school service, English learning based on translations in rural areas through its Grameen VAS initiative. State-owned BSNL’s spoken English programme, Learn English.

Affordances : Affordances Interactive lessons Opportunities to practice Anytime, Anywhere Support beyond the class learning Learners have ownership of their learning Can supplement class materials Cost-effective

m-learning in the everyday lives of rural youths (Chattopadhyay, 2011) : m-learning in the everyday lives of rural youths (Chattopadhyay, 2011) Research questions:- What sort of mobile phones are these students using? How are they using such devices? Are they interested to receive learning content through these devices? Does the content delivered through mobile phones bring in any change in their level of motivation to learn, and in their performance?

m-learning in the everyday lives of rural youths (Chattopadhyay, 2011) : m-learning in the everyday lives of rural youths (Chattopadhyay, 2011) The first three questions were addressed through a survey conducted among 200 undergraduate students of five different colleges in rural India. The last question was addressed through case studies of five randomly selected respondents out of 20 who gave consent to participate in this study.

Results: Survey : Results: Survey What sort of mobile phones are these students using? 96% conventional phones 4% smart phones

Results: Survey : Results: Survey How are they using such devices?

Results: Survey : Results: Survey Would you like to receive learning content in your mobile? Yes: 78% No: 22%

Case studies: Findings : Case studies: Findings Content delivered through mobile was self explanatory and easy to follow. Content was very helpful, highly interesting, motivating. Follow up practice tests were very useful. Their reading ability was tested before they went through the content. Another test was taken to gauge any improvement in their skills. Result shows that their performance has improved by 35%.

Future Directions : Future Directions A large number of students are already using mobile phones. Neither teachers nor students are using them for teaching and learning purposes. A large percentage of students are eager to receive learning content through mobile phones. Some mobile service providers are working to provide content in limited scale, but no ELT publisher based in India has shown interest in the development of content.

Future Directions : Future Directions An exploratory study in rural context calls for further research “despite the hype around how mobile learning can make education more accessible in the developing world” (Kumar,Tewari, Shroff et.al, 2010) A survey by Nik Peachey(2011) suggests “commercially viable opportunity for any ELT publisher wishing to invest in the development of mobile teaching and learning content”.

Future Directions : Future Directions Students even at the rural undergraduate colleges in India have significantly greater access to mobile phones than to PC and PC-based applications. Indian teachers’ beliefs in the use of mobile phones for teaching learning haven’t researched so far. Moreover, many institutions in India don’t allow students to use mobile phone in the campus. Many still perceive it as “digital toy”, and “cause of distractions”. Research of the pedagogy of m-learning in India is required.

Future Directions : Future Directions Challenges lack of a standardised delivery platform new space learning new kinds of interaction appropriate pedagogy right content good network good connectivity

Slide 20 : “M-learning technologies offer exciting new opportunities for teachers to place learners in challenging active learning environments, making their own contributions, sharing ideas, exploring, investigating, experimenting, discussing, but they cannot be left unguided and unsupported”(Laurillard, 2007). Teachers need to supported. They need training to handle this new learning space, and new forms of interactions.

Slide 21 : Thank you Kalyan Chattopadhyay Email: profkalyan@gmail.com Skype: profkalyan Twitter: profkalyan