Title: Usage patterns and effects of mobile learning activities using social learning apps on the achievement of undergraduate students in a history of art course

Authors: Aishah Siddiquah; Sharifullah Khan; Gwo-Jen Hwang; Muhammad Azeem Abbas; Saheed Ajayi

Addresses: STEM Education Department, Lahore College for Women University, Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan ' Pak-Austria Fachhochschule Institute of Applied Sciences and Technology, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (SEECS), The National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Islamabad, Pakistan ' Graduate Institute of Digital Learning and Education, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 106, Taiwan ' School of Built Environment, Engineering and Computing, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, England, UK ' School of Built Environment, Engineering and Computing, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds, England, UK

Abstract: The main objective of the study was to identify the effect of mobile learning activities using social learning applications (apps) based on the principles of constructivist learning on students' learning achievement and behavioural patterns in a History of Art Course. Accordingly, two mobile apps, Pinterest and Piazza, were adopted in the present study. A one-group pre-test and post-test experimental design was implemented to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The participants were 57 female students studying in the second semester of the Computer Arts program of a public sector women university of Pakistan. The intervention spanned 6 weeks, and comprised four assignments given alternately on Pinterest and Piazza each week so that the students could use both tools at least twice. Student performances were measured using a pre-test and post-test. The results revealed that there was a significant effect of using the social learning apps on the students' achievement in the History of Art Course. Low achievers gained significantly more than high achievers. The results suggest that well-designed activities using social learning apps need to be incorporated into the teaching of courses for undergraduate students.

Keywords: social learning; Pinterest; piazza; constructive learning; history of art; mobile learning; smartphones.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMLO.2021.118453

International Journal of Mobile Learning and Organisation, 2021 Vol.15 No.4, pp.448 - 465

Received: 09 Jan 2021
Accepted: 26 Jan 2021
Published online: 26 Oct 2021 *

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