Advances in Mobile Learning Educational Research

Lessons Learned from Online Cheating during COVID-19: Implications for Nepali Higher Education Institutions

2025-11-06T10:41:46+08:00

This article examines Nepali higher education (HE) teachers' and students' experiences and perceptions of online exams and students' cheating on online assessments during the COVID-19 pandemic, when HE course cycles--including assessments--were conducted online.The study data were collected using semi-structured interviews with HE teachers and students.The study findings illustrate that while both teachers and students expressed positive perceptions of online exams, the increasing prevalence of cheating on online assessments imposed an added layer of challenges to academic integrity and assessment validity for Nepali HEIs in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.The findings offer new insights into the existing body of knowledge on academic dishonesty in Nepal and reveal significant differences between teachers' and students' attitudes towards proctored online exams, as well as the underlying reasons behind students' academic misconduct.We argue that the validity of assessments during the pandemic was more questionable than cheating on online exams itself.

Enhancing Vocational Certification Learning through a Gamified Chatbot: Evidence from a Quasi-Experimental Study

2025-11-04T16:34:17+08:00

Certification-based vocational education often emphasizes practical training, yet repetitive subject-based learning tasks place a heavy burden on teachers and reduce student motivation. To address this challenge, this study examined the integration of a gamified chatbot into cognitive content instruction for the Level B Computer Hardware Fabrication certification. A quasi-experimental design was implemented across three academic years, involving a control group (conventional instruction), an experimental group using a non-gamified chatbot, and another using a gamified chatbot. Over an eight-week intervention, participants completed pre- and post-tests to measure learning effectiveness, while learner satisfaction was assessed through a validated questionnaire. Results from ANCOVA revealed that the gamified chatbot group achieved learning outcomes equivalent to teacher-led instruction and significantly outperformed the non-gamified chatbot group. Post hoc tests confirmed large effect sizes favoring gamification. Learners also reported greater satisfaction, particularly in reduced boredom and improved alignment with learning preferences. These findings demonstrate that a gamified chatbot can effectively function as a mobile cognitive content instructor, sustaining motivation, enhancing learning outcomes, and alleviating teacher workload in certification-oriented education. The proposed model is scalable and holds global relevance, offering adaptability to other vocational certifications, STEM training, and content-intensive learning contexts.

Artificial Intelligence and Virtual Reality in Learning Environments: Perspectives from Preschool to Higher Education

2025-11-03T15:51:17+08:00

We live in an era of the most accelerated technological changes. Artificial intelligence possesses immense power and has the potential to dramatically influence education, being considered an inevitable transformation. Additionally, another technology, virtual reality (VR), although still in its early stages, when combined with artificial intelligence (AI), has the potential to radically transform entertainment, education, and healthcare. Thus, there is a call for new approaches to an educational system increasingly permeated by artificial intelligence systems---models, standards, and learning assessments. However, significant challenges arise, raising issues of ethics and academic integrity, such as the reliability of information, transparency regarding the sources used, privacy and data security, and plagiarism, as well as the investigation of how artificial intelligence affects teaching. Experts in educational technology predict that in the future, new versions of these technologies will replace textbooks and take the learning process outside the classroom. Overall, the United States alone has over 10 million virtual reality systems, with the actual number likely significantly higher. Moreover, artificial intelligence will not only enable new technologies but will also analyze their effectiveness and optimize the benefits they can offer. This paper on the impact of virtual reality and artificial intelligence on the educational process represents a step in our efforts to understand how these technologies can transform the educational system. The research found that the nature of the content presented in virtual reality can change users' perspectives and behaviors, as well as develop their knowledge empirically through personalized simulations. Instead of hours in front of screens, imagine learning in just a few minutes through VR. Therefore, it seems that with virtual reality, a little is enough.

AI-Driven Pedagogical Leadership in Mobile and Adaptive Learning Environments

2025-10-31T10:52:18+08:00

This conceptual and comparative study examined how pedagogical leadership can guide the integration of AI-driven mobile learning to promote adaptive and sustainable education. Drawing on international cases from Indonesia, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Europe, it identifies leadership strategies that align AI innovation with ethical and humanistic principles. The proposed framework highlights how moral integrity, visionary direction, and teacher competence enable the responsible adoption of mobile and generative AI tools for personalized and ubiquitous learning. The study contributed to advancing global discourse on AI-enabled mobile learning leadership and its implications for educational policy and practice.

Experiences of Developing Conceptual Understanding of 3D Shapes through Audio-Visual Aids

2025-10-28T13:16:54+08:00

This study explores grade X students’ experiences of developing a conceptual understanding of 3D shapes through audio-visual aids in the Nepalese context. Teachers are using traditional teaching strategies in which they mostly rely on textbooks and lecture-based instructions, and these pedagogical approaches can disengage students, obstruct their mathematical understanding conceptually, and hinder implementation in real-life situations. The study employs a qualitative narrative inquiry method to gather and explore the data. Two teachers having long-term teaching experiences and two students studying in secondary schools are chosen. In-depth interviews are taken to evaluate the impacts of audio aids like YouTube, GeoGebra, Microsoft Excel, Khan Academy, etc., on students' learning experiences; data is transcribed and discussed thematically. The findings of the study show that the proper use of audio-visual resources in mathematics teaching helps to enhance deeper mathematical understanding. Audio-visual aids improve students' active engagement in mathematics classrooms. It also bridges the gap between complex mathematical concepts and their applications in real-life scenarios. Incorporating audio/visual assets in mathematics classrooms can revolutionize the learning environment, encouraging students' active participation and ensuring long-term conceptual mastery. This study underlines the experiences of developing a conceptual understanding of 3D shapes through audio-visual aids. The study suggests that policymakers should equip every school with technological tools and ensure their proper use in the classrooms.

Τhe BBC micro:bit in Primary Schools: A Systematic Review on Computational Thinking, Creativity, and Pedagogical Strategies

2025-10-24T10:27:48+08:00

This article undertakes a systematic review of the educational integration of the BBC micro:bit in primary education. Using the PRISMA methodology as a framework, empirical studies published in the past decade (2015–2025, as of August) were identified through Scopus and through supplementary searches in Google Scholar. Three additional studies were retrieved from Google Scholar to ensure broader coverage. In total, seventeen studies met the inclusion criteria and were subjected to thematic analysis. The findings indicate that the BBC micro:bit facilitates the development of students’ computational thinking, creativity, problem-solving skills, and collaborative abilities, while nurturing their autonomy, ecological awareness, and learning engagement. Effective pedagogical strategies-including STEAM activities, project-based learning, and physical computing--were commonly employed. This review also addresses methodological limitations of the included studies and emphasizes the necessity of further longitudinal research to fully unlock the educational potential of the micro:bit.

Trust and AI Adoption for Mobile Learning in Higher Education: Evidence from Tanzanian Universities

2025-10-22T16:35:03+08:00

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming practices across multiple domains, including education, where adaptive teaching methods are enhancing learning processes. This study examines whether trust influences AI acceptance in higher learning institutions (HLIs) in Tanzania. Using a quantitative approach based on structural equation modeling (SEM) with data from 215 respondents, we extended the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) by integrating trust as an external variable. While the model was generally supported, perceived trust did not emerge as a significant predictor of behavioral intention to use AI in Tanzanian HLIs. These findings provide theoretical and policy insights for AI adoption in higher education and suggest avenues for future research.

Artistic Photography for Science Teaching: Preschool Teachers Creating Photographic Metaphors to Represent Scientific Phenomena

2025-10-01T22:12:34+08:00

Digital photographs are commonly used for science instruction since they can facilitate meaning-making and can draw students' interest and attention. However, it appears valuable to explore teachers' own creations of digital photographs, e.g. by using their portable mobile phone devices, to illustrate scientific phenomena as well as to create metaphorical representations of these phenomena, which this study calls 'photographic metaphors'. In this direction, this study qualitatively examined preservice preschool teachers' (n = 42) artistic photographs and photographic metaphors. Furthermore, it examined teachers' views on using such an arts-based approach through qualitative content analysis of their questionnaire reflections. The findings revealed that teachers created a variety of photographic metaphors having linguistic and conceptual features. Furthermore, they found such an approach engaging and effective for science teaching. However, challenges often arose since teachers created inaccurate or vague metaphors in several instances. The findings inform teacher education designers in implementing arts-based approaches in science, specifically through artistic photography.

An Investigation of Parental Control Practices, Internet Use Behaviors of Elementary School Students, and Their Relationships with School Performance

2025-09-23T14:42:11+08:00

It is widely known that children nowadays use the Internet for communication, entertainment, and educational purposes. Parents try to control their children's Internet use in various ways. Within this context, an investigation was carried out into the practices used by parents of primary school children to monitor Internet usage, as well as the impact of this usage on their academic performance. Through qualitative research and interviews with eight parents who were also educators, several conclusions were drawn regarding children's Internet use and its effect on school performance. The results of the present study showed that parents monitor their children's online activity by observing the websites they visit and try to limit the time they spend on the Internet. The responses indicated that the more time children spend online, the lower their academic performance tends to be. Moreover, the greater the parental control over Internet use, the higher the academic performance of primary school children.

Benefits and Challenges of AI in Higher Distance Education: Students’ Perceptions and Practices in Hellenic Open University (HOU)

2025-09-10T17:12:15+08:00

This study explores postgraduate students' perceptions and practices regarding Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in distance education at the Hellenic Open University (HOU). Conducted over two academic years (2023--24 and 2024--25), it examines students' familiarity with AI, perceived benefits and challenges, and opinions on ethical integration. Quantitative data were gathered via an online questionnaire from a sample of 373 students enrolled in two M.Sc. programmes. Results show that although students are somewhat familiar with AI, actual usage remains limited, mainly due to a lack of necessity, inadequate training, and institutional support. Those who use AI report benefits in research efficiency, time management, and feedback. However, concerns about reliability, academic integrity, and ethical ambiguity remain. Students strongly support establishing a regulatory framework, providing training for both students and educators, and modifying curricula to promote responsible use. The study underlines the importance of institutional preparedness and critical digital literacy as key factors for effective AI integration. Implications for educational practice, policy development, and future research are discussed, emphasising the need for a balanced, ethical, and pedagogically sound approach to AI in distance learning.