Introducing mobile learning for promoting World ...

Introducing mobile learning for promoting World Heritage Site preservation awareness: Assessment of mobile usage behavior of undergraduate students in Luang Prabang Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) 1

Yew Siang Poong

Shinobu Yamaguchi

Jun-Ichi Takada

Keywords: mobile learning, preservation, sustainable technology, applicability, effectiveness

1. Introduction and Objective An urgent call for preservation of Luang Prabang town as a World Heritage Site was issued by UNESCO due to rapid development after Luang Prabang has become a popular tourists spot. Being a developing country, Laos has already achieved 80% mobile penetration rate in the year 2011, and is forecasted to grow continuously in the coming years. Since education is recognized to play an important role in promoting awareness in many areas requiring preservation and protection, this research aims to introduce mobile learning to promote World Heritage Site preservation awareness, following initiatives in developing countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and India. However, in order to ensure sustainable use of ICT implementation, needs assessment has to be conducted prior to the implementation and such assessment is essential especially in developing countries [1]. Consistent with this view, this paper examines mobile device usage behavior among undergraduate student sample to shed light on the actual status of mobile learning readiness among the young generation in Luang Prabang. 2. Methodology This study adopts questionnaire survey to acquire student perceptions on mobile learning. The questionnaire consists of three sections: 1) investigating mobile device features and usage by students; 2) inquiring students’ perceptions towards technology acceptance variables, including personal innovativeness, ease of use, usefulness, self-efficacy, cost, facility, and intention to use mobile learning; and 3) students’ demographic questions. A total of 484 questionnaires were distributed to the Faculty of Economic and Tourism in Souphanouvong University and to Northern Law College of Luang Prabang in March 2012. Guide to answer questionnaire was explained to the students in Lao language with the assistance of local ICT team members of the Department of World Heritage. Further, interview sessions were organized with faculty staff members to seek their opinion on students’ use of mobile device as well as their perception towards mobile learning. A total of 443 questionnaires were returned, yielding 91.53% response rate. Finally, 365 questionnaires were considered valid for data analysis. 3. Findings The survey found the following three major characteristics among university students in Luang Prabang: 3.1 Most common device owned by student is mobile phone, followed by laptop The number of devices owned by respondents reveal interesting trend. Given the multiple response options of mobile phone, tablet, laptop and personal computer (PC), a total of 587 (161.7%) cases were reported. This means respondents in this study own between 1 to 2 devices at the same time. The device that 1

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most owned by respondents is mobile phone (n=358), followed by laptop (n=188), PC (n=29) and tablet (n=12). The figures conform to the trend of mobile phone ownership in several other developing countries and depict the potential of using mobile phone as a tool to implement innovative ICT application. 3.2 Smartphone is popular among university students with 3G and WiFi functionality Different kinds of applications require various supporting features from mobile device, for example, smartphone-ready capability, touchscreen, global positioning system (GPS) and camera. Data analysis reveals that 179 (66.8%) of the respondents’ mobile phone is a smartphone. Although smartphone nowadays is associated with touch screen capability, the result shows an opposite trend. Only 111 (24.9%) respondents have touchscreen feature in their mobile device. This is understandable because while Symbian-equipped device is considered as smartphone, they are mainly non-touchscreen based Connectivity wise, the number of respondents who owned a 3G-enabled mobile device (n=149, 28.5%) is greater than those who owned a WiFi-enabled mobile device (n=77, 14.7%). Finally, the most prominent mobile device feature across 262 (58.9%) respondents is camera. The high number of Internet-ready smartphones owned by the respondents suggests that more varieties of innovative applications could be developed. 3.3 Laptop is the main device used for digital activities, followed by mobile phone and the school is the common place to access Internet The survey also explored devices used for various digital activities. Analysis shows that laptop is the most used device, followed by mobile device. Specifically, laptop is used mainly for searching information (n=231, 55.8%), learning new knowledge (n=231, 55.8%), e-mail (n=223, 53.3%), watching video (n=220, 52.8%), engaging in social networking sites (n=203, 51.3%), playing game (n=178, 41.9%), and reading news (n=134, 36.7%). On the other hand, mobile device is used mainly in chatting (n=230, 53.4%) and listening to music (n=213, 45.4%). PC is the least used device in performing these activities. Meanwhile, school (n=159, 30.5%) and home (n=119, 22.8%) are the top two places of access to the Internet. Respondents who access to the Internet anywhere using mobile phone comprise of 21.1% (n=110). Only 74 (14.2%) access Internet in the cyber café. Analysis shows that respondents do not access to Internet only in one place, but in multiple places. 4. Conclusion The basic assessment presented in this study provided vital information for sustainable implementation of mobile learning to promote World Heritage Site preservation awareness in Luang Prabang. Although laptop is still currently the most used device, mobile device is the next emerging technology among the younger generation. As quoted by a Lao mobile industry expert, given established infrastructure, one of the main reasons of low mobile internet usage among Laotians is “almost total lack of localized internet content” [2]. Hence, the development of mobile application is seen to be an effective approach to promote World Heritage Site preservation awareness in Luang Prabang. References [1] Takada, J., Yamaguchi, S., Leong, C. (2008). Geographical Information System (GIS) and Regional Development: Potential Problems and Feasible Solutions. The Japan Society for International Development, 19th Annual Conference Proceedings, 350-353. [2] Sambandaraksa, D. (2012, March 30). Insights into Asia’s mobile market. Telecom Asia.