The utilization of mobile devices for improving access to online learning for distance education’s students

Abstract

Recent advances in mobile devices have opened up opportunities for every individual to be able to communicate and obtain information quicker. Users of mobile devices in Asia now account for 49% of mobile device users in the world. This growth is partly supported by the rapid development of the Internet use. Indonesia has a potentially huge market in the use of mobile devices and Internet. The extent of utilization of mobile devices by the students pursuing higher education, especially at Universitas Terbuka (UT), is an important component of this development. This study seeks to develop an understanding of the following issues: (1) the types of the mobile devices that are used by students, (2) the types of learning and information accessed through mobile devices, (3) the time used to access learning through mobile devices, (4) the degree of students’ satisfaction in using the mobile devices for learning, and (5) the effectiveness of using mobile devices for learning. The data of this research were collected by using an online questionnaire containing 26 questions. The questionnaires were distributed to UT students from four faculties and the Graduate Programs from all UT’s regional offices at 38 locations spread across Indonesia, including UT’s regional office for overseas student. Overall, there were 767 respondents. The results of this research show that the utilization of mobile devices, especially in the use of smartphones to access UT’s online learning, seems to have great potential.