oa An Analysis of Socio-Technical Factors in Implementing Mobile Learning Solution at an Educational Institution: A Case Study of Mid-Tier MBA College in India

The exponential rise in the adoption of mobile devices around the world opened up unthinkable possibilities in many traditional lines of businesses. Mobile devices have become corner stones to publishing, news media, social media, ecommerce, navigation, location based services, travel companions, tour guides and much more. The consumerization of mobile technology enabled by factors like endless choice of devices, low entry barrier, high usability and disruptive innovations, has also presented mobile learning to the education industry.

Given the rise in the number of educational institutions across India, mobile learning is seen as more of a branding tool and less of a pedagogy or learning innovation tool. Owing to this perspective, the institutions focus on rolling-out an mLearning implementation at the earliest, rather than laying out a long-term strategy towards real innovation.

In this paper, we present some socio-technical issues faced in one such mLearning roll-out in a mid-tier Management Institute in South India. We relate our experiences to existing research, and attempt to provide a direction towards developing an mLearning implementation framework, that could provide a strategic approach to mLearning adoption.