Smartphones and their role in the modern classroom

Abstract

Mobile and wireless technologies have reached such a high level of sophistication that, today, they can be more easily incorporated into teaching and learning processes. The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which present‑day classes can benefit from the use of smartphones and mobile applications. To this end, a study looked at the experience of 204 ADA University students in the Faculty of General Education over two academic terms in a Writing and Information Literacy course. At the end of the academic year, the students filled out a survey. Descriptive statistics, such as simple percentage mean and standard deviation, were used to analyze the data. The study reveals that smartphone functions like note-taking, photos of the whiteboard and/or smartboard, video recordings, and the WhatsApp application can become an integral part of the modern classroom. The study also suggests that smartphone technology should be widely applied by university teachers/instructors and, in the future, may lead to certain changes in teaching methodology generally.