Utilizing students' own mobile devices and rich media: Two case studies from the health sciences

The rapid proliferation of mobile devices nationally coupled with high levels of individual ownership both nationally and internationally provide many opportunities for exploring ways in which students own mobile devices might be integrated into teaching and learning activities in higher education. Amongst other benefits, mobile learning is seen as providing considerable opportunities to link formal and informal learning across a range of educational contexts. Equally, rich media such as vodcasts (video podcasts) and videoconferencing are increasingly seen as supporting a range of teaching and learning activities, particularly in distance learning situations. This paper describes two case studies that explored the implementation of mobile devices and rich media in the Health Sciences and concludes that mobile learning can make valuable contributions to linking different learning environments. The motivation for the exploration of mobile connectivity came from the need to find ways to better support students on clinical placement in two different contexts.