Learning Versus Task Completion

Another prominent feature of M-Learning environments is related to how trainees advance with the learning materials, activities, and exercises on their mobile devices. Of 133 trainee-respondents, 115 (86.5%) think that mobile technologies helped them to complete their learning activities and tasks more quickly than textbooks while 5 (4.5%) do not think so. Likewise, of 29 instructor-respondents, 19 (65.5%) think that mobile technologies helped their trainees to complete their learning activities and tasks more quickly than textbooks while 7 (24%) do not think so. However, it has been observed that trainees shift between engaging in real learning activities and going for a mere task completion. The devices make trainees complete their learning activities and tasks more quickly than before, yet also make them more inclined to check complete their tasks and exercises without real learning or acquisition of new knowledge or skills to spare more time for various reasons.

One feature that helps trainees to complete their learning activities and tasks more quickly is that they can get the scores/answers for the exercises they do promptly through the auto-check and auto-correct features (Figure 4.5).

Figure 4.5: Answer Auto-check Features, Saudi Aramco iBooks, 2018.

Although these features have the potential to encourage independent learning, help high-performing trainees to advance with their tasks without having to wait for the instructors to check their work, help low-performing trainees to avoid losing face in front of their colleagues due to repeated incorrect answers, these features may be misused by some trainees. For example, some trainees may want to know the correct answers quickly without real learning of the new information or skills in order to spare more time for themselves to relax or to visit the non-standard applications or websites. Other trainees may do this because they are looking for more self-esteem. Trying different options until having the correct answers gives them the confidence to raise their hands more in the classroom and to share and participate in the dynamics of the learning environment. Instructor 13 from the Academic Section elaborated on this:

Some of the activities are multiple-choice based, and this is fine. But the problem is they have self-correction feature and one student will get it, and say: Done, teacher! Actually, in this situation you are not sure whether they have done it before the class, or they have actually done by themselves, or one of them has got it right and shared it with them!

However, advancing through the tasks and activities may be based on real learning. There are numerous trainees who are self-motivated, autonomous, and high-

performing, and would not advance to the next activity without learning the tasks and processes in hand. They would only advance to pace themselves well; especially for difficult exercises, and maybe to maintain a high ranking as well. Instructor 11 from the Academic Section gave the following example:

There is a trainee at the moment whom I often see on the next page, but he is generously producing good work. For him, I think he likes to do it for two reasons: 1) he doesn't want to wait, 2) by going to the next page, he will have more time to focus on the activity and develop his answers.

In a typical classroom, instructors have an average of twenty trainees to check their work. It has been observed that some trainees complete their tasks or exercises more quickly than others, and when the instructors check their answers, they feel eager to advance with their learning. They do not wait for the rest of the classmates to catch up with them. They autonomously move to the next pages of the iBooks, preparing for or completing the following activities. By doing this, they spare themselves more time to complete the more difficult activities and exercises in the following pages. Lyddon (2016) elaborated on this feature by arguing that “as technological artifacts can be considered extensions of our physical and mental faculties, mobile technologies open up promising new possibilities in terms of the exercise of learner autonomy” (p. 306). In this respect, instructors adopt various pedagogical considerations to control their trainees’ tendency to go for task completion rather than learning. These include adopting effective comprehension check techniques; especially the techniques that require more participation from the learners such as peer checking. These also include employing effective activity/exercise control methods such as close monitoring of trainees’ self-pacing during the activities/exercises by using timers and countdown clocks and redesigning the activities to different levels of complexity. Instructor 15 from the Academic Section shared the following example:

To avoid ‘task completion’ and ensure real learning in place, it takes a lot of monitoring by the teacher and implementation of concept and comprehension checking. Personally, towards the end of each lesson, I apply a kind of group or class review to check their comprehension of the topic.

4.2.3. Compiled Learning Materials and Activities: easy access to all versus