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human physiological response and arousal, aug-
menting quantitative physiological response data
with qualitative psychological data appears to be
an appropriate approach. Overcoming research ob-
stacles encountered in physiological response and
arousal methodologies will help ensure increased
human engagement in m-learning applications.
continue to evaluate the ergonomic issues that
may negatively affect the performance and sat-
isfaction levels of incorporating mobile devices
in educational environments in hopes of making
them conducive for learning.
Kukulska-Hulme (2002) conducted a study
that examined students enrolled in an online
course using a PDA for reading and note-taking
to identify usability issues. Usability issues identi-
fied included:
challenges of mobile Learning
Usability most often refers to the interaction be-
tween human beings and objects, but in a broader
sense, it should include factors outside the im-
mediate interaction that influence the quality of
the human interactive experience. For example,
psychological and social factors may influence the
perceived usability and utility of a device. There
are a number of challenges that may hamper the
progression and incorporation of mobile devices
in educational environments. First, the cognitive
and physical ergonomic influence on m-learning
may affect the overall performance and satisfac-
tion levels of students. Jones (2009) conducted a
study to examine the physical, physiological, and
perceived subjective workload issues participants
experienced while using a mobile device to read
course material. The study resulted in mobile de-
vice users experiencing more physical discomfort
such as eye fatigue, shoulder and neck pain, and
lower back pain. Reasons for this stemmed from
physical features of the device, sitting posture,
and the duration of reading the material from the
small screen. In addition, participants that used a
mobile device to read course material experienced
higher levels of perceived mental workload. Rea-
sons for this included limitations of the mobile
device preventing note taking and scrolling, and
an overall preference for desktop computers for
reading material. Despite participants experienc-
ing higher levels of subjective mental workload
and physical discomfort, 58 participants (of 84)
indicated they would still use a mobile device for
educational purposes. It is because of this desire
from potential students that researchers need to
1. Difficulty reading the text on the screen
2. Difficulty scanning the text when the font
was enlarged
3. Difficulty with data entry
4. Eye ache and visual disturbance when look-
ing at the screen
The usability issues identified key factors that
need to be improved to make mobile devices ef-
fective, efficient, and satisfying to students using
it for educational purposes. Evaluating ergonomic
and usability issues caused when using mobile
devices can aid in determining the appropriate
method (i.e. content, representation of material,
physical attributes of mobile devices, software
applications, and physical environment to be
used) of incorporating the devices in educational
environments.
Despite its role in the progression and future of
distance education, the lack of social cues when
using mobile devices and computer mediated
communication remains a concern. Crosby et al.
(2001) conducted a study that analyzed physiologi-
cal data feedback of distance education students.
Since professors cannot view students' nonverbal
cues (frustration and confusion over a topic), re-
searchers looked for a way to communicate those
emotions to instructors. Physiological data such as
pulse, galvanic skin response, and general somatic
activity were correlated with the emotion of the
student through an Emotion Mouse. The study
demonstrated that the physiological information
provided insight about changes in users' emotional
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