IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON EDUCATION, VOL. 49, NO. 2, MAY 2006 181

Guest EditorialMobile Technology in Education

RECENT advancements in mobile and wireless technologyhas helped to improve commerce [1]–[4] and services [5],

[6]. Mobile technology is strategic to many organizations, disci-plines, and activities [7], [8]. Education is no exception! The useof mobile technology has not only extended desktop-based on-line learning environment into the mobile and wireless channelbut also enabled education to take place anytime, anywhere. Theuse of mobile technology in education is also known as “mobileeducation,” or “m-education.”

Mobile technologies have provided unique opportunities foreducators to deliver educational materials efficiently and tosupport the cognitive and social process of student learning.Educational materials can be delivered to students through mo-bile devices. Students can communicate and interact with peerstudents and educators in real time using mobile technology.Mobile technology can also be integrated into curriculumdesign to improve interactivity in the classroom.

Applications of mobile technology in education can providebenefits to both students and educators. Mobile technologyprovides greater flexibility in student learning. Students canhave access to educational materials through their mobile de-vices, which enable them to learn as and when the need arisesand when the time is right, no matter where they are—evenwhen they are on the move. With mobile devices, not only areeducational materials readily available to students, but theycan also be delivered to students based on their needs andpreferences. Mobile technology can also benefit the educatorsby providing a new means of education delivery, as well asadding a new dimension for student–instructor interaction. Forexample, wireless classroom response systems can be inte-grated into classroom instructions to gather students’ responsesand provide instantaneous feedback to students. Such usescan help to improve classroom interactivity, enhance teachingeffectiveness, and promote student learning.

As a new phenomenon that is gaining popularity, mobile tech-nology in education has generated significant interest and at-tention from both researchers and practitioners [9], [10]. ThisSpecial Issue of the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON EDUCATION istimely, and it presents four papers on the use of mobile tech-nology in education.

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TE.2006.875792

The paper “Adaptive Mobile Web Services Facilitate Com-munication and Learning Internet Technologies” proposes anenvironment to support the information flow among members ofa department and provide a test-bed mobile Web application forstudents undertaking Internet technologies courses. The resultsindicate that the proposed solution is efficient from the commu-nication perspective and effective in supporting student involve-ment in the mobile Web initiative.

The paper “Mobile Technology as a Learning Object and anExploration Tool in an IS Curriculum: An Innovative Instructionof Wireless Network Security” proposes a systematic frame-work to cover wireless security attack, detection, and protec-tion. The paper also includes a learning matrix for educatorsand practitioners to enhance the IS curriculum. The assessmentresults show that students were highly positive toward this newapproach of security education.

The paper “Development of a Mobile Spreadsheet-Based PIDControl Simulation System” reports the development, imple-mentation, and evaluation of a mobile spreadsheet-based PID(Proportional, Integral, Derivative) control simulation systemthat aims to enhance the learning of students in the field of con-trol engineering. The mobile spreadsheet system developed isable to work with most handheld mobile devices, including thecellular phone.

The paper “Design, Development, and Assessment of MobileApplications: The Case for Problem-Based Learning” reportson efforts to develop a pedagogical environment to influencethe learning experiences of students as mobile applications endusers, developers, and decision makers. A graduate-level coursecalled Mobile Applications Development (MAD) was created,and the student teams in the course presented their mobile so-lution to a panel of expert judges from the industry and highereducation. The paper discusses how problem-based learningprinciples guided the design and implementation of MAD anddescribes a multiperspective assessment of the success of MAD.

These four papers present various mobile applications in ed-ucational settings, evaluate the effects of mobile technology insupporting teaching and learning, and provide guidelines foreducators contemplating on incorporating mobile technology intheir instruction. Undoubtedly, the use of mobile technology ineducation will accelerate with the rapid advancement of mobileand wireless technologies. This Special Issue presents some pi-oneering effort in this endeavor.

0018-9359/$20.00 © 2006 IEEE

182 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON EDUCATION, VOL. 49, NO. 2, MAY 2006

Finally, we would like to thank the Editor-in-ChiefDavid A. Conner for approving and supporting this Spe-cial Issue. The help provided by the IEEE editorial team is alsoappreciated.

KENG SIAU, Guest EditorUniversity of Nebraska-LincolnDepartment of ManagementLincoln, NE 68588-0491 USAe-mail: ksiau@unl.edu

FIONA FUI-HOON NAH, Guest EditorUniversity of Nebraska-LincolnDepartment of ManagementLincoln, NE 68588-0491 USAe-mail: fnah@unl.edu

REFERENCES

[1] K. Siau, E. Lim, and Z. Shen, “Mobile commerce—Promises, chal-lenges, and research agenda,” J. Database Manage., vol. 12, no. 3, pp.4–13, 2001.

[2] J. Krogstie, K. Lyytinen, A. Opdahl, B. Pernici, K. Siau, and K.Smolander, “Mobile information systems—Research challenges onthe conceptual and logical level,” in Advanced Conceptual ModelingTechniques, ser. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. New York:Springer-Verlag, 2003, vol. 2784, pp. 124–135.

[3] K. Siau and Z. Shen, “Building customer trust in mobile commerce,”Commun. ACM, vol. 46, no. 4, pp. 91–94, 2003.

[4] H. Galanxhi-Janaqi and F. Nah, Ind. Manage. Data Syst., vol. 104, no.9, pp. 744–755, 2004.

[5] K. Siau and Z. Shen, “Mobile commerce applications in supply chainmanagement,” J. Internet Commerce, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 3–14, 2002.

[6] K. Siau and Z. Shen, “Mobile communications and mobile services,” Int.J. Mobile Commun., vol. 1, no. 1/2, pp. 3–14, 2003.

[7] F. Nah, K. Siau, and H. Sheng, “The value of mobile applications: Autility company study,” Commun. ACM, vol. 48, no. 2, pp. 85–90, 2005.

[8] H. Sheng, F. Nah, and K. Siau, “Strategic implications of mobile tech-nology: A case study using value-focused thinking,” J. Strategic Inf.Syst., vol. 14, no. 3, pp. 269–290, 2005.

[9] A. L. Foster, “Can you hear me now?,” Chronicle Higher Educ., vol. 52,no. 12, p. A32, 2005.

[10] J. Chen and Kinshuk, “Mobile technology in educational services,” J.Educ. Multimedia Hypermedia, vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 91–109, 2005.

Keng Siau is a Professor of Management Information Systems (MIS) at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL). He is cur-rently serving as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Database Management and as the Book Series Editor for Advances inDatabase Research. He has over 200 academic publications. He has published more than 80 refereed journal articles, which haveappeared in such journals as Management Information Systems Quarterly, CACM, IEEE Computer, Information Systems, theIEEE TRANSACTIONS ON SYSTEMS, MAN, AND CYBERNETICS, the IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON PROFESSIONAL COMMUNICATION, andthe IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN BIOMEDICINE.

Fiona Fui-Hoon Nah received the B.Sc. (Hons.) degree in computer and information science and the M.Sc. degree from theNational University of Singapore and the Ph.D. degree in management information systems (MIS) from the University of BritishColumbia.

She is an Associate Professor of MIS at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Her research interests include mobile education,mobile and ubiquitous commerce, human–computer interaction, and computer-supported collaborative work. She has publishedher research in such journals as Communications of the ACM, the Journal of AIS, and Communications of AIS, among others.

Dr. Nah serves on the editorial board of 11 journals, and she is a Cofounder and Past Chair of AIS SIGHCI.