A framework for cooperative and interactive mobile learning to improve online information evaluation skills

Abstract

The quality of online information is highly variable because anyone can post data on the internet, and not all online sources are equally reliable, valuable, or accurate. Previous studies reveal problems with online information evaluation skills and a lack of ability in using evaluation criteria, including currency, relevance, authority, accuracy and purpose. The primary purpose of this study is to develop a framework for cooperative and interactive mobile learning to improve students' online information evaluation skills. A mobile learning application is subsequently developed based on the proposed framework. To assess the effectiveness of the developed application, an experiment is conducted on diploma students in a university. A usability questionnaire is conducted on an experimental group to identify students' perceptions regarding the usability of the developed mobile application. The experimental results indicate that the application is significantly more effective with an effect size of 1.91 in improving students’ online information evaluation skills than traditional learning. The results contribute to the extant literature in the context of mobile learning by identifying usability evaluation features and providing a framework for developing cooperative and interactive mobile learning. The implications of the present findings for research and instructional practice are discussed.