Evaluation of Mobile Learning: Current Research and Implications for Instructional Designers

As mobile devices infiltrate our personal lives, they also are becoming increasingly embedded in formal educational environments. The emergence of laptops, tablets, and smartphones has diversified access to hardware and software for anytime/anywhere access. This influences learning theories and evaluation methodologies specifically aligned to mobile learning. Using an adapted conceptual framework, which combines the Framework for the Rational Analysis of Mobile Education (FRAME) and Transactional Distance Theory (TDT), this paper recommends instructional designers focus on using themes in evaluation of mobile learning research to inform design. Design principles in the literature have focused on usability, access to content, and alignment with pedagogical theories.