A multi-mobility framework for institutional mobile learning: insights from formal and informal data
Journal
International Conferences Mobile Learning 2026 and Educational Technologies 2026
Publisher
IADIS
Date Issued
2026
Author(s)
Type
text::conference output::conference proceedings
Abstract
Mobile learning research increasingly emphasizes how learners move across technologies, locations, competencies, and social contexts. Yet, little empirical work has examined how these mobilities manifest simultaneously across formal and informal learning systems within higher education. This study analyzes learner mobility by integrating two complementary datasets: institutional analytics from a blockchain-based micro-credentialing system and student perceptions collected through an informal mobile learning survey. Using mobility theory as an analytical lens, and informed by a competence-based institutional educational model, the study identifies eight forms of mobility across the ecosystem: technological, spatial, temporal, behavioral, cognitive, ethical, social, and identity mobility. Results from the formal system show patterned engagement, including high rates of professional sharing of credentials, peaks in issuance aligned with academic cycles, and cyclical reactivation patterns. Informal learning data show varied device use across locations, developmental differences in competence emphasis between early-stage and senior students, and meaningful associations among competencies—such as a strong correlation between perceived contextual relevance and perceived diploma accuracy. When considered together, these findings reveal convergent mobility patterns across formal and informal learning pathways, suggesting complementary roles in competence development and learner engagement. The study contributes an empirically grounded, multi-mobility framework for understanding institutional mobile learning and offers implications for program design, analytics, and future research on mobile learning maturity in higher education. © The authors © IADIS.
License
Acceso Abierto