The usefulness of pocket PC in facilitating teaching in higher education

Mobile technologies offer new opportunities for electronic teaching and learning and including their ability to enable people to collaborate “anywhere, anytime”. They are, however, being introduced in an environment in which usage of electronic teaching and learning has increased apace without proper regard to its effectiveness and justification. Around the world tertiary institutions have invested heavily in technology with a view to their image in the eye of the public. In research and publication focused on higher education, little has examined the adoption and use of mobile handheld devices by academics or teachers. The aim of this paper is to examine how teaching academics perceive using a Pocket PC to facilitate university teaching and administrative duties. In this study the utility of Pocket PCs is compared with that of desktop and laptop computers operating in a wireless environment. A survey of academics using Pocket PCs was conducted and the results were analysed and interpreted. The results may assist the management of the tertiary institutions to enhance related services to both staff members and students.