Interdisciplinary opportunities and challenges in creating m-learning apps: two case studies

Mobile digital devices such as smart phones and tablets support mobile learning (m-learning) and this is reinventing pedagogical and curriculum approaches in education. The unprecedented growth in digital technologies, and the educational apps they support, provides a unique opportunity to increase engagement in learning anywhere and at any time. However, the development of m-learning apps requires collaboration between learning and content experts and technology specialists. Such interdisciplinary collaboration presents both opportunities and challenges. This paper describes two case studies related to m-learning app development with the aim of highlighting the range of educational and technical issues that arose in the collaborative process, and the solutions devised by the interdisciplinary team.