Learning Related Device Usage of German and Indian Students

This paper investigates learning related device usage of German and Indian students. For that purpose, an exploratory survey of students at the University of Hildesheim and the Symbiosis College of Arts and Commerce in Pune is executed. The aim of the research is to uncover basic patterns of overall device usage, studying behavior, employment of learning tools and assessment of e-learning. Collected data deliver a broad picture on students' needs with regard to e-learning support. Results show, students from Pune are engaged in e-learning more frequently than students from Hildesheim. For students from India, smartphones are the most important learning devices. For German students, laptops are more important. Although both groups are experienced in e-learning, the Indian students employ a wider range of resources. In addition, Indian students communicate more often with their peers and instructors via computer mediated communication channels than the Germans. Whereas German students talk about content related and organizational aspects of learning, Indians focus on content related topics when communicating with peers and instructors. [For the full proceedings, see ED621557.]