Improving the project risk competence using m-learning: A case of bachelors in technical fields

Abstract

Mobile technology is a popular tool used to improve education efficiency, increase the availability of education and motivation for it across generations who have grown up in a digital environment. However, its impact on learners in risk assessment training in financial and engineering education fields is unknown. Projects are fraught with risks, so individuals responsible for a project need to possess strong skills to handle the risky circumstances successfully. Unfortunately, candidates for a bachelor's degree in technical fields in Russia have an insufficient risk competence. This study offers a five-unit program combined with mobile learning to solve this problem. The study involved 128 students recruited from the Noyabrsk Institute of Oil and Gas (Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia). All participants were divided into three groups: Two experimental and one control. During a semester, participants in the experimental groups followed the proposed program in a mobile setting, while the control group was offered the standard curriculum. One of the experimental groups received a part of the instruction using mobile technology, while the other was trained according to a traditional in-class mode. Based on the learning outcomes, three types of tests were conducted: One was on math problems, and two others comprised problem-solving tasks. The results showed an improvement in the student outcomes: The test scores of the experimental groups were higher by 24.78% and 32.75% than that of the control group. Furthermore, mobile learners were found to perform better than classroom learners. Thus, the hypothesis of the study about the advantage of the proposed training program (IAMF) in the field of risk management was confirmed, and the greater effectiveness of training based on mobile learning was provided.