Assessing the Usability of an AI-Powered Mobile App on Student Engagement in Remote Field Activities

This mixed research study aimed to use a mobile app ‘Neo-Light’ by university students in remote field study locations to eliminate the limitation of carrying traditional hard-copy maps in remote field studies. The study is specific to determining whether mobile app can effectively replace hard-copy maps to conduct field studies. The study's primary objective was to examine the role of mobile learning in supporting university students with their geospatial field activities such that reliance on traditional hard copy maps can be reduced and a more interactive basis for learning using digital mapping tools employed. The specific issue that the authors addressed was to replace traditional modes of learning, which used obsolete approaches for landscape interpretation using paper maps, leading to pedagogically inflexible and disconnected curriculum design for contemporary students. The study employs a usability testing methodology based on the ISO 9241–11 standard to measure usability factors (effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction) to assist future researchers in identifying emerging mobile learning practices in higher education. This study discovered that mobile learning was associated with a positive influence on students' geospatial knowledge, yielding 93% competence when completing mapping activities. With increasing educational applications, a better user experience is essential. Higher education institutions are responsible for providing accessible student infrastructure and should emphasize interactions that foster significant changes in an information and communication-based society.