Challenges and pathways to integrate mobile learning andragogy approaches in stem related courses in Bangladesh higher education

Higher education in Bangladesh predominantly employs outdated lecture-based methods andsummative evaluations, impeding students' capacity to fulfil the requirements of the 4thIndustrial Revolution (4IR), thus leading to unemployment and diploma disease. Science,Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) courses emphasise inquiry and problembasedlearning; nonetheless, existing instructional methods fall short in addressing STEMspecificchallenges. The increasing penetration of mobile technology in Bangladesh offersprospects for improving educational accessibility and involvement through technologyintegration. During the Covid pandemic, exploration of mobile technology to meet studentneeds open up possibilities for curriculum development that had previously been underutilised.The study investigates the use and obstacles of mobile-mediated STEM teaching inhigher education, particularly in light of Covid-19 changes, amidst absence of prior research.This study employs Knowles' Andragogical Process Model to analyse teaching-learningapproaches and utilises Koole's Framework for the Rational Analysis of Mobile Learning(FRAME) model to conceptualise mobile learning through device, learner, and social aspects.The research, has been conducted within a pragmatic framework, utilises a mixed-methodapproach, concentrating on three contrasting higher education institutions in Bangladesh.This study reveals significant readiness among students for mobile learning, while alsoidentifying various challenges, including insufficient technical and material support, a lack ofunderstanding of andragogy, limited competence and expertise among educators andlearners, and restrictive policies that impede the effective implementation of andragogymediatedmobile learning. By exploring the difficulties as well as the way forward, the studydevelops a theoretical framework for mobile andragogy, to tackle what kind of issues inBangladesh STEM higher education and explore quality improvement pathways. Theoutcomes of this study will significantly contribute to attain the Sustainable DevelopmentGoal (SDG) Goal-4 through enhancing learning outcome of the adult learners by focusingstudent-centric innovative and technology oriented instructional strategy.