The Impact of Digital Mobile Devices in Higher Education

This research examined the acceptance, incidence, and use of digital mobile devices (tablets and smartphones) among university students in the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). The research was contextualized in a sample of 419 students from three Spanish public universities. Through a quantitative methodology, we identified the factors and variables that condition and favor the use of digital mobile devices in university studies. The factor-based structure enabled a holistic view of ICT innovation in universities across three key areas: Teaching model (face-to-face/distance), area of study, and generic competencies. The outcomes could be used as means to forecast, explain, and improve the integration of these digital mobile devices for fostering learning activities and generic competencies in the Higher Education context.