Student experience: issues of wireless access and cloud deployment in higher education

Universal move to wireless learning enabled through mobile apps has been evident over the last eighteen months in the higher education (HE) sector. Penetration rate of smart phones amongst students have reached a record high. Universities are investing in mobile applications enabling wireless access to current Learning Management Systems (LMS), while carefully considering benefits of the cloud for secure and flexible provision of LMS services. Capabilities of wireless devices present issues of access, presentation and compatibility of e-learning materials, while cloud infrastructure as a service raises concerns of security as data is hosted by third parties outside of the corporate firewalls. The research questions are presented for discussion through the lens of the student experience. A case of a successful move to mobile learning enablement and cloud deployment concludes the paper and opens a discussion on critical success factors in wireless e-learning operations.