Integrating mobile learning and SPOC-based flipped classroom to teach a course in water supply and drainage science and engineering

To promote the combination of mobile learning (m-learning) in new courses contexts and improve students' learning outcomes, an integrated method of m-learning and small private online course (SPOC)-based flipped classroom was proposed and used for teaching the "hydrology" course at Xi'an University of Architecture and Technology (XAUAT). The offering of the new methodology was composed of preclass (knowledge acquisition), in-class (knowledge internalization), and after-class (knowledge application) stages, and the WeChat applet Mu classroom with m-learning technology was adopted in the in-class stage. To improve the teacher-student interactions and communication, several interactive activities were designed based on Mu classroom, including random roll calls, open questions, objective questions, discussion, and extended discussion. After using the integrated method, the average score of each final exam was improved significantly (p < .05), and the failed (<60) percentage was decreased significantly (p = .002 < .01). Positive correlation between the scores of in-class quizzes and discussion and final exam were obtained (R-2 = .530, p < .001), indicating that students' outcomes were greatly affected by mobile learning. Moreover, positive feedback from students' questionnaires confirmed that the integrated approach was effective and could motivate students' learning interests and knowledge understanding.