Learning Can Happen Anytime and Anywhere: The Application of M-learning in Medical Education

With the growing development of information technology, people have greater hunger for knowledge. Resources in medical education are not distributed easily and access to lifelong education can be more problematic in rural locations. M-learning has emerged to adapt the leisure and lifelong learning trend of the society, which is deemed as the future of distance education. This paper provides a comprehensive view of the use of M-learning(mobile learning). Compared with traditional learning environments, M-learning can link learners, instructors and resources in more way and learner will be engaged and motivated to study anytime and anywhere. Through the analysis of the current communication technologies and mobile devices, particularly the use of WAP Push, the paper suggests a conceptual model as a framework for M-learning system use in medical education. Finally, there is need for more rigorous research on specific uses of M-learning in medical education as it is still in its infancy.