Abstract:

Nowadays, mobile learning is becoming more and more prevalent. They can benefit from the mobile environments regardless of the age, culture, obstacles, and experiences of the individual. Due to the diversity in the user mass, it is important that mobile applications are designed in a way that all individuals can use. Universal design is an approach that aims to make all types of products and processes more comprehensive. This study aims to highlight the importance of universal design in mobile learning processes. Based on the principles of universal design for learning, a checklist consisting of three dimensions and 45 items has been developed. The 26 mobile application checklist, which is widely used around the world and offers foreign language education, has been reviewed. The research results have found that the applications are insufficient, especially in the "content presentation". Applications have been observed in the dimensions of "usage and interaction options" and "motivation increases" in the middle. As a result, it can be noted that even in the applications used worldwide, individuals with different characteristics have deficiencies in terms of use. Based on the findings, it is recommended that the design of mobile applications also takes into account the individual with special needs marked in the universal design principles.