International Journal of Interactive Mobile Technologies (iJIM) – eISSN: 1865-7923 – Vol 16 No 16 (2022) Paper—Usability Evaluation of Mobile App for the Sustainable Professional Development of Teachers Usability Evaluation of Mobile App for the Sustainable Professional Development of Teachers https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v16i16.32015 Nisar Ahmed Dahri1(), Muhammad Saleem Vighio1, Waleed Mugahed Al-Rahmi2, Omar A. Alismaiel3 1Quaid-E-Awam University of Engineering, Science, and Technology, Nawabshah, Pakistan 2Faculty of Social Sciences & Humanities, School of Education, University Technology Malaysia, UTM, Johor, Malaysia 3College of Education, King Faisal University, Alhasa, Saudi Arabia dahrinisar@gmail.com Abstract—Teachers’ professional development plays a significant role in the sustainability of quality education. However, providing sustainable profes- sional development programs is difficult because of various challenges, such as a scarcity of qualified personnel and Lack of training opportunities, lack of access and resources, etc. For teachers’ professional development, educational institutions currently favor adopting and using modern educational technologies. As a result, various mobile apps have been developed and implemented in edu- cational institutions in recent years. This paper presents the findings of a study that looked at the Usability of our designed mobile App for teachers training in Sindh by employing one of the most widely used usability criteria, SUS. It also investigates the relationship between these variables and the impact of teachers’ demographic characteristics on the SUS Score. The study’s findings achieved a 100% completion rate for all tasks, indicating an extremely effective, efficient, and sustainable system. Moreover, the satisfaction percentage was also found to be 84.1 percent, considered highly satisfactory. Keywords—sustainable CPD model, teacher’s training, mobile-based training app, usability, effectiveness, efficiency, satisfaction, digital learning use for education sustainability 1 Introduction Sustainability and access to high-quality education have long been a source of con- cern across the globe. Teachers play a critical role in all educational institutions’ teach- ing and learning processes. Professional development programs that are well-designed are crucial to the success of the teaching process and the delivery of high-quality education. In the wake of the COVID-19 epidemic, the globe has been thrown into a state of emergency, which has impacted the learning process worldwide, especially in developing nations, and has caused significant disruption to the education sector. As a 4 http://www.i-jim.org https://doi.org/10.3991/ijim.v16i16.32015 mailto:dahrinisar@gmail.com Paper—Usability Evaluation of Mobile App for the Sustainable Professional Development of Teachers result, learners’ ability to acquire knowledge and interest, motivation, and engagement have suffered the most [1]. In Pakistan, the national and provincial governments reacted quickly to launch several programs to assure educational continuity for the country’s children. The educational content was transformed using various modes, including tele- vision, radio, and text messages [1]. However, none of the programs focused on the continuous professional development of teachers, which significantly influences the quality of education delivered in schools. On the other hand, the sustainability of such initiatives is a big concern. In-service training is provided to teachers to keep their knowledge, skills, and competence up to date and refreshed. During training, teachers learn various content knowledge, teach- ing and assessment approach, and learning experiences that are restored throughout; ultimately, it improves the overall professional competency of teachers [1]–[5]. Several studies have shown that professional development interventions enhance the quality of the teacher in terms of their knowledge and teaching abilities. Professional develop- ment programs, for example, may assist teachers in gaining a broad and comprehensive knowledge of their subjects [6]–[8]. Vogt and Rogalla (2009) found that a content-fo- cused mentoring professional learning intervention helped improve adaptive teaching competence [9]. Professional development programs are essential for career advancement in today’s workplace [7], though challenging to impart due to many issues such as a lack of gov- ernment regulations, inadequate training opportunities, lack of technology trends, and substantial political influence on appointment processes and so on [1]–[5]. Even though most institutes are working hard to enhance teachers’ learning outcomes, many fail to achieve this goal due to their reliance on inadequate traditional in-service continuous professional development (CPD) programs [10]. 1.1 Sustainability of education in Pakistan Teachers are needed to meet SDG 4’s aims. The maldistribution of professionally trained teachers, especially in poor communities, exacerbates the education equality gap. Teachers and educators should be empowered, engaged, rewarded, motivated, and taught through Support programs for quality education [6], [11]. Professional development is an integral approach for improving the quality of schools, raising teacher quality, and enhancing student learning outcomes [6], [7], [9], [12], [13]. According to the National Staff Development Council, professional devel- opment is widely considered high-quality when it allows ongoing training courses, workshops, or seminars with intensive follow-up and on-the-job support or mentoring. Study reports of schools in Pakistan reveal that children’s literacy (Urdu/Sindhi/Pashto) and numeracy skills decreased in 2021 compared to 2019 (see Figure 1). ASER report 2021 determined that the fundamental levels in grade 3 are not maintained, and learning obstacles arise, as seen by learning outcomes in higher grades. 15% of grade 3 students could read a story in Urdu, Sindhi, or Pashto, compared to 18% in 2019. In 2019, 59% of grade 5 pupils in Urdu/Sindhi/Pashto could read a grade 2 story, up from 55% in 2018. Similarly, in ASER 2021, 74% of grade 8 pupils could read a story in Urdu/ Sindhi/Pashto, compared to 86% in 2019 [14]. iJIM ‒ Vol. 16, No. 16, 2022 5 Paper—Usability Evaluation of Mobile App for the Sustainable Professional Development of Teachers Fig. 1. Numeracy and numbers results [14] Also, students in grades 3, 5, and 8 struggled with Arithmetic. 20% of grade 3 chil- dren could solve division problems at the grade 2 level in 2020, compared to 21% in 2019. Furthermore, in 2021, just 51% of 5th-grade children could manage division problems, compared to 57% in 2019. In 2021, compared to 2019, 63% of grade 8 pupils could finish division problems. With just 15% to 20% of students reading and math by grade 3, the pre-epidemic learning difficulty causes the formation of “lost generations.” Ages 3–8 years old need urgent large-scale efforts to address learning. These large-scale reports determine the poor teaching as reflected in student level of achievement in various subjects. The number of teachers has not been trained suffi- ciently in Sindh and Punjab due to non-sustainable CPD models [10], [15]–[18]. How- ever, teacher education and training have the most significant influence on the teaching workforce’s quality. According to Alif Ailaan’s 2017 assessment, lousy management and teacher development (inadequate and low-quality CPD training) significantly con- tribute to the country’s low language, math, and science proficiency [14]. In Pakistan, in-service teacher training and continuing professional development (CPD) have tradi- tionally been inconsistent and of poor quality [15], [19]–[22]. Even after several rounds of in-service training (in which many donor-funded organizations have invested much), teachers’ pedagogical practices have not changed significantly. But some of the reasons are indeed due to a lack of regular financial support, reliance on donors for ad hoc financing for project-based training, and a failure to scale up sustainable models on a long-term basis [5]–[7], [10], [18], [21]–[24]. 1.2 Teacher education and training in Pakistan and their limitations The “overarching paradigm of the United Nations,” Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), is gaining traction in the education sector [21], [22]. Concern- ing the preparation of pre-service teachers, teacher education institutes are expected to examine their role in achieving education for sustainability [21]. Teacher training and education are tools for providing educational opportunities to attain educational goals and establish a knowledge-making process that will lead to long-term growth. Various techniques and strategies have been used to achieve academic goals in teacher education. 6 http://www.i-jim.org Paper—Usability Evaluation of Mobile App for the Sustainable Professional Development of Teachers Traditional Sindh’s professional development techniques, such as the cascade model or top-down training, have achieved significant results. Nevertheless, they have sub- stantial limitations as a result of a lack of usage of technology and an absence of provi- sion of professional and academic aid (classroom support and follow-up methods) [10]. Every teacher needs to be given a chance to participate in in-service training at least once every five years, according to a recommendation for an education policy made by the school’s management. In Pakistan, a primary school teacher obtains in-service training after 13 years, an elementary school teacher after eight years, and a high school teacher after 16 years [20], [21]. The cascade model is restricted in its use. Transferring knowledge and material from experts to teachers/trainers results in a constant loss of quality and substance over time. In addition, the period of training of trainers (ToT) for professional teachers has been shortened. Lack of local teaching instructors, par- ticularly in rural and remote areas, and inadequate classroom teaching practices and support. The lack of funding for organizations to train many teachers periodically is a CPD implementation hurdle. Second, in Pakistan, teacher capacity-building training pro- grams are ad hoc and donators help school teachers [2], [3], [7], [24]. [17], [25], [26] found problems with professional development models and claimed that the quality of education given in Pakistani government schools was poor owing to low levels of teacher competency, an absence of classroom-based assistance for teach- ers, a lack of mechanisms to measure student learning outcomes, unequal supervision, an insufficient resource for essential teaching and learning resources, and a lack of sec- tor management and governance. Furthermore, researchers, trainers, or educators are also undertrained and undermotivated, and they employ ineffective teaching methods [5], [10], [17], [27]. Therefore, professional development for teachers is a systematic and targeted learning activity [10]. Therefore, teacher training and delivery mecha- nisms must be upgraded. 1.3 Sustainability issues in teachers’ professional development in Pakistan Education fosters social, economic, and environmental change in society, and development via education and training must be long-term for creative and behavioral change to be beneficial and long-lasting. According to [21], new experiences gained via education and training result in long-term changes in creativity and behavior. Sus- tainability is balanced social, economic, and environmental thinking for the future, focusing on development and ensuring a high quality of life [20]. Sustainable devel- opment is fulfilling existing needs without compromising future generations’ ability to do so. [6]–[8], [23], [28]. Integrating education into all development elements is a significant challenge in terms of long-term sustainability. The sustainability of profes- sional development programs is seen as a necessary method for teachers to increase their knowledge and competence, resulting in better student outcomes [7]. According to researchers, educators, and policymakers, student learning achievement is dependent on a strong teaching force, which depends on sustainable and high-quality professional development programs [29]. Recently school education and literacy department Govt of Sindh recruited 46000 teachers on a merit basis; the basic criteria for recruiting were iJIM ‒ Vol. 16, No. 16, 2022 7 Paper—Usability Evaluation of Mobile App for the Sustainable Professional Development of Teachers bachelor’s and master’s level without considering their basic requirement of a teacher education degree such as ADE (2-year degree) or B. Ed (Hons). All new teachers have no teacher education or teaching background; they will be appointed in schools with- out knowing about teaching pedagogies, assessment, and classroom management. It will create a big challenge for appointing authorities to train all teachers without any sustainable CPD model in Sindh. Currently, in-service training is offered with the help of donors in a few important areas/themes and on an irregular basis, drawing the same participants repeatedly without necessarily improving teaching quality. The failure of donor programs to integrate with the wider professional development framework in place in the nation is perhaps the most significant governance-related failure. Donor- funded initiatives are often focused on the short-term goals. In order to be sustainable, donor programs must overcome an inherent issue of ownership with the government authority, which is not always the case [5], [10], [17]. An analysis of key professional development of teachers related to donor initiatives in Pakistan indicated that the majority of the programs were unsustainable, both because of a lack of integration into the policy framework or not part of any CPD system and because teachers’ pro- fessional development is given a low level of importance by the government [6], [21], [25], [26], [30]. According to the findings of the research [6], [26], [30], initiatives that are formed in close partnership with the government have a greater chance of being sustainable. Although there is no follow-up system between teachers and trainers at this time, it is dire to bring a sustainable, efficient, and effective teachers’ professional development model in Sindh which overcomes all these issues and creates a linkage between all stakeholders. A significant commitment to professional development is needed to assist the development of these abilities and increase teachers’ familiarity with technology. However, the reality of establishing and implementing technology based professional development systems to progress toward the objective of sustain- able quality education. 1.4 Mobile learning for sustainable professional development of teachers The usage of mobile technology in educational institutions in Pakistan is increasing; however, there is currently insufficient research into how teachers might benefit from this technology to improve learning results. So far, none of the platforms we’ve looked into in Pakistan has primarily focused on teacher professional development at the pro- vincial or national level. According to the literature, various new and novel tendencies determine the long-term sustainability of M-learning. These are as follows: the ability to react to current educational demands and the intended purpose of M-learning; the ability to be widely accepted by users; the ability to adjust to likely changes; the ability to keep a specific condition eternally or to make progress [29], [31], [32]. There’s little research on tech-based teacher PD. A research-based theoretical frame- work is needed to integrate m-learning into teacher professional development. “Learn- ing that takes happen anywhere, at any time,” Franklin says of mobile learning. This notion emphasizes learners’ flexibility, empowerment, and capacity to learn regardless of socio-economic, regional, cultural, or sociopolitical differences. To help teachers get over their fear of technology, UNESCO discussed the application of mobile devices to 8 http://www.i-jim.org Paper—Usability Evaluation of Mobile App for the Sustainable Professional Development of Teachers enhance the professional development of teachers in the following places: 1) mobile facilitating teacher training and guidance; 2) supporting teachers’ teaching methods; and 3) supporting teachers’ overall instructional strategies 4) Facilitating interaction and collaborative activities among learners 5) assistance with job support and other relevant issues [35]. Numerous research from the literature [33]–[35] showed that there was no social- ization and that interactions between students, student-teachers, and teacher-parents in urgent distant education processes were often insufficient. Additionally, it was dis- covered that there was a shortage of technology resources and expertise, insufficient educational content, and both teachers and students experienced a range of happy and negative feelings. However, urgent educational initiatives also had some advantages for the teachers. M-learning uses mobile devices, ubiquitous communication technology, and enhanced user interfaces, according to [36], [37]. M-learning enables personalized learning on smartphones. Many new mobile services that digital mix applications with the academic educational system have evolved [38]. UNESCO and Nokia created a mobile training program for Pakistani pre-primary teachers in 2014. Early childhood education (ECE) participants were given a free internet membership for six months after a three-day face-to-face training program so they could download instructive films to watch on their mobile devices. A total of 150 pre-primary schoolteachers from rural areas of Pakistan took part in the study. UNESCO found that teachers were employing more creative teaching methods and were becoming more adept at using their mobile phones. However, many rural teachers could not download videos due to significant network challenges. Many rural students cannot use instructional technology because of a lack of fundamental infrastructure [1], [38]. M-learning may be able to give new possibilities in the sphere of education for implementing continuous learning sustainability [39]. The teacher’s function as an educator for autonomous digital training in sustainable distance education must be con- sidered while creating M-learning technologies or mobile apps. Self-directed learning is key to long-term learning [40]. 1.5 Problem statement and research questions In Pakistan, the use of mobile technology for better student and teacher learning out- comes is on the high rise; however, there is currently limited research into how teachers might benefit from this technology. So far, none of the platforms we’ve researched has primarily focused on teacher professional development at the provincial or national level in Pakistan [41]–[44]. Although mobile devices and apps have become one of the most effective tools for teaching and learning to assure the sustainability and applicabil- ity of mobile learning initiatives, assessing the usability of mobile-based training apps needs much attention for long-term sustainable professional development of teachers. This study evaluates the usability of a mobile app for sustainable teacher develop- ment in Sindh based on its ease of use, efficacy and effectiveness, learnability, and teacher satisfaction. The impact of demographics and system usage on SUS score is another matter. The second portion describes the mobile CPD framework and app. iJIM ‒ Vol. 16, No. 16, 2022 9 Paper—Usability Evaluation of Mobile App for the Sustainable Professional Development of Teachers 1.6 Mobile-based CPD framework for teachers In [17], we developed a mobile-based CPD framework for teachers’ profes- sional development as an alternative to the traditional CPD model, which features cost-effectiveness, flexibility, contextualization, collaborative learning, resourceful- ness, and facilitation, based on the critical use of technology as an effective and sus- tainable approach to providing quality education. The abstract model of the traditional and enhanced CPD techniques is shown in Figure 2. The upgraded CPD framework, as illustrated in Figure 2, extends the previous framework in terms of the design, implementation, on-the-job support, and evaluation of CPD activities conducted using a mobile phone. Each step of the training activity is defined in the text that follows. Fig. 2. Sustainable mobile-based CPD model [17] • In the first step, students’ learning needs are identified based on large-scale assess- ment reports. The identified needs relate to curriculum, content (knowledge, skills, values, and attitude), and resources. • In the second phase, the professional development needs of teachers (so they can meet the needs of their students) are identified. • The third step is based on the results of the first and second steps. It identifies and figures out CPD interventions that meet the needs of students and teachers. • The fourth phase creates and implements continuing professional development activities/materials and training programs using mobile technology. 10 http://www.i-jim.org Paper—Usability Evaluation of Mobile App for the Sustainable Professional Development of Teachers • In the fifth stage, on-the-job support is provided to teachers at any time. Through mobile technology, TEI specialists and guide teachers (GTs) will provide mentoring and support at the Taluka, Cluster, and School levels. • In the final phase, feedback on the training activity is received. The CPD program is evaluated based on teachers’ performance and students’ learning. This phase helps to determine new CPD targets. Figure 3 depicts the key features of the enhanced CPD framework for the design, implementation, and evaluation of CPD activities through mobile technology. Fig. 3. CPD framework for mobile app iJIM ‒ Vol. 16, No. 16, 2022 11 Paper—Usability Evaluation of Mobile App for the Sustainable Professional Development of Teachers 2 Mobile-based training app overview A mobile app has been developed to allow teachers in authorized clusters and schools to carry out professional development activities. The App helps teachers, GTs, and TEIs interact, chat, and share information regarding teaching and learning. Real-time text, audio, and video are recorded. The app includes polls, quizzes, discussion rooms, and more. The mobile App provides training sessions, and each has multiple training activities Like (Recorded Videos and Live Sessions) and online discussions. A mobile app has been developed to help teachers in approved clusters and schools carry out professional development activities. The app’s ongoing support function lets teachers and profes- sionals collaborate. The app had numerous new features Go live meetings, an activity calendar, a live workshop, collaborative learning tools for group work and collabora- tive projects, a discussion forum for group and peer conversation, a chatbot for private communication, and resources. The teachers, GTs, and TEIs can use the App to connect, talk, and share information about teaching and learning to improve their work. Activities that take place in real- time are recorded, including text, audio, and video. The App also features polls and quizzes, discussion forums, collaborative learning activities, Help, FAQ, report export- ing, etc. A few screenshots of the app interface are provided below. Similar outcomes were reported in prior studies on mobile learning, social network- ing, and its practical relevance. [29]. The use of mobile training, big data, and learning will likely demolish information and knowledge exchange [45], [46]. Adopting mobile and online learning may bring management systems back to the dark ages, with a sig- nificant emphasis on correlation and technology and a high likelihood of failure [37]. Karakose et al. (2021) found that instructors regarded school administrators’ use of digital tools during COVID-19 was suitable [47]. School administrators support digi- tal transition and technology-based classroom growth. Karakose et al. (2022) found a connection between COVID-19-related quality of life and loneliness [48]. COVID-19- related burnout predicts depression and directly affects burnout, depression, and social media addiction [49]. The following are some screenshots of the App’s user interface for your convenience. 12 http://www.i-jim.org Paper—Usability Evaluation of Mobile App for the Sustainable Professional Development of Teachers 3 System usability evaluation Modern information and communication technologies, particularly mobile tech- nology, profoundly impact all aspects of life, including education and learning. According to [50], [51], usability and ease of use are crucial in application design and iJIM ‒ Vol. 16, No. 16, 2022 13 Paper—Usability Evaluation of Mobile App for the Sustainable Professional Development of Teachers development. Whether subjective (based on user observations) or objective, assessing a system’s usability is crucial (based on the efficacy, efficiency, and performance of users using the system). The aim of usability testing for developers is to identify and improve the interface features, reduce the cost of development and support, and increase the product’s market attractiveness [52]. A growing body of empirical evidence suggests that usability testing is necessary for the elimination of usability issues [51], [53], [54]. Various methods and tools have been developed to make software easy to use. Standardized questionnaires are key for assessing usability. Traits, views, feelings, observations, behaviors, and attitudes must be collected using a standardized ques- tionnaire. [55]. These surveys are easy to perform, don’t require expensive technology, and reflect users’ opinions. Literature suggests many standardized surveys for testing software usability. These questionnaires include: 1) System Usability Scale (SUS) [56], 2) the Questionnaire for User Interaction Satisfaction (QUIS) [57], 3) Usability Met- ric for User Experience (UMUX) [57], 4) Software Usability Measurement Inventory (SUMI) [58], and 5) Post-Study System Usability Questionnaire (PPSUQ) [59]. The System Usability Scale (SUS) has been in use for more than two decades as a credible end-of-test subjective assessment measure for evaluating the perceived usability of a computer system [56]. It was first developed by Brooke in1996 and has since been widely utilized in industry to give reliable and consistent design input for assessing the usability of human-machine systems, software, and websites [60], as well as everyday products [61]. Raptis et al. examined the effects of mobile phone screen size on effi- ciency, effectiveness, and usability. Three Samsung screens were evaluated. Partici- pants numbered 60. 3.1 System usability scale According to the ISO 9241-11 standard, usability refers to the degree of quality at which certain users may use a system effectively, efficiently, and satisfactorily [62]. ISO 9241-11 identifies three usability factors: effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfac- tion [63]–[66]. Usability testing examines how people use an application or product [63], [67]. The most commonly used usability metrics are the efficacy, efficiency, and satisfaction of a product or service. Different measurement criteria are being employed to analyze other usability elements, with the system’s effectiveness being assessed by assessing the task completion rate. Efficiencies are examined by looking at how long it takes users to accomplish tasks, and satisfaction can be measured by looking at how confident users are that the application will meet their expectations [64]–[66], [68]. Aijaz et al. tested an M-learning application’s efficacy, efficiency, and user satisfac- tion. It uses two usability assessment methodologies (a formal experiment and a post usability questionnaire (SUS) with 100 participants, according to the conclusions of this study, the application is effective, efficient, and user-friendly [66]. Various studies show that SUS is an easy-to-use usability scale was created to mea- sure System Usability [56], [60], [62], [64]–[66], [68]. SUS is a ten-item measure that provides subjective system usability assessments. Even-numbered items are worded negatively. Participants rate items on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 to 5, with 1 indi- cating the highest disagreement and 5 the strongest agreement. Unanswered questions 14 http://www.i-jim.org Paper—Usability Evaluation of Mobile App for the Sustainable Professional Development of Teachers are scored 3 points (the centre of the rating scale). SUS produces a single number that provides an overall usability assessment of the studied system. According to Tullis and Stetson, 68 is a cutoff SUS score. If the score is over 68, it’s above average; below 68, below average [64], [66]. Procedure for calculating SUS score as adopted in many studies [56], [58], [60], [61], [66]. Baillie and Morton examined two mobile apps; both are based on the same concept, but one is built using HCI principles while the other is built without. Both apps were put to the test in the field to discover which one was the easiest and most simple to use. The System Usability Scale was used to assess its usability [69]. 4 Methodology This study uses an experimental research design. The study examines the Usability of mobile App from multiple dimensions, i.e., to measure the effectiveness (E), effi- ciency (F), and satisfaction (S) in the specific context of mobile app use for continuous professional development of teachers in Sindh, Pakistan., The questionnaire was used to collect information for the research. For whole population sampling, the most con- venient and intended approach was used. Total 120 newly appointed junior elementary school teachers from division SBA in Sindh, Pakistan, were included in this research study. Out of 120 teachers, 70% were male and 30% were female. All the teachers had smartphone experience, and most had internet experience on a smartphone. Through this experiment, the mobile training software features such as training live sessions, Live Support forum, Training collaborative activities and group sharing, group discus- sion, and diversity of quizzes & assignments were briefly shared with the experimental groups via multimedia slides. Before the usability tasks, all participants filled out a demographic’s questionnaire. During the usability test, all participants used the same devices and internet bandwidth the researcher gave. Each participant’s time and pace were recorded. After completing usability tests, participants filled out a post-test questionnaire to provide feedback. The same participants also completed a System Usability Scale questionnaire to measure the overall ease of use of the training app and to acquire a more general perception of the program after completing the usability activities, as shown in Table 1. Table 1. Research design Research Design (Lab Experiment) Pre-Test Experimental Manipulation Post Lab Test Pre-Test Demographic Explore CPD mobile App Perform Usability Task (1–8) Effectiveness (Task Completion) Efficiency (Time) Post Test Salinification (SUS Usability Test) iJIM ‒ Vol. 16, No. 16, 2022 15 Paper—Usability Evaluation of Mobile App for the Sustainable Professional Development of Teachers 5 Results The findings are presented in the subsections that follow Demographic data analy- sis and usability testing data analysis; for the data analysis, MS Excel and SPSS 21.0 software are used. 5.1 Demographic data analysis The study sample includes 107 elementary school teachers from Shaheed Benazir Abad. Table 2 shows sample demographics. The experimental group consists of 107 instructors based on a random selection process, with 63 (59% male teachers) and 44 (41% female teachers). According to the age categories of teachers, 25 (23%) are between the ages of 25 and 30, 70 (65%) are between the ages of 31 and 40, and 12 (11%) are between the ages of 40 and 50. According to data, 68 (64%) of the 107 teachers have bachelor’s degrees, 36 (34%), have master’s or MPhil degrees, and just 1% have a Doctoral degree Furthermore, 89 (83%), of teachers have a B.Ed. Professional degree, 10 (9%), has an M.Ed. Certification, and 6 (6%), have an associate degree in education. According to the length of teaching experience, 76 (71%) have between one and five years of teaching experience, 28 (26%) have between 6–10 years, and 3 (3%) teach- ers have more than ten years of teaching experience. Notably, 90 (84%) of teachers/ respondents have already attended 1–5 CPD training sessions in the traditional profes- sional development model. Notably, 103 (96%) of the teachers/respondents had prior face-to-face training experience. Only 2% of teachers have taken online courses, and 2% have taken both. However, none of the respondents had previous mobile-based training experience. When teachers were asked about the time limit on mobile use, 82 (79%) of teachers use more than 2–3-hour(s) mobile daily for internet surfing and other usage. When asked about their technology usage, 95 (88.8%) of teachers said they had used a smartphone for one to five years, while 12 (11.2%) said they had used it for more than six to ten years. Furthermore, 30 (28%) teachers used 3–5 apps, 40 (37.4%) teachers used 6–8 apps, and 37 (34.6%) teachers used more than nine apps on their smartphones. Table 2 summarizes the demographic data in a nutshell. Table 2. Demographic information of participants Demographics Description Sample % No of Participants (M/F Ratio) Male 63 59 Female 44 41 No of participants (Age-wise groups) 25–30 25 23 31–40 70 65 41–50 12 11 51–60 0 0 (Continued) 16 http://www.i-jim.org Paper—Usability Evaluation of Mobile App for the Sustainable Professional Development of Teachers Demographics Description Sample % Academic Qualification Bachelor’s degree 68 64 Masters /M.Phil. 36 34 Ph.D. 1 1 Other 2 2 Professional Qualification B.Ed. 89 83 M.Ed. 10 9 ADE 6 6 Other 2 2 Experience in No of years 1–5 76 71 6–10 28 26 11–20 3 3 Training attended during service 1–5 90 84 6–10 17 16 11–20 0 0 Mode of training you received in the Past? Online Training 103 96 Face to face training 2 2 Both online and F2F training 2 2 Mobile based Training 0 0 If you have a mobile, then how much time do you spend on your mobile phone on average in a day Less than 30 Minutes 1 1 From 30 Minutes to 1 Hour 6 6 from 1 hour to 2 hours 18 17 from 2 Hours to 3 Hour 39 36 more than 3 Hours 43 40 Smart phone use 1–5 yrs 95 88.8 6–10 yrs 12 11.2 No of app usage 3–5 App 30 28.0 6–8 App 40 37.4 9 + App 37 34.6 5.2 Usability testing data analysis Reliability analysis. The tool was piloted before the main study to guarantee reliability and usefulness. Cronbach’s alpha values for this study’s questionnaires were 0.81, which is greater than 0.7 [70]. Effectiveness & efficiency (in terms of task completion rate and time). For the study, eight different tasks were created. The time required to perform each task activity is shown in Table 3 below. Task completion speed indicated efficacy. Observers and timekeepers tracked participants’ task times. Each task had a time limit. The application was so simple and effective that all participants completed all eight tasks. Table 2. Demographic information of participants (Continued) iJIM ‒ Vol. 16, No. 16, 2022 17 Paper—Usability Evaluation of Mobile App for the Sustainable Professional Development of Teachers The mobile app’s efficiency was measured by how long a task took. The Table below gives performance times in seconds. All tasks average 5.8 seconds to finish. Table 3. Summary of task completion and its total mean & std. deviation No Task N Task Completion Average Time on Task (Sec) Std. Deviation Task 1 Log in to the App using PID and password. 107 107(100%) 4.9 1.3732 Task 2 Post Question on Discussion forum 107 107(100%) 2.6 0.6160 Task 3 Enroll in CPD Course 107 107(100%) 5.3 1.3927 Task 4 Search scheduled training/ Workshops 107 107(100%) 8.8 1.5850 Task 5 View FAQ by category. 107 104(97%) 5.5 1.7503 Task 6 Play course Video 107 107(100%) 5.1 1.1746 Task 7 Download Certificates and Result sheet 107 103(96%) 7.5 1.7819 Task 8 Take pretest before training session 107 105(98%) 6.8 2.1550 The results of the task completion time with the eight supplied usability tasks are shown in Tables 3 & 4. Participants’ performance ratios are about equal between male and female participants. Participants took less time to finish Task No. 2 since it has a difficulty level of 1, whereas Task Nos. 1, 3, 5 & 6 have the same depth (difficulty level 2), which means that they required almost the same amount of time to complete them, as shown in Table 4. Task No. 4, 7 & 8 has a difficulty level of 3, which is why it took the participants longer to complete than the other tasks, demonstrating that the application is generally efficient. İn a nutshell, the table shows the gender-wise task completion time in terms of Mean, Std. Deviation and Std. Error means. 18 http://www.i-jim.org Paper—Usability Evaluation of Mobile App for the Sustainable Professional Development of Teachers Table 4. Average time of tasks completion by gender wise Gender N Mean Std. Deviation Std. Error Mean Task 1 Male 63 4.952 1.2499 .1575 Female 44 4.818 1.5443 .2328 Task 2 Male 63 2.635 .6792 .0856 Female 44 2.477 .5053 .0762 Task 3 Male 63 5.095 1.6335 .2058 Female 44 5.545 .9010 .1358 Task 4 Male 63 8.667 1.5964 .2011 Female 44 9.091 1.5525 .2340 Task 5 Male 63 5.254 1.8834 .2373 Female 44 5.841 1.4933 .2251 Task 6 Male 63 4.905 1.3163 .1658 Female 44 5.341 .8877 .1338 Task 7 Male 63 7.651 1.8064 .2276 Female 44 7.386 1.7549 .2646 Task 8 Male 63 6.683 2.1984 .2770 Female 44 7.000 2.1020 .3169 5.3 Satisfaction (system usability scale) To assess the application’s usability, participants were asked to complete a post-task questionnaire based on ten SUS questions on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). Table 5 shows post-task survey results. Table 5. Usability questionnaire (SUS) results SUS Items SD D N Agree SA Mean SD I think I would like to use this tool frequently. 0 0 2 42 63 4.1 1.093 I found the tool unnecessarily complex. 31 75 1 0 0 1.7 0.506 I thought the tool was easy to use. 0 0 0 43 64 4.3 0.480 I think that I would need the support of a technical person to be able to use this system. 18 82 4 3 0 2.2 0.841 I found the various functions in this tool were well integrated. 0 0 0 48 59 4.4 0.486 I thought there was too much inconsistency in this tool. 18 89 0 0 0 1.8 0.384 (Continued) iJIM ‒ Vol. 16, No. 16, 2022 19 Paper—Usability Evaluation of Mobile App for the Sustainable Professional Development of Teachers SUS Items SD D N Agree SA Mean SD I would imagine that most people would learn to use this tool very quickly. 0 0 0 37 70 4.4 0.493 I found the tool very cumbersome to use. 26 81 0 0 0 1.8 0.431 I felt very confident using the tool. 0 0 0 36 71 4.6 0.486 I needed to learn a lot of things before I could get going with this tool. 13 80 0 14 0 2.3 0.938 According to the SUS question 1, 42 agree, and 63 strongly agree that they will use this training app most frequently when it is implemented in schools, indicating that teachers have a very positive attitude regarding app use for sustainable professional development. Question 3 of the SUS revealed that all teachers disagree with the asser- tion. This App is both essential and straightforward for them. Question 3 shows that all respondents agreed that the training software is simple and navigate. Question 4 illustrates that just 1% of participants believe they need technical support to operate this application. In contrast, the rest of the participants had no trouble using it, as shown in Table 5. and had no inconsistencies. Question 7’s mean and standard deviation values are 4.4 and 0. 493, respectively, indicating that most participants strongly agree that this training app is extremely straightforward to use and that most individuals could learn to use it fast; and also helpful in improving knowledge, skills, and dispositions and significantly impact their professional development. Whereas Question 9 reveals that all participants believe this App is not a complex tool. However, the final two questions are also more important. Question 9 shows that 100% of teachers are happy and confident using the application; however, 14 out of 107 participants believe they still need to learn things before getting started. The System Usability Measure (SUS) is the most extensively used usability scale in the human-computer interaction (HCI) sector. Figure 4 depicts the average SUS score of all participants on the graph, which shows that the minimum score is 75 and the highest score on the chart is 92.5, which is higher than the average SUS score (68) as highlighted in studies [64], [66]. It implies that the mobile-based training application is highly user-friendly for novice users. Additionally, this figure demonstrates that participants can utilize this application efficiently and that nearly all participants are delighted with it. 0.0 20.0 40.0 60.0 80.0 100.0 1 5 9 1 3 1 7 2 1 2 5 2 9 3 3 3 7 4 1 4 5 4 9 5 3 5 7 6 1 6 5 6 9 7 3 7 7 8 1 8 5 8 9 9 3 9 7 1 0 1 1 0 5 SU S Sc or e Participants Fig. 4. Average SUS score of all participants Table 5. Usability questionnaire (SUS) results (Continued) 20 http://www.i-jim.org Paper—Usability Evaluation of Mobile App for the Sustainable Professional Development of Teachers Table 6 shows that the average SUS score of a male participant is 84, while the average SUS score of a female is 83.9, and the overall SUS score of all participants is 84.1, which is higher than the average SUS score of 68. It shows that nearly all male and female participants are delighted with the usability of mobile-based training appli- cations, and the overall rating score is acceptable. More information is mentioned in the plot graph see Figure 5, which is detailed below. Table 6. Overall, SUS score rating summary (gender wise and overall satisfaction level) SUS Items Male (Avg SUS Score) Female (Avg SUS Score) Overall SM Rating 10 84 83.9 84.1 Acceptable Figure 5 shows the results on a plot graph, which shows the posterior mean and 95% credible interval for the population mean SUS score. The min 75.00 and max 92.50 bars offer the range of the single-participant SUS scores, and the circles in the bottom bar display the frequencies of the single-participant SUS scores, where larger circles denote a more significant number of scores. The estimates for the credible interval’s bounds were found using a Bayesian method that is effective regardless of sample size. More information on the methodology is presented in Clark et al. (2021) [71]. Fig. 5. Satisfaction rating 5.4 Statistical analysis The findings of group differences in SUS scores that were extracted using SPSS V20 are presented in Table 7. The findings of statistical tests conducted on these demo- graphic characteristics and system use are shown in Table 7. These tests were run with SUS serving as the dependent measure. iJIM ‒ Vol. 16, No. 16, 2022 21 https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2020.1870831 Paper—Usability Evaluation of Mobile App for the Sustainable Professional Development of Teachers Table 7. Independent sample t test and one way ANOVA Demographic Category M SD p-value Gender Male 83.968 4.1551 t=.473 p=.637Female 84.375 4.6732 Age 25–30 84.231 4.1091 f=.301 p=.74131–40 83.949 4.6258 41–50 85.000 3.3710 Education Bachelors 84.118 4.4421 f=.369 p=.776Master 84.375 4.2835 Ph.D. 82.500 0 Others 81.250 5.3033 Teaching Exp 1–5 84.079 4.5063 f=.612 p=.5446–10 84.554 4.0285 11–20 81.667 3.8188 Smart phone use Exp 1–5 yrs. 84.079 4.4221 t=–.376 p=.7086–10 yrs. 84.583 3.9648 No. App use 3–5 App 85.500 4.2243 f=3.750 p=.0276–8 App 84.438 3.8600 9 + App 82.703 4.6539 According to the findings in Table 7, demographic factors do not substantially impact the sus score for perceived usability. The results indicate that gender, age, education, and teaching experience do not significantly affect the usability of mobile App. There was no significant difference between groups on SUS score, and recommended value is p<0.001, as indicated by [68]. Table 7 shows that years of smartphone use, and the number of apps used had no effect on perceived usefulness. SUS scores didn’t differ between groups. Since the SUS mean across groups was 84.1, perceived usability is high. 5.5 The single ease question After the test session, each participant receives a standardized questionnaire. They were asked to rate the system’s overall usability. The goal is to determine their over- all satisfaction with the system’s ease of use and their plans based on its usability. Figures 6 and 7 show test findings. Figure 6 shows that 98% of teachers feel this system should be utilized to support teachers’ professional growth. Figure 7 demonstrates that 104 (98%) teachers are happy with sustainable teacher training App. 22 http://www.i-jim.org Paper—Usability Evaluation of Mobile App for the Sustainable Professional Development of Teachers 0 3 104 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 Disagree Netural Agree Pa rti ci pa nt s In overall, are you satisfied with the teachers training application? Fig. 6. Satisfaction question 1 Fig. 7. Satisfaction question 2 1 1 105 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 Disagree Netural Agree Pa rti ci pa nt s Do you agree if the application is implemented in Schools for sustainable CPD of teachers? 6 Discussion and conclusion Several training apps for teachers’ training have been developed. The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is particularly interested in using mobile technology to sustain education in general. In particular, the educational environment promotes academic fairness, accessibility, and flexibility for learners everywhere and at any time [38]. But none of the projects is developed for sustainable continuous professional development of teachers in Pakistan, and neither the usability of such apps was evaluated for better and sustainable professional development pro- grams. The purpose of this research was to improve the CPD model’s sustainability for teachers’ professional development. This research improved knowledge of using the CPD model as a source of educational sustainability by expanding the traditional CPD system through mobile technologies. This study evaluated a mobile-based train- ing app’s efficacy, efficiency, and overall satisfaction. This part discusses the study’s findings and their relevance to other studies. This study tested a mobile app for teacher training in Sindh. This study examined the impact of demographics and system use on SUS final scores. 107 primary school teachers took part. Participants performed eight usability tasks utilizing the researcher’s smartphones and internet bandwidth. Timing and completion rates were recorded. After completing usability tasks, users filled out a questionnaire. After completing usability activities, users submitted a System Usability Scale questionnaire to assess overall satisfaction with the training app and better under- stand the programme. 100% of participants successfully finish both tasks. All usability tasks and SUS scores show that the app is user-friendly, efficient, and effective. The second research question investigated at demographics and system use and SUS outcomes. Gender, age, education, teaching experience, smart phone use, and app number were all investigated. The gender, and education feature had no effect on SUS results. Compared to past studies in a different situation, this conclusion is consistent with [72]–[74], Age doesn’t seem to affect app usefulness. SUS scores were similar among groups. To our knowledge, teaching experience has never been evaluated in a mobile app setting. Table 7 shows that years of smartphone use, and the number of apps used had no effect on perceived usefulness. SUS scores didn’t differ between groups. Since the SUS mean across groups was 84.1, perceived usability is high. Another study’s findings [72]–[74]. Mobile apps’ usability directly impacted teachers’ usage of mobile learning for sustained professional development. Still, this effect was mediated iJIM ‒ Vol. 16, No. 16, 2022 23 Paper—Usability Evaluation of Mobile App for the Sustainable Professional Development of Teachers by learners’ satisfaction with app ease, effectiveness, and learnability. This study sup- ports the mobile-based training system as a sustainability factor due to its efficiency and effectiveness, acknowledging that it is simple to use an M-learning system for sustain- able development and positively affects teachers’ professional development for long- term education quality. Teachers were inspired to use a mobile app for training since they could access it anywhere. The model’s mobility is suitable for mobile professional development that offers teachers real-time classroom help. It can be used for mobile- based teacher CPD without any problems. Peer contact and collaborative learning, teacher interaction, engagement, and training self-management in the training software have satisfied teachers overall. They promote group learning. Peer interaction, this app is simple and efficient. The 84.1 percent satisfaction percentage was satisfactory. 7 Limitations and future work The research has some limitations: A convenience sample was drawn from a training centre. And only one type of teacher group was used for this study. Many future demo- graphic factors can be considered, like urban and rural areas. Furthermore, we only examined the long-term benefits of a professional development program on teacher quality and retention. Still, it would be fascinating to see whether the program has a sustainable influence on student performance. This paradigm will be investigated further in the future and tested with larger groups of people of the target group. It may be regarded as the beginning point for pedagogical and technology design for a larger global audience in mobile learning courses. Furthermore, the framework will serve as helpful assistance for instructional design- ers as they construct and design relevant mobile learning training. Likewise, in the future, various questions will need to be studied. What problems do educators and guide teachers have when deploying a sustainable CPD model through a school mobile app? What effect will it have in the long-term on the achievement of students and teach- ers? A Follow-up study is also required to look at the roles of all stakeholders’ percep- tions in mobile-based training, particularly in terms of adaptability and sustainability in teachers’ continuous professional development. Author Contributions: The authors were equally responsible for the concept’s con- ception, execution, and analysis of the experimental data, as well as the text’s composi- tion. All authors have reviewed and approved the published version of the work. Funding: The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University for funding this work through research group No (RGP-1435-033). Data Availability Statement: Not applicable. Acknowledgments: The authors extend their appreciation to the Deanship of Sci- entific Research at King Saud University for funding this work through research group No (RGP-1435-033). 24 http://www.i-jim.org Paper—Usability Evaluation of Mobile App for the Sustainable Professional Development of Teachers 8 References [1] A. Zubairi, W. Halim, T. Kaye, and S. Wilson, “Country-level research review: EdTech in Pakistan,” 2021. [2] G. of Sindh, “Continuous Professional Development (CPD) model,” Report, 2017, [Online]. Available: http://www.sindheducation.gov.pk/Contents/Menu/CPD Model.pdf [3] I. A. Chaudary, “A new vision of professional development for tertiary teachers in Pakistan,” Prof. Dev. Educ., vol. 37, no. 4, pp. 633–637, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2010 .539008 [4] M. Azhar, Voice of Teachers: Learning from Teachers Across Pakistan. Society for the Advancement of Education, 2014. [5] A. K. Singh, I. A. Rind, and Z. Sabur, “Continuous Professional Development of school teachers: Experiences of Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan,” Handb. Educ. Syst. South Asia, pp. 1–27, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3309-5_31-1 [6] S. Zehetmeier, “Sustainability of professional development,” in Proceedings of CERME, 2009, vol. 6, p. 28. [7] L. Gaikhorst, J. J. J. Beishuizen, B. J. H. Zijlstra, and M. L. L. Volman, “The sustainability of a teacher professional development programme for beginning urban teachers,” Cambridge J. Educ., vol. 47, no. 1, pp. 135–154, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764X.2015.1125449 [8] N. Martyushev, A. Shutaleva, E. Malushko, Z. Nikonova, and I. Savchenko, “Online com- munication tools in teaching foreign languages for education sustainability,” Sustainability, vol. 13, no. 19, p. 11127, 2021. https://doi.org/10.3390/su131911127 [9] F. Vogt and M. Rogalla, “Developing adaptive teaching competency through coaching,” Teach. Teach. Educ., vol. 25, no. 8, pp. 1051–1060, 2009. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. tate.2009.04.002 [10] B. Jamil, “From Teacher Education to Professional Education Devleopment in Pakistan: A Position Paper.” Retrieved from ITA: http://itacec. org/document/Teacher …, 2004 [11] M. BURNS, “Technology in education.” [12] C. Girvan, C. Conneely, and B. Tangney, “Extending experiential learning in teacher professional development,” Teach. Teach. Educ., vol. 58, pp. 129–139, 2016. https://doi. org/10.1016/j.tate.2016.04.009 [13] G. A. Gunter and J. L. Reeves, “Online professional development embedded with mobile learning: An examination of teachers’ attitudes, engagement and dispositions,” Br. J. Educ. Technol., vol. 48, no. 6, pp. 1305–1317, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12490 [14] N. Delhi, “Annual Status of Education Report 2011,” no. January, 2012. [15] G. of Pakistan, “Pakistan’s implementation of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable develop- ment-voluntary national review,” SDG Sect. Minist. Planning, Dev. Reforms, 2019. [16] A. Pakistan, “Annual status of education report: Aser pakistan 2015 national (urban),” in Lahore, Pakistan: South Asian Forum for Education Development, 2015, vol. 30. [17] N. A. Dahri, M. S. Vighio, J. Das Bather, and A. A. Arain, “Factors influencing the accep- tance of mobile collaborative learning for the continuous professional development of teach- ers,” Sustainability, vol. 13, no. 23, p. 13222, 2021. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132313222 [18] SESP, “School Education Sector Plan and Roadmap for Sindh,” 2019. [Online]. Available: https://seld.sesp-rsu.com/ [19] H. J. D. Culala and J. A. V De Leon, “Secondary education for sustainable development,” Qual. Educ., pp. 1–8, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69902-8_89-1 [20] Z. A. Saqib, Q. Zhang, J. Ou, K. A. Saqib, S. Majeed, and A. Razzaq, “Education for sus- tainable development in Pakistani higher education institutions: An exploratory study of students’ and teachers’ perceptions,” Int. J. Sustain. High. Educ., 2020. https://doi. org/10.1108/IJSHE-01-2020-0036 iJIM ‒ Vol. 16, No. 16, 2022 25 http://www.sindheducation.gov.pk/Contents/Menu/CPD Model.pdf https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2010.539008 https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2010.539008 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-3309-5_31-1 https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764X.2015.1125449 https://doi.org/10.3390/su131911127 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2009.04.002 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2009.04.002 http://itacec. org/document/Teacher …, 2004 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2016.04.009 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2016.04.009 https://doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12490 https://doi.org/10.3390/su132313222 https://seld.sesp-rsu.com/ https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-69902-8_89-1 https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-01-2020-0036 https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-01-2020-0036 Paper—Usability Evaluation of Mobile App for the Sustainable Professional Development of Teachers [21] N. B. Jumani and F. Abbasi, “Teacher education for sustainability in Pakistan,” J. Innov. Sustain. RISUS, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 13–19, 2015. https://doi.org/10.24212/2179- 3565.2015v6i1p13-19 [22] T. Hall and C. Connolly, “Mobile learning in teacher education,” TechTrends, vol. 63, no. 6, pp. 644–646, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-019-00438-7 [23] J. Choi and W. Kang, “Sustainability of cooperative professional development: Focused on teachers’ efficacy,” Sustainability, vol. 11, no. 3, p. 585, 2019. https://doi.org/10.3390/ su11030585 [24] I. Ahmad, “Critical analysis of the problems of education in Pakistan: Possible solutions,” Int. J. Eval. Res. Educ., vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 79–84, 2014. https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere. v3i2.1805 [25] S. Naz, S. Jabeen, and A. Rashid, “Evaluation of Punjab Education and English Language Initiative (PEELI) Project in Pakistan,” Glob. Reg. Rev., vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 332–339, 2020. https://doi.org/10.31703/grr.2020(V-I).36 [26] M. Saeed and M. Akhtar, “Problems and issues in implementation of CPD framework: Per- ception of district teacher educators and teacher educators,” Pakistan J. Educ. Res. Eval., vol. 2, no. 1, 2021. [27] Government of Pakistan., “Pakistan education statistics 2016–17. Government of Pakistan.,” 2018. [Online]. Available: http://library.aepam.edu.pk/Books/Pakistan Education Statis- tics%0A 2016-17.pdf%0D [28] L. Mâță et al., “Students’ attitude towards the sustainable use of mobile technologies in higher education,” Sustainability, vol. 13, no. 11, p. 5923, 2021. https://doi.org/10.3390/ su13115923 [29] A. M. Al-Rahmi, W. M. Al-Rahmi, U. Alturki, A. Aldraiweesh, S. Almutairy, and A. S. Al-Adwan, “Exploring the factors affecting mobile learning for sustainability in higher education,” Sustainability, vol. 13, no. 14, p. 7893, 2021. https://doi.org/10.3390/ su13147893 [30] A. K. Singh, I. A. Rind, and Z. Sabur, “Continuous Professional Development of school teachers,” Handb. Educ. Syst. South Asia, p. 1355, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1007/ 978-981-15-0032-9_31 [31] M. Rahimi and S. S. Miri, “The impact of mobile dictionary use on language learning,” Procedia-Social Behav. Sci., vol. 98, pp. 1469–1474, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. sbspro.2014.03.567 [32] A. Abu-Al-Aish and S. Love, “Factors influencing students’ acceptance of m-learning: An investigation in higher education,” Int. Rev. Res. Open Distrib. Learn., vol. 14, no. 5, pp. 82–107, 2013. https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v14i5.1631 [33] I. Katsaris and N. Vidakis, “Adaptive e-learning systems through learning styles: A review of the literature,” Adv. Mob. Learn. Educ. Res., vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 124–145, 2021. https://doi. org/10.25082/AMLER.2021.02.007 [34] D. Y. Mohammed, “The web-based behavior of online learning: An evaluation of different countries during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Adv. Mob. Learn. Educ. Res., vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 263–267, 2022. https://doi.org/10.25082/AMLER.2022.01.010 [35] Y. Can and S. Bardakci, “Teachers’ opinions on (urgent) distance education activities during the pandemic period,” Adv. Mob. Learn. Educ. Res., vol. 2, no. 2, pp. 351–374, 2022. https:// doi.org/10.25082/AMLER.2022.02.005 [36] S. K. Sharma and F. L. Kitchens, “Web services architecture for m-learning.,” Electron. J. e-Learning, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 203–216, 2004. [37] A. M. Al-Rahmi, W. M. Al-Rahmi, U. Alturki, A. Aldraiweesh, S. Almutairy, and A. S. Al-Adwan, “Acceptance of mobile technologies and M-learning by university stu- dents: An empirical investigation in higher education,” Educ. Inf. Technol., pp. 1–22, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-10934-8 26 http://www.i-jim.org https://doi.org/10.24212/2179-3565.2015v6i1p13-19 https://doi.org/10.24212/2179-3565.2015v6i1p13-19 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11528-019-00438-7 https://doi.org/10.3390/su11030585 https://doi.org/10.3390/su11030585 https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v3i2.1805 https://doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v3i2.1805 https://doi.org/10.31703/grr.2020(V-I).36 http://library.aepam.edu.pk/Books/Pakistan Education Statistics%0A 2016-17.pdf%0D http://library.aepam.edu.pk/Books/Pakistan Education Statistics%0A 2016-17.pdf%0D https://doi.org/10.3390/su13115923 https://doi.org/10.3390/su13115923 https://doi.org/10.3390/su13147893 https://doi.org/10.3390/su13147893 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0032-9_31 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0032-9_31 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.03.567 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.03.567 https://doi.org/10.19173/irrodl.v14i5.1631 https://doi.org/10.25082/AMLER.2021.02.007 https://doi.org/10.25082/AMLER.2021.02.007 https://doi.org/10.25082/AMLER.2022.01.010 https://doi.org/10.25082/AMLER.2022.02.005 https://doi.org/10.25082/AMLER.2022.02.005 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-022-10934-8 Paper—Usability Evaluation of Mobile App for the Sustainable Professional Development of Teachers [38] UNESCO, Supporting teachers with mobile technology: Lessons drawn from UNESCO projects in Mexico, Nigeria, Senegal and Pakistan, vol. 34. UNESCO Publishing, 2017. [39] M. Al-Emran, H. M. Elsherif, and K. Shaalan, “Investigating attitudes towards the use of mobile learning in higher education,” Comput. Human Behav., vol. 56, pp. 93–102, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.11.033 [40] S. A. Nikou and A. A. Economides, “Mobile-based micro-learning and assessment: Impact on learning performance and motivation of high school students,” J. Comput. Assist. Learn., vol. 34, no. 3, pp. 269–278, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12240 [41] Y. Mehdipour and H. Zerehkafi, “Mobile learning for education: Benefits and challenges,” Int. J. Comput. Eng. Res., vol. 3, no. 6, pp. 93–101, 2013. [42] N. A. Dahri, M. S. Vighio, and M. H. Dahri, “An acceptance of web based training system for continuous professional development. A case study of provincial institute of teacher education Sindh, Nawabshah,” in 2018 3rd International Conference on Emerging Trends in Engineering, Sciences and Technology (ICEEST), 2018, pp. 1–8. https://doi.org/10.1109/ ICEEST.2018.8643318 [43] D. Peng, “Mobile-based teacher professional training: Influence factor of technology accep- tance,” in Foundations and Trends in Smart Learning, Springer, 2019, pp. 161–170. https:// doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6908-7_23 [44] B. Spar, C. Dye, R. Lefkowitz, and D. Pate, “2018 workplace learning report: The rise and responsibility of talent development in the new labor market,” LinkedIn Learn., 2018. [45] W. M. Al-Rahmi and S. Alkhalaf, “An empirical investigation of adoption big data in higher education sustainability,” Entrep. Sustain. Issues, vol. 9, no. 2, p. 108, 2021. https://doi. org/10.9770/jesi.2021.9.2(7) [46] A. M. Sayaf, M. M. Alamri, M. A. Alqahtani, and W. M. Alrahmi, “Factors influencing university students’ adoption of digital learning technology in teaching and learning,” Sus- tainability, vol. 14, no. 1, p. 493, 2022. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010493 [47] T. Karakose, H. Polat, and S. Papadakis, “Examining teachers’ perspectives on school prin- cipals’ digital leadership roles and technology capabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic” Sustainability, vol. 13, no. 23, p. 13448, 2021. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132313448 [48] T. Karakose, T. Y. Ozdemir, S. Papadakis, R. Yirci, S. E. Ozkayran, and H. Polat, “Inves- tigating the relationships between COVID-19 quality of life, loneliness, happiness, and internet addiction among K-12 teachers and school administrators—A structural equation modeling approach Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, vol. 19, no. 3, p. 1052, 2022. https:// doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031052 [49] T. Karakose, R. Yirci, and S. Papadakis, “Examining the associations between COVID- 19-related psychological distress, social media addiction, COVID-19-related burnout, and depression among school principals and teachers through structural equation modeling,” Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, vol. 19, no. 4, p. 1951, 2022. https://doi.org/10.3390/ ijerph19041951 [50] N. McNamara and J. Kirakowski, “Measuring user-satisfaction with electronic consumer products: The Consumer products questionnaire,” Int. J. Hum. Comput. Stud., vol. 69, no. 6, pp. 375–386, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2011.01.005 [51] A. Bandi and P. Heeler, “Usability testing: A software engineering perspective,” in 2013 International Conference on Human Computer Interactions (ICHCI), 2013, pp. 1–8. https:// doi.org/10.1109/ICHCI-IEEE.2013.6887809 [52] G. Chao, “Human-computer interaction: The usability test methods and design principles in the human-computer interface design,” in 2009 2nd IEEE International Conference on Computer Science and Information Technology, 2009, pp. 283–285. https://doi.org/10.1109/ ICCSIT.2009.5234724 iJIM ‒ Vol. 16, No. 16, 2022 27 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.11.033 https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12240 https://doi.org/10.1109/ICEEST.2018.8643318 https://doi.org/10.1109/ICEEST.2018.8643318 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6908-7_23 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6908-7_23 https://doi.org/10.9770/jesi.2021.9.2(7) https://doi.org/10.9770/jesi.2021.9.2(7) https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010493 https://doi.org/10.3390/su132313448 https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031052 https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19031052 https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19041951 https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19041951 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2011.01.005 https://doi.org/10.1109/ICHCI-IEEE.2013.6887809 https://doi.org/10.1109/ICHCI-IEEE.2013.6887809 https://doi.org/10.1109/ICCSIT.2009.5234724 https://doi.org/10.1109/ICCSIT.2009.5234724 Paper—Usability Evaluation of Mobile App for the Sustainable Professional Development of Teachers [53] J. Cheng, Y. Zhu, T. Zhang, C. Zhu, and W. Zhou, “Mobile compatibility testing using multi-objective genetic algorithm,” in 2015 IEEE Symposium on Service-Oriented System Engineering, 2015, pp. 302–307. https://doi.org/10.1109/SOSE.2015.36 [54] T. Zhang, J. Gao, J. Cheng, and T. Uehara, “Compatibility testing service for mobile applications,” in 2015 IEEE Symposium on Service-Oriented System Engineering, 2015, pp. 179–186. https://doi.org/10.1109/SOSE.2015.35 [55] B. Cemellini, P. van Oosterom, R. Thompson, and M. de Vries, “Design, development and usability testing of an LADM compliant 3D Cadastral prototype system,” Land Use Policy, vol. 98, p. 104418, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2019.104418 [56] J. Brooke, “Sus: A ‘quick and dirty’ usability,” Usability Eval. Ind., vol. 189, no. 3, 1996. [57] J. P. Chin, V. A. Diehl, and K. L. Norman, “Questionnaire for user interaction satisfaction (QUIS),” Human-Computer Interact. Lab, Univ. Maryl. Coll. Park, 1988. [58] J. Kirakowski, “The software usability measurement inventory: Background and usage,” Usability Eval. Ind., pp. 169–178, 1996. [59] J. R. Lewis, “Psychometric evaluation of the post-study system usability questionnaire: The PSSUQ,” in Proceedings of the Human Factors Society Annual Meeting, 1992, vol. 36, no. 16, pp. 1259–1260. https://doi.org/10.1177/154193129203601617 [60] S. C. Peres, T. Pham, and R. Phillips, “Validation of the system usability scale (SUS) SUS in the wild,” in Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, 2013, vol. 57, no. 1, pp. 192–196. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541931213571043 [61] P. T. Kortum and A. Bangor, “Usability ratings for everyday products measured with the sys- tem usability scale,” Int. J. Hum. Comput. Interact., vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 67–76, 2013. https:// doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2012.681221 [62] I. S. O. Iso, “9241-11 (2018) Ergonomics of human-system interaction—part 11: usability: definitions and concepts,” Int. Organ. Stand, vol. 9241, no. 11, 2018. https//www.iso.org/ obp/ui/#isostdiso [63] I. Abuqaddom, H. Alazzam, A. Hudaib, and F. Al-Zaghoul, “A measurable website usabil- ity model: Case Study University of Jordan,” in 2019 10th International Conference on Information and Communication Systems (ICICS), 2019, pp. 83–87. https://doi.org/10.1109/ IACS.2019.8809145 [64] H. Hoehle, R. Aljafari, and V. Venkatesh, “Leveraging Microsoft’s mobile usability guide- lines: Conceptualizing and developing scales for mobile application usability,” Int. J. Hum. Comput. Stud., vol. 89, pp. 35–53, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2016.02.001 [65] S. A. Adepoju and I. S. Shehu, “Usability evaluation of academic websites using automated tools,” in 2014 3rd International Conference on User Science and Engineering (i-USEr), 2014, pp. 186–191. https://doi.org/10.1109/IUSER.2014.7002700 [66] A. A. Arain, Z. Hussain, W. H. Rizvi, and M. S. Vighio, “Evaluating usability of M-learn- ing application in the context of higher education institute,” in International con- ference on learning and collaboration technologies, 2016, pp. 259–268. https://doi. org/10.1007/978-3-319-39483-1_24 [67] Q. Wei, Z. Chang, and Q. Cheng, “Usability study of the mobile library App: An example from Chongqing University,” Libr. Hi Tech, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHT-05-2015-0047 [68] B. A. Kumar, M. S. Goundar, and S. S. Chand, “Usability guideline for Mobile learning applications: An update,” Educ. Inf. Technol., vol. 24, no. 6, pp. 3537–3553, 2019. https:// doi.org/10.1007/s10639-019-09937-9 [69] L. Baillie and L. Morton, “Designing quick & dirty applications for mobiles: Making the case for the utility of HCI principles,” J. Comput. Inf. Technol., vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 103–107, 2010. https://doi.org/10.2498/cit.1001810 28 http://www.i-jim.org https://doi.org/10.1109/SOSE.2015.36 https://doi.org/10.1109/SOSE.2015.35 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2019.104418 https://doi.org/10.1177/154193129203601617 https://doi.org/10.1177/1541931213571043 https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2012.681221 https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2012.681221 http://https//www.iso.org/obp/ui/#isostdiso http://https//www.iso.org/obp/ui/#isostdiso https://doi.org/10.1109/IACS.2019.8809145 https://doi.org/10.1109/IACS.2019.8809145 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2016.02.001 https://doi.org/10.1109/IUSER.2014.7002700 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39483-1_24 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-39483-1_24 https://doi.org/10.1108/LHT-05-2015-0047 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-019-09937-9 https://doi.org/10.1007/s10639-019-09937-9 https://doi.org/10.2498/cit.1001810 Paper—Usability Evaluation of Mobile App for the Sustainable Professional Development of Teachers [70] J. F. Hair, M. Sarstedt, C. M. Ringle, and J. A. Mena, “An assessment of the use of par- tial least squares structural equation modeling in marketing research,” J. Acad. Mark. Sci., vol. 40, no. 3, pp. 414–433, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-011-0261-6 [71] N. Clark, M. Dabkowski, P. J. Driscoll, D. Kennedy, I. Kloo, and H. Shi, “Empirical decision rules for improving the uncertainty reporting of small sample system usability scale scores,” Int. J. Human–Computer Interact., vol. 37, no. 13, pp. 1191–1206, 2021. https://doi.org/10. 1080/10447318.2020.1870831 [72] A. Bangor, P. Kortum, and J. Miller, “Determining what individual SUS scores mean: Add- ing an adjective rating scale,” J. usability Stud., vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 114–123, 2009. [73] A. Granić and M. Ćukušić, “Usability testing and expert inspections complemented by edu- cational evaluation: A case study of an e-learning platform,” J. Educ. Technol. Soc., vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 107–123, 2011. [74] O. Alhadreti, “Assessing academics’ perceptions of blackboard usability using SUS and CSUQ: A case study during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Int. J. Human–Computer Interact., vol. 37, no. 11, pp. 1003–1015, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2020.1861766 9 Authors Nisar Ahmed Dahri completed BS(CS), MS(IT) from QUEST and currently perus- ing Ph.D. from Quest University, Pakistan, He is currently working as an Assistant Pro- fessor at Provincial Institute of Teacher Education (PITE) Sindh Nawabshah, Pakistan. Dr. Muhammad Saleem Vighio received the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in com- puter science from Aalborg University, Denmark, in 2009 and 2012, respectively. He is currently working as an Associate Professor and the Head of the Department of Computer Science, Quaid-e-Awam University of Engineering, Science and Technol- ogy, Nawabshah, Pakistan. He has been credited with several national and international conference papers and journal articles. His research work focuses on the verification of software systems, including real-time and embedded systems, and web services pro- tocols. He is a member of the editorial boards of many research journals. He is also a member of the statutory bodies of many national universities. Email: saleem.vighio@ quest.edu.pk Dr. Waleed Mugahed Al-Rahmi is an assistant professor of Computer and Educa- tion at Faculty of Social Sciences & Humanities, School of Education, University Tech- nology Malaysia. He completed PhD degree from Faculty of Computing – Information Systems, University Technology Malaysia. And he got Best Student Award, Doctor of Philosophy (Faculty of Computing – Information System), Excellent academic achievement in conjunction with the 56th Convocation Ceremony, University Tech- nology Malaysia (UTM), 2016. Waleed experiences had teaching assistant 2.5 years in Faculty of Computing at University Technology Malaysia. Moreover, Post-Doc- toral in Faculty of information and Communication Technology at International Islamic University Malaysia, Moreover, Post-Doctoral in Faculty of Science at Uni- versity Technology Malaysia. Furthermore, Currently Post-Doctoral in Faculty of Education at University Technology Malaysia. His research interests are information system management, information technology management, human-computer interac- tion, implementation process, Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), communication iJIM ‒ Vol. 16, No. 16, 2022 29 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-011-0261-6 https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2020.1870831 https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2020.1870831 https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2020.1861766 mailto:saleem.vighio@quest.edu.pk mailto:saleem.vighio@quest.edu.pk Paper—Usability Evaluation of Mobile App for the Sustainable Professional Development of Teachers and constructivism theories, impact of social media networks, collaborative learning, E-learning, knowledge management, Massive Open Online Course (MOOCs), sta- tistical data analysis (IBM SPSS, AMOS, NVIVO and SmartPLS). Email: waleed. alrahmi@yahoo.com Dr. Omar A. Alismaiel is an assistant professor in Educational Technologies, and Head of Curriculum and Teaching Methods Department, College of Education at King Faisal University, Alhasa, Saudi Arabia. He had his Doctoral degree in Educational Technology from University of Wollongong, Australia, 2013. He also had his mas- ter’s degree in information technology in Education and Training from University of Wollongong, Australia, 2007. He got his bachelor’s degree in teaching science for Ele- mentary Education from Teachers College, Alhasa, Saudi Arabia, 2002. Dr. Alismaiel research interests include Blended Learning, E-Learning, Collaborative Learning, Mobile Learning, Virtual Classroom, Online Learning Tools, Interactive Multimedia and social media Technologies. Email: oalismaeel@kfu.edu.sa Article submitted 2022-04-26. Resubmitted 2022-07-05. Final acceptance 2022-07-05. Final version published as submitted by the authors. 30 http://www.i-jim.org mailto:waleed.alrahmi@yahoo.com mailto:waleed.alrahmi@yahoo.com mailto:oalismaeel@kfu.edu.sa