Advances in engineering have led to the continued miniaturization and increased computing power and capabilities of mobile computing technologies. These technical advances get their ultimate start from engineering education that cultivates young people for technical careers of design and development for the Information Age. Engineering education is, therefore, benefiting industry by educating engineers who continue to advance such innovations as mobile computing smartphones. In this paper, we argue that industry can conversely benefit engineering education in how technology is applied for sharing knowledge within and beyond the boundaries of the organization. The airline industry in particular is an area that demonstrates how knowledge sharing experiences can be enabled through the use of mobile computing innovations in the field. Global competition requires firms to rapidly and effectively develop and share knowledge. Knowledge and learning enabled through the use of advanced technologies are, therefore, among the most critical organizational assets for achieving and maintaining competitive advantage. Drawing from the literature streams of knowledge sharing, social learning theory, and IT mobility, this interpretive case study introduces a theoretical two by two framework. This framework serves as our lens for assessing how migrating from using legacy to advanced technologies can motivate and enable learning. Through observations, questionnaires, and interviews, we test the framework in a case study evaluating the benefits gained from the implementation of smartphones replacing walkie-talkies at a global airline. Through our framework, we identify new opportunities and challenges in sharing and learning knowledge via smartphones. We then argue that similar benefits can be gained for engineering education delivery at universities, drawing from social learning theory and a student-centered learning educational pedagogy. Hence, this research is applicable to not only the airline industry, but also to engineering education for greater understanding and leveraging of knowledge sharing through mobile computing.
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