iPhones in College May Change the Way Students Learn

If you knew life without cell phones, you may be surprised that the use of iPhones in college degree programs is on the rise.  Some campuses are handing out free iPhones to students and integrating them into the curriculum.

Abilene Christian University (ACU) has begun the use of iPhones in courses on their campus.  In the first year of a pilot program, 1,000 freshman students had the choice between a free iPhone or an iPod Touch.  The goal was to explore how the always-connected iPhone might revolutionize the classroom.  The university’s ideas ranged from apps to turn in homework, look up campus maps, and watch lecture podcasts.  There is even polling software for Abilene students to digitally ask questions without the fear of not looking intelligent in front of their peers.

What ACU found was that students were not reading the textbooks anymore because they could just find the information on the internet.  The problem?  There is too much information, and it’s difficult to determine which data is accurate and valuable. This was the type of problems ACU was trying to address with the program. For example, one professor instructs his students to use their iPhones to look up relevant information on a topic. The class then discusses the information while the professor leads the discussion by helping to determine which sources were accurate and useful.

Is it Working?

After just completing the first year of the pilot program, ACU has found that the iPhones in college program is working quite well. 48 percent of the student population is equipped with a free iPhone. 97 percent of the faculty population has an iPhone, also. Both students and professors feel that the program is giving students the information they need, when they want it, and wherever they want it.

Since the first year of the iPhones in college program was successful, the university plans to continue the iPhone program.  The program is spreading.  Stanford University does not hand out free iPhones, but they created their own app called iStanford, which allows for students to look up class schedules, directories, and campus maps. Do not be surprised the next time you are on campus and pick up an iPhone at the campus bookstore instead of a textbook.  It is the wave of the future.