iPhone experiment at Houston Community College

A recent article in The Wired Campus discusses an iPhone experiment occurring at Houston Community College. Earlier this semester, students in one section of a combination distance education and in-classroom course were loaned iPhones to supplement their computers while students in another section of the same course were asked to use only their computers to view lecture videos and do online assignments. The students in both sections have been keeping journals to record when and where they logged in to use the course materials and how much time they spent. The preliminary findings from the experiment show that the students with iPhones spend more time studying than those without. This finding can most likely be attributed to the student’s ability to access the material wherever they are although the newness of the technology could also have an effect on the results. Additionally, the professor of the course has noticed a social benefit to using the iPhones because the devices were like an icebreaker for the students, most of which are working adults, and they are now interacting more outside of the classroom and forming study groups. More results from the study will be available at the end of the semester.