Mobile platforms are important new tools in engaging
college students, so it stands to reason that higher education should have a
vested interest in the subject. However, many schools have it wrong, according to Mehdi Maghsoodnia, CEO of education technology company Rafter.
The problem is a piecemeal approach to the issue. Too
often, a school creates separate apps for various departments and organizations
around campus that are developed on different operating systems. The end result
is a disjointed experience that students simply won’t use. In his GigaOM
article,
Maghsoodnia suggests schools need to an all-inclusive approach that is easy to use
and captivating for students. He also understands that will not be easy.
“Professors are a notoriously stubborn group and
getting them to adopt mobile platforms isn’t simple,” he wrote. “Plenty of
training, education, and practice are necessary. It’s also not cheap. And then
there’s the daunting challenge of trying to keep 18- to 21-year-olds engaged
for more than a few minutes.”
However, mobile apps also create opportunities to
engage with students, who are often already on campus and looking online for
easy ways to access information. They’re also more than willing to move on when
they don’t or can’t find it.
