Since 2011, students and instructors at Purdue University
have been using Jetpack, a hybrid technology developed on campus that allows
instructors to create course materials students can access on their computers
or smartphones. Now, Jetpack is going public.
The university licensed the technology and a commercial
version, called Skyepack was recently launched as a “freemium” alternative to textbooks and e-readers.
“E-books today remind me of how early automobiles were
called ‘horseless carriages’ and looked as if they worked best if you harnessed
a couple of horses to the front,” said Gerry McCartney, chief information
office at Purdue. “This publishing platform is a next step because it allows
you to incorporate any type of media and view it on almost any device.”
The technology allows users to combine educational
content into packs that are specific to a class lecture at no cost. Instructors
can assemble multiple packs and students can access them on most smartphones
and tablet devices or online on their desktop computer.
“These mobile apps and software tools are built because
they improve student success at Purdue,” McCartney said. “We want to share our
success, but we’re not in the business of selling educational technologies. Bu
licensing our technologies to companies such as Skyepack, we can make these
technologies available to companies and institutions that have a need for
them.”
