A study of smartphone application usage found users
spend 50% of the time on their devices accessing digital media, while the 18-to-24-year-olds
are the heaviest users. Smartphone owners also spend about three times longer
using apps vs. browsing websites, according to the study by comScore.
While many colleges and universities are launching
smartphone apps, are they missing the potential of apps in the educational
process?
“Apps are purpose-built, so it’s not a stretch to
imagine one app for Economics 101 and another for Psychology 110,” Ryan Craig,
founder of University Ventures, wrote in a VentureBeat post. “Apps are ideal for simulation and gamified
learning experiences. They’re also perfect for incorporating real-world inputs
(such as location of the student) into learning.”
Most schools aren’t using apps for mobile learning,
focusing instead on course selection and campus maps. Even the Blackboard
Mobile Learn product doesn’t access course materials, according to Craig.
“So, although most online degree programs are now
delivered via learning management systems that claim to be ‘mobile platforms,’
believing that the solutions to the mobile problem is simply allowing mobile access
to a course with traditional online architecture is tantamount to believing
your institution’s online strategy is effectively addressed by putting lectures
on YouTube or iTunes,” he wrote.
