Tablet Computers

Integrating mobile devices in learning is getting to be old hat in Abilene, Texas.

As early as 2008, Abilene Christian University (ACU) was the first university in the United States to provide each incoming student with an Apple iPhone or iPod Touch. Each of the nearly 4,800 students on the ACU campus located 180 miles west of Dallas can access course calendars, campus maps, receive homework alerts, security alerts, and answer in-class surveys and quizzes, among other ACUdeveloped web applications.

A college reunion this spring at the  State University of New York at Oswego presented the web-development team an opportunity to build an iPhone app using an open-source software called Kurogo, developed by Modo Labs. The app was a hit, with 30 percent of the 2,000 or so reunion attendees downloading it to share photos and stay on top of events over the course of three days.

Admissions counselors are busy folks with some pretty important decisions to make, so it’s no wonder colleges and universities are looking for ways to make their lives a little more efficient. At the University of New Haven (Conn.), this help is coming in the form of iPads and an app called Matchbox, which allows counselors to review application materials on the go.