This second phase of implementation of mobile devices will continue ACU’s efforts to provide new opportunities for professors and students to interact, explore and discover in and out of the classroom, says Kevin Roberts, associate vice president for operations at ACU. In 2008 ACU gave incoming freshmen an iPhone 3G or iPod touch.

“By providing these amazing tools to our students well before they arrive on campus, students will have more time to become accustomed to the devices, and learn more about the university and community which they will soon call home," Roberts says. "We will be able to communicate very specific information as we help them transition to a college environment.”

In fall 2008, ACU became the first university in the nation to announce a mobile learning program based on the iPhone and iPod touch, distributing these devices to all incoming freshmen in an effort to integrate technology and learning both in and out of the classroom. An ACU mobile portal helped connect students to professors, as well as to the campus through news and calendars, course documents and media. In-class surveys and polls provided an engagement tool for students in the classroom, and applications from the Apple App Store helped many teachers discover new ways of teaching their courses, says Roberts.

In 2006, the New Media Consortium first identified mobile phones as a technology to watch and this year’s report places it on the near horizon for adoption across higher education. ACU’s LINK leadership team, a technology advisory team made up of faculty, administrators and campus technologists, has used these and other NMC findings in developing a vision for projects like the mobile learning program.

The New Media Consortium, an international consortium of colleges and universities dedicated to the exploration and use of new media and technologies, recently recognized ACU for its mobile learning initiative with the “Center for Excellence” award. To learn about ACU’s mobile learning, watch this video.

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