IIT Rolling Out iPads to Incoming Class

First-year freshmen entering the Illinois Institute of Technology will be receiving Apple iPads as part of their welcome packages. The school, a Ph.D.-granting institution in Chicago, said it's distributing the devices as part of a larger effort to to integrate technology into learning and "foster educational innovation among faculty and students."

IIT enrolled about 450 first-time freshmen in fall 2009.

According to information released by IIT today, students and faculty will be using a variety of applications on the iPad in and out of the classroom and will be developing new applications for the device as well, particularly those that aim to engage students further in learning and to enhance their educational experiences.

The move, according to IIT, is part of the university's increasing focus on mobile technologies. IIT introduced courses in mobile application development last year and has also opened a facility, called the "Idea Shop," designed for interdisciplinary collaboration, including mobile application development (as well as scientific computing, visualization, and prototyping). According to the university, "The Idea Shop will be the home of the Interprofessional Projects Program (IPRO), where students from all disciplines collaborate in teams to solve real-world problems, some of which turn into entrepreneurial ventures through the Knapp Entrepreneurship Center, which helps students take their ideas and products from the classroom to the marketplace."

"University education is much different today as compared to even 10 years ago," IIT Provost Alan Cramb said in a prepared statement released Tuesday. "Students live in a world where technology is seamlessly integrated into virtually every aspect of their lives, where information and collaboration are available anywhere, anytime. IIT is committed to providing students with the tools and support to thrive in a constantly evolving technological landscape."

The university said it's also developing an app that will provide students, faculty, and visitors with information about the university and will allow the institution to send emergency alerts to iPads and other Apple mobile devices.

IIT serves about 7,700 total students. Roughly 2,600 are undergraduates.

About the Author

David Nagel is the former editorial director of 1105 Media's Education Group and editor-in-chief of THE Journal, STEAM Universe, and Spaces4Learning. A 30-year publishing veteran, Nagel has led or contributed to dozens of technology, art, marketing, media, and business publications.

He can be reached at [email protected]. You can also connect with him on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidrnagel/ .


Featured

  • black graduation cap with a glowing blue AI brain circuit symbol on top

    Report: AI Is a Must for Modern Learners

    A new report from VitalSource identifies a growing demand among learners for AI tools, declaring that "AI isn't just a nice-to-have; it's a must."

  • From Fire TV to Signage Stick: University of Utah's Digital Signage Evolution

    Jake Sorensen, who oversees sponsorship and advertising and Student Media in Auxiliary Business Development at the University of Utah, has navigated the digital signage landscape for nearly 15 years. He was managing hundreds of devices on campus that were incompatible with digital signage requirements and needed a solution that was reliable and lowered labor costs. The Amazon Signage Stick, specifically engineered for digital signage applications, gave him the stability and design functionality the University of Utah needed, along with the assurance of long-term support.

  • laptop screen with a video play icon, surrounded by parts of notebooks, pens, and a water bottle on a student desk

    New AI Tool Generates Video Explanations Based on Course Materials

    AI-powered studying and learning platform Studyfetch has launched Imagine Explainers, a new video creator that utilizes artificial intelligence to generate 10- to 60-minute explainer videos for any topic.

  • handshake where one hand is human and the other is composed of glowing circuits

    Western Governors University Joins Open edX as a Mission-Aligned Organization

    Western Governors University is the first organization to join the Open edX project as a "mission-aligned organization" (MAO), a new category of institution-level partnership supporting development of the Open edX open source online learning platform.