News

Abilene Christian U Pilots iPhone Math App in Classrooms

• By Scott Aronowitz
• 10/26/09

Abilene Christian University (ACU) of Abilene, TX has partnered with ed tech development firm GetYa Learn On to test the use of the company's iPhone collegiate math application "Statistics" in a classroom setting.

Due for release in late November, the Statistics app offers a full range of features, including simulations and calculators to help explain abstract concepts, as well as lessons, quizzes, and flashcards for outside study and graphic organizers, a glossary, and a list of formulas and symbols for ready reference anytime.

The software testing is part of ACU's Mobile Learning Program, which issues iPhones and iPod Touch devices to all incoming freshmen. GetYa Learn On said it expects to publish the results of the pilot study in early 2010.

Psychology professor Scott Perkins, who serves as research coordinator for the Mobile Learning Program, said that apps like Statistics help integrate technology into learning activities. "Incorporating an app like this into the daily structure of a course provides a great supplement to traditional classroom activities and helps to prepare students for the workplace of the future."

ACU psychology instructor Jessica Nguyen, who teaches introductory statistics, worked with GetYa Learn On to integrate the app in her classes, and she said she's noticed results. "My students are excited about using the app, and it has become especially helpful for test review and preparation."

A spokesperson for GetYa Learn On cited ACU as an ideal partner to test the app because of the exposure to personal technology its students receive via the Mobile Learning Program, noting that the program's leaders "have cultivated a spirit of academic entrepreneurialism and a sense of optimism about what is pedagogically possible through the use of innovative technologies like the iPhone."