Mobile Computing | News

USC and 2tor Take Master's Program onto Apple Devices

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 04/14/11

The University of Southern California Rossier School of Education is providing a native application for Apple's iOS platform that allows online students to do their work on an iPhone or iPad. MAT@USC, started about two years ago, has about 1,550 students, all pursuing a master of arts in teaching.

The new, free iOS app, created through a partnership between USC Rossier and 2tor, allows students to:

• View course content, including lessons, documents, and videos;
• Find and communicate with other members of their program;
• Post photographs, documents, and videos for viewing by course participants;
• Get notified of upcoming live sessions and assignment due dates;
• Participate in socially created communities; and
• Tke content-specific notes that sync back to MAT@USC's Web-based platform.

2tor is a service provider that specifically helps universities take their master's programs online. As profiled in a recent article in Campus Technology, U Southern California and 2tor teamed up to launch the online teaching program about two years ago. Besides revamping applications such as Moodle and Adobe Connect to deliver enhanced courses and helping develop the skills of faculty to deliver online classes, 2tor also works with the school to market the program and recruit students.

Reworking course activities for the iOS platform, the school said in a statement, "is a big step forward for the program."

This isn't the only mobile app available at USC created in partnership with 2tor. The USC School of Social Work offers a similar app for its virtual master's degree program in social work.

"This new app gives our MAT@USC students the ability to do their learning from almost anywhere, while preserving the quality of the learning environment our faculty and administration have worked so hard to create," said Rossier Dean Karen Symms Gallagher.