As mobile devices in Higher Ed are becoming more prevalent, are laptops and personal computers becoming outdated? It may be too soon to say this with certainty, but smartphones and tablets seem to be taking over as the most prominent way that students choose to stay connected. As this new surge of technology happens, it begs the question: what does this mean for the technology and applications found in their university or for the relationship between Higher Ed IT and mobile devices? In this article, we’ll break down how two of the most common mobile devices are being used and why Higher Ed IT should work to accommodate them.
On Cellphones
In a new study by Domo, a software company specializing in Cloud-based intelligence, 2,228 Higher Ed students were asked about their mobile habits. The results may not be too surprising—surfing the web on a cell phone beat surfing on a desktop by only 2%. Furthermore, a 2014 study by TechCrunch confirms that mobile devices are on the rise.
On Tablets
Walk into any course on the first day and ask to see the syllabus; you will more than likely see a note from the lecturer regarding their mobile device and technology policy. Some professors welcome them and view them as a simple and convenient solution to note taking or paying for a textbook; others, however, do not allow them due to the general concern that the student will be distracted by the tablet’s other features. According to the Pearson Student Mobile Device Survey of 2014, 45% of students use a tablet regularly.
What It Means for Higher Ed IT
Where does this leave Higher Ed IT? Is this shift in mobile device usage something IT should pay attention to? The answer is, unequivocally, yes! In fact, not only does Pearson’s survey also report 74% of those surveyed agree that tablets make learning “more” fun but it also states that 56% of students use a smartphone for a school-related task on a weekly basis.
Not only do these numbers speak for themselves, but one can assume that the prevalence of mobile devices will not be going away. We have some advice as you plan to make your products mobile-friendly:
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Make sure all of your applications work on a mobile device:
Many universities have already taken the leap into the mobile world and have created sleek (and effective) mobile versions of their sites that can be browsed easily on various platforms. While this is a great first step, you will never maximize your product’s functionality until all of your applications work as effectively on mobile. From your learning management system to your student portal to your institution’s financial aid interface: your students need to have access to everything–from anywhere–because you’ll never know why or when they will need to access a part of their university profile.
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Create a separate help desk for mobile issues:
With the desire to create more mobile technologies, you’re bound to run into issues with the devices and the students that are operating them. These issues may be software related and require more research, or they may be hardware related. Creating a second helpdesk, or a rotating schedule where your IT department works either of the helpdesks, will allow for specific attention to be paid to the issues facing the mobile interfaces.
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Triple check your product across platforms:
Not everyone will be using the same smartphone or tablet. It’s important to plan for the diversity of technology accordingly and test your products across various platforms and models. Nothing will upset a student more than not being able to access their LMS to submit an assignment on their tablet because they’re using an older model.
D. Frank Smith, author of the original piece at Ed Tech Magazine, calls the shift, “one in which higher ed [sic] infrastructure will have to evolve to accommodate.” While these three tips will not solve the increasing mobile use on your campus, they are certainly things you should plan for and expect. As mobile devices continue to gain prevalence in Higher Ed IT, new information regarding how to best plan for the influx of mobile devices will be more readily available and teams will be able to continue to work to accommodate the needs of the university populous at large.
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