1. I LIBRARY MOBILE
Abilene
Christian
Uni*versit
An Exemplar Mobile University
Abilene Christian University (ACU) [http://www.acu.edu] is a
Christian university offering more than 65 baccalaureate majors
in more than 125 areas of study, as well as 25 master's degree
programs and a doctoral program. Located on a 250-acre
campus in the city of Abilene in west-central Texas, ACU has
an annual enrollment of approximately 4,700 students.
A ccording to "America'sBest Colleges" [http://bit.ly/bbAP
SN], a special report published in August 2010 by Forbes,
Abilene Christian University is "among the best in the coun-
try," with a ranking of No. 484 of the more than 6,600 accred-
ited postsecondary institutions eligible for consideration in
the magazine's assessment. ACU is also recognized in the
rankings of U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Col-
leges," in The PrincetonReview's "Best in theWest," as a "Col-
lege of Distinction" by Student Horizons,and in 'America's 100
Best College Buys" and "America's Best Christian Colleges"
lhttp:/ /bit.ly/9QEwnll.
ACU is a founding member ofthe Consortium for Innovation
& Research in Converged Learning (CIRCL) [http://www.open
circl.org], a free community-supported network of researchers,
professors, teachers, and other education professionals engaged
in mobile and converged learning practice and research. In 2009,
ACU was designated a Center of Excellence for its mobile-learn-
ing program by the New Media Consortium at its 2009 summer
conference [http://bit.ly/eBLkXw].
Gerald McKiernan
Science and Technology Librarian
Iowa State University Library
ACU Connected
Through its ACU Connected program [http://bit.ly/lTg8w0],
launched in 2008, the university seeks to explore the value of
mobile computers, social media,and other information technolo-
gies in fostering more effective learning and discovery.
To better understand the actual and potential benefits of
these digital products and services, the university has commit-
ted itself to "an ongoing empirical evaluation of the impact of
mobile learning on student outcomes," complementing its
experimentation with formal research that tests "the levels of
student engagement, critical thinking, academic performance,
and social interaction in classes that use mobile-learning ped-
agogies versus traditional teaching techniques."
At the end of the first year of its mobile learning initiative, its
studies of"student and faculty attitudes, perceptions, usage pat-
terns, and engagement related to the use of mobile devices" doc-
umented that these groups were positive about the project; that
the iPhone was an "attractiveplatform forlearning"; and that learn-
ing activities could be successfully migrated to mobile devices.
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2. R•A' MOBILE
In late February 2008, the university announced thatit would
become the first university to provide an iPhone or iPod touch to
all freshman enrolled for the Fall 2008 semester. Through these
mobile devices, students would "receive homework alerts, answer
in-class surveys and quizzes, get directions to their professors'
offices, and check their meal and account balances - among
more than 15 other useful web applications...." The university
had previously provided mobile devices to graduate students
enrolled in its distance education programs [http://bit.ly/STFXW.
In Fall 2007, The Optimist,the university's student newspa-
per, became one of the first student newspapers designed for
access on the iPhone; by April 2010, it became the first with an
application for the iPad [http://bit.ly/hQOHjS].
Mobile-Learning Fellows and Projects
Through a competitive, peer-review process, the university
has selected a handful of Mobile-Learning Fellows, university
faculty selected to examine a topic or issue relevant to the over-
all mobile initiative [http://bit.ly/48fiMs].
The projects supported during the academic 2008-2009 cal-
endar year included Collaboration With Mobile Technology at
ACU, Mobile Device Effectiveness in Academic Environments, Is
It Work or Play? Utilitarian Versus Hedonic Uses of Converged
Mobile Devices in Higher Education, and Using iPhones to Sup-
port Student Learning inInquiry Based Laboratory Experiments
[http://bit.ly/hyHWtyl. Inthe 2009-2010 academic year,projects
included The Effects of Mobile Learning in Marriage and Family
Therapy Graduate Education on Student Engagement and
Course Evaluations, Reconfiguring an Entry Majors Course Uti-
lizing Mobile Learning Tools on Regular (Daily) Basis, Monitor-
ing the Behavioral andAcademic Progress ofAt Risk-Elementary
Students on a Mobile Device Platform, and The Use of Clickers
and Electronic Flashcards on the iPhone/iPod Touch in a Chem-
istry Classroom [http://bit.ly/eH6mgOl.
During the current academic year (2010-2011), projects
include an investigation of "the degree towhich student charac-
teristics (e.g., classification) and perceptions of mobile learning
devices (i.e., technology beliefs, attitudes, and intentions) will
impact student device selections (i.e., iPhones versus iPod touch),
device usage (e.g., academic, social and entertainment fre-
quency), and student outcomes (e.g., student engagement) over
time" and a study on the potential communication and educa-
tional benefits that access to mobile learning resources could offer
undergraduate mathematics students, inside and outside the
classroom. Other projects include an investigation on the relative
effectiveness of two different mobile learning strategies on ACU
jiTeamI,nnoativeACU students collaborateto help
1he Optimist make university newspaperhistory
- AýI All -,-I 'A-0,-.
calculus students; a study on the potential learning and techno-
logical benefits that could be realized by the development and
deployment of an electronic textbook by students; and an inves-
tigation of the benefits that iPhone/iPod touch podcasts offered
to science students in performing theirlaboratory tasks and their
success on associated lab exams lhttp://bit.ly/g4pDVv].
The iPad as an Educational Tool
ACU faculty have also begun to explore the use of the iPad
as an educational tool.Their efforts include individual and small
team projects such as these:
"* E-Reader Usage for StudentsWith Disabilities
"* Free Range Teaching
"* Digital Media Delivery and E-Reserves
"* Handheld Script
"* Visual Learning of Logic Structures
"* Classroom Sketchup
"* Training of Grad Students inAssessment and
Therapy Skills
"* Language Coach for StudyAbroad
"* Typography, Design, Layout on Digital Readers
"* Consume and Disseminate Media
"* Publication Design of Digital Textbooks
"* Interface Design and Usability of Digital Textbooks
"* Interface Design of Mobile News
Statistics 1App
In late January 2011, the university announced the results
of an investigation of the relative effectiveness and benefits of
an etextbook app, Statistics 1,on iPhones/iPod touch and iPad
www nfolocay.comisearcher April 2011 35

3. MOBILE
platforms used in an introductory ACU statistics course.
According to the announcement, while 60% of the students
preferred the iPad version for studying and test preparation
due to its larger screen, students also reported that the iPhone/
iPod touch version was equally important because they already
owned these devices and usedthem for other purposes. The app
components reported as most useful included "theexamples in
the lessons, quizzes with feedback, flashcards, glossary,and the
Standard Deviation calculator."
The investigation was conducted in conjunction with GetYa
Learn On (GYLO) [http://getyalearnon.coml, an Austin-based
educational software company,which has collaborated with the
university since 2009 "to explore factors that affect learning with
the iPhone and iPad in the context of higher education" [http://
bit.ly/hIRGbK]. (See also http://bit.ly/fo0rd7.)
Digital Book Pilot Classes
In Fall 2010, ACU, in partnership with Cambridge University
Press and Alcatel Lucent, initiated a research project to investi-
gate the future of digital books. During this semester, 50 students
enrolled in the university's Principles ofMicroeconomics course,
where they were provided with a digital edition of The Micro
Economy Today, 12th edition (Schiller) on an iPad as well as an
iPad app developed by inkling [http://www.inkling.com] that
offers interactive digital textbook functionalities. In another
inkling project in partnership with McGraw-Hill, students
enrolled in the Marketing Strategy course were provided with
Marketing,10th edition (Kerin et al.) on the iPad. In addition to
use of the digital text, students would also use the iPad as a sur-
vey/data collection device to assess not only their own class but
a microeconomics pilot class as well [http://bit.ly/ei23kc].
Expanded Mobile-Learning Initiatives
In May 2010, AT&T announced that it had awarded ACU a 3-
year, $1.8 million grant to support the expansion of the univer-
sity's mobile learning initiative. The funding is intended to sup-
port the development of"the infrastructure for three interrelated
initiatives that will serve as a laboratory for the ongoing explo-
AC Moil LerigReore
The ACU Connected project maintains "a collection of papers, findings,
presentations, interviews, tools, and podcasts from ACU's mobile learn-
ing initiative, as well as links to useful mobile learning resources from
other thinkers and leaders," most notably:
m ACU Connected Blog. Arich resource of mobile-learning principles,
tools, technologies, findings, and examples from ACU's mobile
learning initiative
a ACU Connected on iTunes U. Free downloadable videos and pod-
casts from ACU Connected
s Experts Bibliography. An annotated bibliography of organizations,
blogs, and publications that are also exploring the possibilities of
mobile learning
n Mobile-Learning Tools &Technology. Alisting of mobile tools, tech-
nologies, and strategies useful for mobile learning
, Multimedia Gallery. Videos, podcasts, presentations, and other
digital media resources on mobile learning from ACU Connected
[http://bit.ly/gw8QvD].
Annual Reports
ACU also provides access to its 2008-2009 and
2009-2010 "Mobile Learning Reports," which
offer descriptions of its various mobile learning
initiatives [http://bit.ly/48fiMs].
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4. MOBILE
ration ofmobility in education." This includes the creation ofthe
AT&T Learning Studio, development of a K-12 Professional Devel-
opment Institute, and an expansion of ACUrs Mobile Learning
Research Program [http:/ /bit.ly/gW7pOll.
The AT&T Learning Studio
The AT&T Learning Studio is a "curricular laboratory
designed to support mobile media experimentation and a
center of innovation related to the educational uses of media
enhanced learning materials in traditional and mobile set-
tings." Located in the ACU Margaret and Herman Brown
Library, the studio is scheduled to open in Spring 2011 and
will include "recording booths for the capturing of podcasts
and interviews, editing bays for audio and video creation as
well as media screening spaces and a production studio with
high-definition recording capabilities."
The K-12 Professional Development Institute
The K-12 Professional Development Institute will seek to
"facilitate the training of primary and secondary teachers
around the world in new media usage and in the deployment
of mobility for teaching and learning."
In mid-December 2010, the university announced that it had
partnered with the Dallas Christian School (DCS) to provide
instructional and technical assistance to the school's instructors
as part of the DCS ChargerTech initiative [http://www.dallas
christian.com), a project in which all DCS teachers would be
exploring the potential instructional uses of iPad tablets.
The Mobile Learning Research Program
The AT&T award will also support the work of the mobile
learning research coordinator and provide additional funding
toexpand the university's Mobile Learning Fellows program. The
research program is expected to "refine best practices among
thought leaders and will assess the validity of mobile learning
and innovative teaching techniques atACU and partner institu-
tions." Research findings from the projects will also be shared
with the K-12 community as well.
Connected Summit
Since 2009, ACU has sponsored Connected Summit, a bien-
nial international conference convened "to explore the future of
education and mobile learning" [http://bit.ly/gVhUEO]. The
inaugural Connected Summit, held Feb. 26-27, 2009, included
several tracks, these most notably:
"* Teaching: Pedagogy &Praxis
"* Teaching: Podcasting &Mobile Media
"* Research, Assessments &Methodology
"* Web &SDK Programming
"* Institutional Leadership
"- Logistics &Deployment
"* Infrastructure &Networking
"* Handheld Learning in the K-12 Classroom
The conference was attended by more than 400 individuals
from 12 dozen organizations, representing more than 60 col-
leges and universities and nearly 30 K-12 school districts, in
addition to more than 26 corporate participants. The presenta-
tion slides and associated podcasts for Connected Summit 2009
are available at http://bit.ly/gVhUEO.
The theme for Connected Summit 2011 was Turning the
Page: The Next Chapter for Education and featured more than
75 sessions, "with tracks focusing on media &mobility, teach-
ing & learning, the future of books, K-12 education, infra-
structure &logistics, research and campus spotlights" [http://
bit.ly/bBoAZpl.
A track devoted to The Future of Books included presenta-
tions on "Moving From Digital Books (PDFs) to eTextbooks:
What a True eTextbook Should Look Like," "iPad or iFad: The
Reality of a Paperless Classroom," "Building for the Next Infor-
mation Age: Envisioning the Future of Books," Reading in the
Digital Era," "Jekyll and Hyde: A BookWith Augmented Reality,"
"Social Learning: Designing Interactive Tools to Enable Active
Reading and Sharing," and "Chapter 0: How 20 Freshmen Cre-
ated Their Own Electronic Text," as well as a panel session on
"What Things May Come: A Panel Discussion on ePublishing
and eBooks" [http://bit.ly/dY4uxn].
A related track focused on Rethinking Textbooks in the 21st
Century and included presentations on "YourTextbook Is aVinyl
Record," "OER, Connexions, and the Next Textbook," "Freeing
the Textbook: Building a Sustainable 21st Century Publishing
Model," and "Between Open Access and Commerce: A Case
Study ofa Freemium Business Model for Academic and Special-
ist eBooks" lhttp://bit.ly/ezSC8X].
More to Come
Future Library Mobile columns will profile other leading
mobile learning initiatives that are being undertaken by insti-
tutions and organizations in the U.S. and other countries
throughout the world. *
www infotoday corilsearcher April 2011 37

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Publisher:
McKiernan, Gerald
Abilene Christian University: An Exemplar Mobile University
Searcher 19 no3 Ap 2011 p. 34-7
1070-4795
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