ACU Undergraduate Students Use Comprehensive Statistics App for Interactive and Mobile Learning

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 21 /PRNewswire/ — GetYa Learn On, LLC and Abilene Christian University (ACU) today announced the launch of a pilot study for a new iPhone application – “Statistics” – designed to supplement lessons in an introductory statistics course. The goals of the partnership are to evaluate the app’s usability, collect data on how students use the app, and measure the app’s effectiveness as a learning tool. The partnership is part of ACU’s Mobile Learning program* which has provided iPhone and iPod touch devices to all incoming freshman since fall 2008. ACU was the first university to provide iPhones and iPod touches to students on a large scale.

The Statistics app was developed by GetYa Learn On, a software development company based in Austin, Texas, and made up of experts in educational psychology and software development. The app features lessons, simulations, calculators, quizzes, flashcards, graphic organizers, a glossary, and a list of formulas and symbols. The Statistics app will be released in the iTunes App Store in late November, and a report discussing findings from the pilot study will be published in early 2010.

“My students are excited about using the app, and it has become especially helpful for test review and preparation,” said ACU Instructor of Psychology, Jessica Nguyen – who teaches the Introductory Statistics class and worked with GetYa Learn On to integrate the app into the existing course syllabus. Dr. Scott Perkins, Professor of Psychology and Coordinator of Mobile Learning Research adds, “There is a strong commitment at ACU to use technology to expand learning activities, both in and out of the classroom. 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.”

Within the classroom, the app’s simulations and calculators are used to explain and illustrate abstract concepts. Students use the glossary and list of formulas as quick reference tools. Outside of the classroom, students test their own understanding using the interactive flashcards and quizzes. The quizzes provide immediate feedback so that students can identify their misconceptions. The app also includes a full spectrum of mini-lessons covering typical statistics topics. The lessons are used to complement class lectures and to provide alternative explanations to complex concepts.

“The leaders of the ACU Mobile Learning project 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,” said Dr. Michael Mayrath, Managing Director of GetYa Learn On. “More than 50 percent of ACU’s students already have an iPhone or iPod touch. This makes ACU an optimal place to conduct research on how the iPhone’s technological affordances can make a disruptive impact upon education. Thus, ACU is an ideal partner for testing the Statistics app.”

The ACU Mobile Learning program has been recognized with several honors for its leadership and vision, including the 2008 Campus Technology Innovator Award. Additionally, Dr. Bill Rankin, associate professor of English and co-director of ACU’s Mobile Learning Initiative, received the 2009 Apple Distinguished Educator award. ACU hosts numerous ConnectEd Conferences attended by educators and technologists from organizations ranging from the U.S. Air Force to K-12 teachers.

For more information:

GetYa Learn On, LLC – www.GetYaLearnOn.com

ACU’s Mobile Learning program – www.acu.edu/technology/mobilelearning/

© 2009 GetYa Learn On Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. GetYa Learn On, the GetYa Learn On logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of GetYa Learn On Intellectual Property. All other marks contained herein are property of their respective owners.

About GetYa Learn On

GetYa Learn On, LLC is a private company headquartered in Austin, Texas, and founded in 2008. The company is comprised of a team of experts from software development, educational psychology, instructional technology, and measurement and evaluation. GetYa Learn On is exploring the pedagogical potential of in innovative technologies, including touch-screens, accelerometers, and (GPS) global-positioning systems. All GetYa Learn On applications and games are developed using current research in educational psychology and instructional design.

About ACU

ACU is a vibrant, innovative, Christ-centered community that engages students in authentic spiritual and intellectual growth, equipping them to make a real difference in the world. ACU was named one of America’s Best Colleges by U.S. News and World Report in its 2010 edition and was recently ranked in the top seven percent of universities nationwide in Forbes magazine’s America’s Best Colleges rankings.

* ACU’s Mobile Learning project is led by Dr. Rankin along with Dr. Scott Perkins, professor of Psychology and Director of Research, and George Saltsman, Director of Educational Technology for the Adams Center for Teaching and Learning.

CONTACT:  Michael Mayrath, Ph.D., of GetYa Learn On, +1-512-789-7363, mayrath@getyalearnon.com; or Wendy Kilmer of ACU, +1-325-439-0905, wew97p@acu.edu