Mobile Computing

Whether it's a smartphone (Android, BlackBerry, iPhone, or others), an iPad, or another tablet, mobile devices are here to stay. Higher education is exploring the use of these devices in the classroom as well as mobile application development for everyday use on campus. Explore this resource site—a collection of all EDUCAUSE resources related to mobile computing.

Mobile Computing 101

• 7 Things You Should Know About Mobile IT, EDUCAUSE, February 2010. Mobile IT promises to change the way users interact with resources and applications, moving services away from desktop and laptop computers to devices that increasingly embody a convergence of formerly disparate functions. Moreover, mobile IT affords new opportunities for applications to deliver location-specific information. The role of mobile IT will continue to take on new dimensions as technologies mature and converge, and higher education will both guide and benefit from those developments.
• Mobile IT in Higher Education, 2011 Report, ECAR Research Report, December 2011. This study found that most survey respondents report little progress in making institutional services, applications, and websites accessible on mobile devices.
• Mobility and Higher Education: Not Just the Next Big Thing, ECAR Research Bulletin, 2006.
• Smartphones and Other Mobile Devices: The Swiss Army Knives of the 21st Century, EDUCAUSE Quarterly, 2004. Web-enabled mobile devices help users become more effective, providing a variety of tools for different purposes.

Current and Future Trends in Mobile Computing

• BYOD ECAR Research Hub. ECAR 2013. This research report explores the implications for IT infrastructure, planning and governance, security and compliance, support strategies, teaching and learning, and budget.
• Developing a Campus Mobile Strategy: Guidelines, Tools, and Best Practices, EDUCAUSE Advanced Core Technologies Initiative (ACTI), January 2013. This guide helps walk campuses through the steps of making the case for mobility, strategy, developing goals and developing your campus mobile initiative.

• Mobility at Ole Miss: An Evolving Strategy, EDUCAUSE Live!, December 2011. This webinar will identify some of the big questions surrounding mobility and describe the approach that the University of Mississippi is taking for each.
• 2011 Horizon Report, ELI and NMC, February 2011. The Horizon Report has highlighted mobile devices as one of the emerging technologies that will be immediately adopted by the higher education community. “Mobiles enable ubiquitous access to information, social networks, tools for learning and productivity, and much more. Mobile devices continue to evolve, but it is the increased access to affordable and reliable networks that is driving this technology now. Mobiles are capable computing devices in their own right—and they are increasingly a user’s first choice for Internet access.”
• Smartphone Market Expected to Soar in 2011, New York Times, March 29, 2011. “According to new research by the International Data Corporation, a company that tracks technology market share and sales, smartphone makers are expected to ship more than 450 million smartphones in 2011 compared to the 303.4 million units shipped in 2010.”
• Apprehending the Future: Emerging Technologies, from Science Fiction to Campus Reality, EDUCAUSE Review, May/June 2009. This article explores various methods for keeping an eye on the future as it applies to the world of higher education and information technology

• A “Comprehensive” Guide to Mobile Statistics, Cloud Four, February 2011.

Pew Reports

The Pew Internet & American Life Project produces reports exploring the impact of the Internet on families, communities, work and home, daily life, education, health care, and civic and political life.

• Americans and Their Cell Phones, August 15, 2011. Mobile phones have become a near-ubiquitous tool for information seeking and communicating--83% of American adults own some kind of cell phone--and these devices have an impact on many aspects of their owners’ daily lives.

• Generations and Their Gadgets, February 2011. Many devices have become popular across generations, with a majority now owning cell phones, laptops, and desktop computers. Younger adults are leading the way in increased mobility, preferring laptops to desktops and using their cell phones for a variety of functions, including Internet, e-mail, music, games, and video.

• Mobile Access 2010, July 2010. Cell phone and wireless laptop Internet use have each grown more prevalent over the last year. Nearly half of all adults (47%) go online with a laptop using a Wi-Fi connection or mobile broadband card (up from the 39% who did so as of April 2009) while 40% of adults use the Internet, e-mail, or instant messaging on a mobile phone (up 32% in 2009). This means that 59% of adults now access the Internet wirelessly using a laptop or cell phone—that is, they answered “yes” to at least one of these wireless access pathways. That adds up to an increase from the 51% who used a laptop or cell phone wirelessly in April 2009.
• The Mobile Difference, March 2009. Some 39% of Americans have positive and improving attitudes about their mobile communication devices, which in turn draws them further into engagement with digital resources—on both wireless and wireline platforms.

Mobile Computing related topics

• Augmented Reality
• E-Books
• E-Readers
• E-Textbooks
• Mobile Application Development
• Mobile Infrastructure
• Mobile Learning
• Mobile Policy
• Mobile Security
• Mobile Support
• Mobile Website
• Smartphones
• Tablets and iPads

Updated April 2013