The Ohio State University recently announced it will become a Digital Flagship University through a new collaboration with Apple. Nicole Kraft, assistant professor-clinical in the School of Communication, has already implemented this technology in her class on writing and editing for media. In 2013, Kraft was the first recipient of the Digital First Impact grant, which allowed her to put iPads in this specific class.

The new Ohio State-Apple partnership will focus university-wide on teaching and learning as well as creative expression through the use of technology. Beginning in autumn 2018, new first-year students at Ohio State’s Columbus and regional campuses will receive an iPad Pro.

Recently, Kraft’s class went to a fake crime scene where her students used their iPad technology and what they’ve learned to hunt for details and gain information. This simulation gave her students real experience from a reporter’s perspective.

“You know the iPad is an amazing device for many reasons. Not the least of which, from a reporter’s standpoint, is there’s really nothing that you need to do as a reporter, from writing and reporting, to shooting photos and video, to editing to social media, that you can’t do just using one device,” Kraft said.

Kraft has also been training other students at Ohio State on the powers of using iPad technology. Two years ago she was contacted by the faculty athletic representative and performed a pilot study that showed that student-athletes would like to be trained on how to use their iPad technology. She spent the past two summers training the incoming freshmen athletes on how to use their iPads for note taking, organization, learning, and accessibility functions. Kraft also spent three days training Texas Tech student-athletes on how to use their iPads as well.

Kraft is excited for the opportunity to see Ohio State lead the way as a Digital Flagship University.

“I think it’s an unbelievable opportunity. I think Ohio State has long been a flagship in terms of providing opportunity for students. But now we’re putting everyone on equal footing in terms of creating a personalized learning environment,” Kraft said. “We want to make sure that all of our students have equal access to their learning materials. It’s not the technology that teaches students, but the technology will make learning more accessible and provide more opportunities to learn.”

As part of the collaboration, Ohio State will also introduce an iOS design laboratory on the Columbus campus as well as university-wide opportunities for students to learn coding skills to enhance their career readiness in the app economy. For more information, view an Ohio State news release.