Sunday, February 10, 2013

College Campus & Kalahari.com Launch Mobile Learning

One of the countrys leaders in technologically-focused learning, College Campus, has launched a digital offering that will better equip students to benefit from digitised content.

An educational brand of the Independent Institute of Education, College Campus has entered into a strategic partnership with South Africas leading online book and retail store, kalahari.com, to provide College Campus students with tablets and access to pre-loaded digitised course content from several publishers, a first for higher education in South Africa.

All diploma students, who sign the 2013 registration contract and pay their deposits or settle in full, will receive a Samsung Galaxy Tab2 P3100 7 8GB with Wi-Fi. They can upgrade to a Samsung Galaxy Tab2 P5100 10 16GB with Wi-Fi, by paying in R1 000, says College Campus MD, Genevieve Allen.

However, simply giving out a device is not enough. It must be loaded with information. Thats why we invested nine months research and preparation with kalahari.com and Samsung South Africa, says Allen.

Students will receive free student manuals and financial assistance in purchasing digital textbooks, a cheaper alternative to hard copies.

Allen stresses: We have ensured that upwards of 60% of the required textbooks are now available in digital form from kalahari.com and can be downloaded and read on the tablets using kalaharis e-reader application.

Lecturers and students will be trained to use the devices, which are to be utilised in lecture rooms, the library and at home.

Besides the cost-saving benefit of more affordable digital textbooks, the convenience and immediacy of learning that the tablet provides will be of great value to students. They can type notes or even record their lectures, access the Internet for research without having to wait for a computer, download their manuals, assignments and course content through our student portal and make full use of the multimedia and App functionality found on the tablet to aid them in their studies.

Digitising large quantities of text and images to make them available over the Internet and in downloadable form is a massive enterprise which is set to transform students ways of working.

The digital space is poised to explode in South African education says kalahari.com Academic Project Manager, John Edward Jacobs. Nonetheless, a lot needs to be done to enable this, and unlock the opportunities. We are very proud of being able to pull together the partnership, infrastructure and content in a small space of time. Most particularly, we are excited about our pioneering solution: we are able to pre-load the students digital textbook purchases onto their tablets, resolving untold logistical and supply issues. This means that on the first day of class, once the students register their kalahari.com ereader applications, they will immediately have access to all of their unique digital content on their Samsung devices

A recent excerpt from a mobile learning conference paper points out that in the developing world, mobile learning is not just about having the right content, on the right device, for the right person, at just the right time, but also having it at just the right cost, something our partnership with kalahari and the technology provided by Samsung allows us to do, says Allen.

Higher certificate and degree students, whod like to purchase a tablet, have the option to login via the College Campus website and purchase a Samsung Galaxy Tab2 P3100 7 8GB with Wi-Fi at the College Campus online shop (powered by kalahari.com) at a reduced rate of R2899.00 which amounts to a R2000 saving. Its an exclusive offer to College Campus students and will be available for a limited time period only.

Todays digital native students understand the value and impact of technology and are the primary adopters of mobile technologies in South Africa, with nearly 72 percent of mobile ownership occurring among 15-24 year olds**. An education system or institution which fails to take this into account will lose a unique opportunity to holistically educate and engage this generation.

As College Campus moves into the powerful digital era of education, the emphasis and goals are clear: to enhance a students learning experience to better furnish him or her to gain from the current impressive technology and confidently take their place in the global community. Allen and staff share this focus:

This decision has not only been about access to information and technology. We aim to equip our students to thrive in a brave new world. One where tech-literacy is commonplace.

Students can register with College Campus between 02 28 February 2013. Up to 700 Samsung Galaxy Tabs have been made available for diploma students to take advantage of this mobile learning opportunity.

ENDS

References
*mLearn 2012 conference in Helsinki, October 14 2012. Mobiles For Teaching (And Learning): Supporting Teachers With Content And Methods For Reading Instruction.

**South African mobile generation: Study on South African young people on mobiles, 29 May 2012, UNICEF New York, Division of Communication, Social and Civic Media Section Gerrit Beger, Akshay Sinha

About College Campus
College Campus is one of South Africas leaders in technologically focused and enabled learning and an education brand of The Independent Institute of Education (The IIE), the largest provider of higher private education in South Africa.

Courses are designed and frequently reassessed to meet market demands and stay in line with the latest technological developments within a specific field. Work Readiness Programmes equip graduates with the skills and orientation to enter the professional working world with greater ease.

The academic personnel are passionate experts in their fields. Theory is integrated with practical examples in all coursework, allowing students to develop a deeper level of insight through experiential learning.

Academic Development Coordinators (ADCs) provide students with personal support, additional study skills programmes and workshops where necessary. ADCs are also responsible for continuously assessing lecturing and education standards. College Campus operates out of two campuses in Pretoria and Auckland Park.

News source: PRWeb

Source:
College Campus & Kalahari.com Launch Mobile Learning



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