Apple is teaming up with Ohio State University for a college program called The Digital Flagship University. It focuses on teaching, learning, research, and creativity. Starting in 2018, students will receive an iPad Pro with apps and tools like an Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard.
Michael V. Drake, President of Ohio State University, said:
We are establishing our Digital Flagship University initiative by combining the resources and talents of an international technology leader and one of the most comprehensive public universities in the world. Our students and community will have outstanding opportunities to develop modern mobile skills to enhance learning and excel in the competitive workplace.
Goals
The goals of Apple and Ohio State University for the program will include:
- a student-success plan to fuse learning technology into the university experience
- an iOS design lab on the Columbus campus serving faculty, staff, students and members of the public
- university-wide opportunities for students to learn coding skills to improve their chances of getting a job in the app economy
As the program expands, there are opportunities to bring iPads into the university. Examples include botany students using iPads as field notebooks, or chemistry students using iPads to complete assignments using iTunes.
Digital Flagship University starts this 2017-2018 school year. The iOS design lab opens in 2018 in a temporary location — it will move to a permanent spot in 2019. Training in Swift programming will start in the spring semester of 2018.
This is just the latest education effort by Apple. In May, the company launched an app development course for high school and community college students. And in August, Apple announced a Swift course for app development across 30 community colleges in the U.S.