James R. Miller, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the University of Kansas, says that the iPhone may be an ideal platform for students learning online. According to Miller,

“People are beginning to expect on-demand delivery for education. They may be out in a field someplace or completely away from standard Internet connectivity. Well, if they can pick up their iPhone and turn it on, that technology is making it possible for them to get this on-demand education that they need.”

I have no problem teaching students on their iPhones rather than laptops if that’s the access method they choose. I can also understand that the touch-screen of the iPhone may offer a greater since of interactivity than clicking a mouse and that the audio capabilities cater to the many who learn best through listening rather than reading. However, I’m not going to be designing my courses specifically for iPhone users just yet.

First of all, I don’t think iPhones are ubiquitous enough to justify such a design choice. Only 1,119,000 iPhones had been sold as of October–hardly a dent in the number of potential online learners.

Secondly, I’m not sure that I would want to spend hours learning from a tiny screen. Perhaps the younger generation of learners have better eyesight. After all, they are more accustomed to accessing information and forming text-pic-video relationships on their phones. For those of us in generations before X, I think phone-based education would be limited to die-hard technophiles.

Finally, rather than catering to users of a specific device, instructional design should aim at universal access. Some people, especially those with visual impairments and some with limited hand control (including me), cannot use iPhones in the first place.

Rather than designing for an expensive device that not all learners can and will use, I prefer to take time to make my courses accessible and appealing to as many online students as possible.

Please share your thoughts on designing for iPhone users in the comments.

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