Technology has put a wealth of information at our fingertips (literally). Smart devices have become powerful education tools. There are thousands of academic apps that can be streamed easily to these devices; however, deciding which app to incorporate into your curriculum might be overwhelming.
According to Learning in Hand, an effective app is one that does what you need it to do. Their rubric can help you rank apps by evaluating them against these 7 segments of criteria:
1. Relevance
Does this app’s focus have a strong connection or application to the course?
2. Customization
Is this app able to alter content and settings to cater to a student’s needs?
3. Feedback
Can specific feedback be provided through this app?
4. Thinking Skills
Does this app encourage critical thinking skills including creating, evaluating, and analyzing?
5. Usability
Can students launch and use this app on their own?
6. Engagement
Are students highly motivated to use the app?
7. Sharing
Can this app save and export a student’s work or performance summary?