iPods, iPhones mandatory for freshmen in Missouri University

WASHINGTON - Thinking of enrolling into the University of Missouri’s journalism school? Well, then the first thing you need to do is to buy an iPhone or iPod Touch.

Already, 99.5 percent of the university’s journalism students have macs, and incoming freshmen have now been told they’ll need an iPhone or iPod Touch as well.

And the reason behind these devices becoming mandatory, according to Associate Dean Brian S. Brooks, is to make the students to play back lectures in their free time.

“Lectures are the worst possible learning format. There’s been some research done that shows if a student can hear that lecture a second time, they retain three times as much of that lecture,” Fox News quoted him as telling the Columbia Missourian, the campus newspaper.

Although Brooks said that any MP3 player could be used, but he claimed that Apple devices, which start at 200 dollars apiece, were made official requirements for the benefit of students on financial aid.

“If it’s required, it can be included in your financial-need estimate. If we had not required it, they wouldn’t be able to do that,” he said.

Brooks said that the journalism school was stressing on Apple devices to standardize software and because many students either already had or wanted an iPhone or iPod Touch.

The Apple devices made it possible to download lectures for free from a special section of the iTunes Store.

“There are about 50 other schools across the country that are doing this,” said Brooks.

And pupils who aren’t on financial aid, and don’t have the right Apple devices, need to dish out money from their own pockets.

Brooks admitted that students could just play back the lectures on their laptops, but only a few students did so. (ANI)