Technology has improved so many aspects of modern life that there is no wonder education sees some of these benefits as well. Far from being a danger, as some expected initially, it can significantly increase the efficiency of the students’ learning process.
Technical advancements allow for more engaging methods of teaching, meaning that information can be stored faster and easier due to an increased number of visual and intuitive ways when compared to the practices of the past. University apps, in particular, are something that the vast majority of students will have access to and a tool that can make a huge difference. From helping them stay organized and eliminating tedious tasks such as noting down a huge amount of information that could simply be recorded to making the material itself easier to understand – it is hard to deny to positive impact they have when it comes to education.
How to Improve Your University Performance
Here we will look at some of the best apps for students. In doing so, we will only take into consideration those that are fair to use and provide genuine value to those looking to improve their learning experience.
Best Student Apps
- Lecture Recording Apps
Recording lectures is allowed in numerous universities, although we do advise you to ask if you are not sure about your situation. The difference in efficiency between recording and writing information down is astounding. While not too long ago, teachers could not stimulate students completely, due to having them handwrite a lot of information, this problem is very much reduced if lectures are recorded.
Students can now focus on understanding the information provided instead of panicking to write words down quickly. The fact that the full lecture will be there in the end, with no need to focus on slow tasks such as summarizing it in writing is a huge benefit.
A few recommendations for Android users are your typical, but solid voice recorders.
- Titanium Recorder. Free, with no ads to bother you. Simple and effective, offering a few options but nothing overwhelming.
- Audio Recorder. Free recorder, with support for dedicated microphones and an algorithm that tries to improve the standard recording quality.
- Smart Voice Recorder. Simple to use, yet it has some interesting features. It allows skipping extended periods of silence, as well as record background sounds with the display off, among others. Free to use.
- Voice Recorder by Splend apps. An in-depth, yet free choice that comes with numerous options and features. Recommended for those more interested in the audio field: it offers three codecs, adjustable sample and bit rates, a spectrum analyzer and support for widgets.
For iOS we recommend similar apps, all free and easy to use:
- Voice Record Pro
- Q-Recorder
- AudioNote
Needless to say, you can also use your phone’s camera for things like capturing blackboard notes or other written information.
- Organizing Apps
Proper organization is key when dealing with the demanding activities that university brings. For Android, Timetable is one of the most popular choices for planning your tasks in an intuitive way, from assignments to exams. Similarly, you can also use My Class Schedule. If you have iOS, Class Timetableor StudentLife Organizerare excellent apps. All of these are free.
3. Learning Apps and Resources
Apps and smartphones are extremely useful in making the learning process easier. With the possibility of jumping between different sources and quickly finding answers to questions that remain unclear, it is a far cry from what you could achieve using textbooks alone. Here are some of the best apps for learning.
- Wolfram alpha. An impressive app that can help you with a wide range of academic subjects in a way that surpasses even Google at times. It can even help with math problems, showing you the steps you need to take towards the solution. At $2.99 on Android and iOS, it is a bargain.
- Khan Academy. A free app with a vast library of educational videos at a university level on a lot of subjects.
- Youtube. Numerous courses from excellent teachers are to be found.
These are just a few examples. Student apps can make the learning process efficient and even enjoyable, in ways that traditional methods could’ve never hoped.