Stanford University iPhone Course Shows How School Can Interface With The Business World

Students at Stanford University are designing Internet applications in class that are earning them real income through online sales. Vikram Oberoi is currently selling his “Site Saver” application for the iPhone for $1.99, and he built the app in CS193P, an elective computer science class he took at Stanford University. The application conveniently allows users to cache (store) websites for later viewing when they are offline. Site Saver is an elegant and useful idea. The Stanford computer science class CS193P is an example of the classroom interfacing with the business world; and illuminates how “real world” stakes can have a large impact on student engagement and learning.

With technological advances such as high-speed Internet connections, Intel computer chips, and more recently Amazon’s cloud computing services, entrepreneurs can start building businesses without leaving their chairs. As more resources appear online, educators can start giving lessons to students in class via guided Internet exercises. More advanced computer users like Vikram can learn while building marketable applications in class.

CS193P demonstrates how real world applications and income generating ideas can impact the learning experience. Vikram created a website to publicize the accomplishments of his Stanford class. Approximately 40 apps emerged from the class. Eight of them are on his website, and several of them are available for purchase at the iPhone App Store located on iTunes. When was the last time you met a student that created a website to celebrate what he or she learned in class? My guess is you can’t remember.

CS193P should be taken as a sign of what works in the classroom. With more industries finding success and growth online, teachers will be able to integrate class lessons with “real world” gain—and potentially capture student’s interests in classroom lectures. For example, in video classes, students can publish their videos to YouTube and let the world judge how much they want to see their film Authors can test their appeal on blogs. Financial classes can take students through the process of investing with services like Ameritrade.

In the case of CS193P, you have two winners: students like Vikram who innovate and learn, and Apple. Apple gets more products, good PR, more ideas, potentially more job applicants, and all of it for free. Moreover, Stanford hosted a class to teach students how to build and market Facebook applications in the Spring of 2008. Facebook benefits in much the same way as Apple through their class, and students also learn how to market their applications once they are built.

Bringing more “real world” business applications to the classroom seems like a win-win for everybody, and the most promising way to improve not only our educational systems but our businesses as well. You can reach Vikram here.