Want to form a study group for class? There’s an app for that.
StudyRoom gives students the ability to chat with classmates, access student notes and get help on homework. The app is completely free and can be set up using a Facebook or an email account.
At the U, more than 2,000 students have signed up. Kate Dickman, a senior in exercise and sports science, said it seems like a good idea.
“I think the app would be helpful because if someone doesn’t quite get a concept in class, someone else might understand and be able to explain the idea in a different way that will make more sense,” she said.
The Marriott Library has areas all throughout the building specifically designed for study groups to meet. Ahmet Oguz, a senior in computer science, uses those spaces already and said the app would help even more students form groups.
“It depends on the subject, but I like studying in groups,” Orguz said. “I think the app would be cool. I’m sure students would use it to make the groups even if they wouldn’t make the groups before the app.”
The app was designed in 2012, with the homepage noting: “Unlike most technology products in education that are designed for school administrators or professors, we designed StudyRoom 100 percent for students.”
Savannah Wheeler, a junior in the pre-nursing program, said this kind of technology is “distracting” rather than productive.
“I know when I’m studying, it’s so tempting to go on my phone and play around, check Twitter or Snapchat or something,” she said. “It’s a super cool idea, but just logging onto it might make it seem like a break time to play around with other apps.”
Luke Leclair-Marzolf, a senior in the atmospheric studies program, is most worried about pop-ups on the app.
“If the app costs money and is full of push notifications or ads, students won’t be interested,” he said.
Otherwise, Leclair-Marzolf is game for StudyRoom.
@JulianneSkrivan