The smartphone has come as a gadget that has revolutionized the world of technology by making information and telephony services available to everyone. There are positive and negative effects of the smartphone although one side takes more weight than the other. This side is the positive one which has brought about a lot of new things that have affected technology and shaped the way many view it. Therefore, the smartphone has brought about a technological transformation which has in turn improved the academic performance of college students.

The smartphone has enabled college students to improve their communication skills significantly. This gadget is currently the most popular communication tool that many students have. Some scholars call this gadget the students’ companion due to the vital work that it does among them in helping them improve academically through the various activities they do. Policy makers have been left wondering how a small gadget could have such implications on the education of students.

Traditional communication modes have been transformed and transmitted into other forms with the change in the new technology. The college students are the millennials of today, and they must improve and make remarkable steps in developing technology which would transform generations to come. They have therefore been innovative enough in the use of the technology that is available to them in the meantime. More of the students have developed commendable confidence while communicating with their peers using the smartphone. The self-efficacy that has been generated among the students in the colleges and universities due to the new wave of communication is fantastic.

The smartphone has come with applications which enable the users to interact comfortably and cheaply. All of these applications such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram among others have status updates through which everybody can learn about the ongoing status of another and so the society is kept aware of the happenings. The evolution of social media is slowly drifting away from Facebook to other new platforms such as WhatsApp that are being developed by innovative tech giants. Through such platforms, pictures, events, and some important happenings are shared, and everybody can know about such things. Moreover, they can comment and give their views regarding such activities.

The self-efficacy has made it easier for college students to implement their academic activities through various ways such as sharing files, notes, and even tutorial videos. Some can also get help online from their friends who are far off in other colleges, even in overseas. Apart from the sharing of learning materials, recording of important lectures can be done which has helped most of them in planning and preparing for group presentations, boosting the efforts and morale of those who may have been absent from class. The behavioral intention of college students to make use of smartphones especially for learning related activities and the communication skills relate directly. There is also the indirect effect that accumulates on the students generally due to the use of this gadget.

Academic performance has dramatically improved because of the use of social media and some of the features of the smartphone. These features include the use of audio and video recording system, the saving of notes on one note for the smartphones which can use Microsoft services. Additionally, a user can take screenshots of e-notes so that they could be shared among their peers. More so, the sharing of the email has been made easy by the use of the smartphone. Professors have been giving assignments to students, and they are expected to return the completed work using emails. The tutors find that the work has been achieved by many because smartphones can send emails easily from anywhere since they are mobile. This gadget has also advanced communication between the lecturers and students. This has been made easy by the sharing of emails. Also, some of the colleges have a system whereby they create accounts for their registered students on their websites. The students can communicate among themselves on the sites using the path for the particular course. The lecturers are given the admin preferences whereby they control the discussions and guide the students in getting more knowledge on the trail. This was previously being done through the use of desktops and personal computers. However, nowadays this is being carried out using the smartphone so that the student can respond to a question by the lecturer or their peer without requiring a PC or a desktop computer. The students’ learning outcomes have therefore improved tremendously with the help and facilitation of the smartphones. Consequently, academic performance has also improved drastically.

There is another group of students who are majorly reaping the benefits of smartphones. These are the ones who are among the working class, but they register for courses in colleges. Most of these students are unable to attend their lectures effectively as required. Therefore, they miss the classes while they are at work and have to do some follow up later. The follow-up work has been made easier by the smartphone. Some of the lectures can be recorded and sent to such students by their peers by the use of the smartphone.

The convenience that is created by the use of smartphones is surpassingly great. The students do not have to find a payphone to locate their friends because they have a convenient means. It’s a communication tool that has allowed the students to interact with each other effectively. More so, they can do a group study using the teleconferencing abilities of the phone. A student can contact their peer and add a few more calls on the same one and merge them for the sake of doing a group study or discussing a severe task. Ordering pizzas and other foodstuffs from restaurants have become comfortable and more convenient using the smartphone. Similarly, they can do online shopping easy, saving on time and money.

Interaction competency has been increased such that social relationships with others have been improved among the students. More so, feedback can be channeled in the right manner and at a specific time so that the peers or the tutors do not have to wonder about the student. Multiple tools are available for the students to use on the smartphone so that their communication is easy, convenient, cheap and fast. Some of these tools include the live chat platforms that the students can use to update the others about the class venue, and change of the schedules of the professors teaching them. Using some of these applications and tools, the students can handle multiple communication demands whereby one can send a particular message to a large number of people simultaneously. For example, by the use of WhatsApp groups, a course or class representative can post about a class so that their students get the required information on time. With a single message, the representative can reach all the members of the class and inform them about the availability of the tutor. There is no delay in spreading the message because it reaches the peers at the required time.

With the self-efficacy in the smartphones, students can even take tests conveniently so that they are not delayed or kicked off the register because they miss tests. Also, apart from submitting assignments on time, the students can access library services. They can borrow books and return them on time without delay. This enables the students to improve in terms of academics because they can be able to manage the activities that they could not be able to do without PCs conveniently. Furthermore, registering for new courses is a natural process with the use of smartphones because the students may not have all the time to have a PC.

Students are further able to research their assignments using the smartphone. This is one of the most substantial functions for which the smartphone has been used. Research is the main activity that is done on campus is research, and it cannot be done without a gadget to help make the work easy. When a student has assignments, they do not have to move to go and do their research somewhere else necessarily, they can instead do it in class or at the comfort of their homes without much struggle. The phone can download pdf files and open web pages where useful information can be found. Most importantly, books can be bought from platforms that lend out books such as Chegg using the smartphone. For this reason, the assignments and researches are expected to be of excellent quality.

However, the smartphone has also brought some negative consequences to students although the advantages are prominent than the cons. There is the issue of addiction to social media which cuts on study time. However, there is nothing which does not come along with some disadvantages.

In conclusion, the smartphone has revolutionized learning in colleges and universities by bringing the new dawn on the use of information technology. Interaction competency has been made possible and enhanced where things that could not be done before by students as far as communication is concerned are now possible. Conversations and feedback messages have been made accessible to send and receive. Also, self-efficacy has been created whereby course-related materials and information are shared among students. Conduction of research and completion of assignments has also been eased with the wave of smartphones. Finally, the behavioral intention among students to use the smartphone has been enhanced whereby emails, calls, and sharing of information is now an easy task. Better organized classes, and attractive academic grades, as well as the potential of the students, have been realized in colleges. Indeed, the smartphone revolution is on in colleges.