The purpose of this grounded theory study was to examine the process by which student-athletes at a large Division I Midwestern university use mobile technology for academic purposes, and develop a theory about how they can more effectively incorporate those devices in their academic course work. A grounded theory study was chosen, and this research was conducted using interviews, combined with participant observations, to identify emerging patterns. Applying the results will help focus, facilitate, and implement, use of mobile devices for academic purposes among student-athletes. Voluntary sampling was used to select study participants from student-athletes who received an iPad from the university, were age 18 or older, and who had access to the iPad for at least one full semester. The theory that emerged from the data is entitled, "The theory of dependent learning for academic use of mobile technology." This theory describes how student-athletes are dependent upon formalized instruction in the academic use of technology to stimulate its classroom usage. This research study contributes to the field of study by discovering and describing perceptions student-athletes have about using iPad technology for academic purposes, and how they utilize those devices in their classwork.