Blackboard
Blackboard inc., a company who has been improving the experience of learning for students for a number of years, is now doing it again by introducing their mobile app specifically designed for Android. For example, Northwestern University will be the first to introduce an app for Android that was specifically designed for their campus.
This app, from Blackboard, will be available for free to students, faculty, alumni, parents, and etc. This app will be custom made for each university, and will have information regarding campus event calenders, news related to the campus, school sports scores, a map of the campus, and even a directory to faculty within the university.
“Most of our incoming students arrive with smartphones, and a growing number of these phones are Android devices,” said Harlan Wallach, Media Architect at Northwestern University’s NUIT Academic & Research Technology group. “The ability for us to reach students through smartphones is key to the overall experience and efficiency of our university. Working with Blackboard we’ve been able to do that quickly and with very high quality native applications that support the wide range of mobile devices our students are using. We’re looking forward to exploring the ability to customize the app to meet the needs of individual schools and departments.”
Harlan Wallach, Media Architect at Northwestern’s NUIT Academic & Research Technology Group, has made a valid point that most students who go to college walk in with a smartphone, and having the ability to reach the students in that way is key in helping the efficiency and success of the university. Blackboard has an app out for Blackberry and iPhone as well, and with Android growing as fast as it is, the need for an app became a lot clearer.
Kayvon Beykpour, Vice President for Blackboard Mobile, knows that supporting Android is going to bring the campus life to individuals in a convenient and engaging way. He also says that they have made a huge investment in making sure they deliver a unique experience to individuals on all different platforms, and they are excited to bring the same unique experience to Android.
The application will include access to all aspects of the college such as, Athletics, Course Directory, Library, Maps, and etc. In developing the app, Blackboard Mobile keyed into specific features that the Android OS uses. Widgets will allow individuals to access information from one of their many home screens, even allowing individuals to put shortcuts on their home screen to access different areas without even opening the app.
If you are interested in learning more about this amazing application, please check out the Blackboard website.
Source The Sacramento Bee
