“In order to continue to deliver an exceptional teaching and
learning experience to our students, MSBM has provided a solution that will
meet the information needs of its students in the most efficient and
cost-effective manner. Our mobile App will provide the students with real-time
information on developments in the school and will allow our students to always
be in the know. It is the first of its kind anywhere in the university system
in Jamaica”
Executive Director of
MSBM, Professor Densil Williams, commenting on the MSBM launch of the MSBM
Mobile App
UWI (University of the
West Indies), it seems, is finally stepping into the 21st Century
as it relates to the use of smartphones for more than just games.
The MSBM (Mona
School of Business Management) recently introduced a mobile App called MSBM
Mobile for Tablets and smartphones as part of the start of the
orientation process at the UWI as reported in the article “Mona
School Of Business Launches Mobile App”, published Monday August 31, 2015, The Jamaica Gleaner.
Uploaded on Thursday June 4th 2015, the App,
dubbed MSBM
Mobile, also packs in their orientation video to help students register
seamlessly for their classes since Monday August 24th 2014.
As anyone who's been through the UWI knows, finding things
on that gigantic campus is like travelling across the Sahara Desert. The UWI
website is no less helpful and can be as difficult as finding as needle in a haystack.
Available only on the Google Play Store, it's also a
lot more convenient than the website, as most student by now either have a
smartphone or Tablet and can access the Internet via UWI's free Wi-Fi Internet.
The MSBM
Mobile App, which is based on the Kurogo
Open Source Platform, was developed by the MSBM in conjunction with the Computer
Science Department.
This is the same Department that was behind the updating of
Google Transit on Google Maps to include JUTC routes as reported in my blog article
entitled “JUTC
Google Transit from UWI Computer Science Department - Why Google Maps is the
next step towards an AVL”.
So how does the MSBM
Mobile App help to make a UWI student's orientation that much easier?
MSBM Mobile App -
How a UWI Orientation App makes UWI like Dora the Explorer
It does so by making everything super-easy to find!
The interface for the MSBM Mobile App is very linear and intuitive, with the following options in the menu section:
The interface for the MSBM Mobile App is very linear and intuitive, with the following options in the menu section:
1.
Courses
2.
Booking
3.
Directory
4.
News
5.
Calendar
6.
Dining
7.
Social
8.
Map
The built-in GPS tells you exactly where you are on the
Mona Campus and what's closest to you. You can also search the MSBM
Mobile App in order to find information and have it displayed on a map of
the campus.
New Students to the UWI and more specifically the MSBM can easily parse the Menu options
within the MSBM
Mobile App and find the following information:
1.
Class schedules
2.
Faculty and staff directory
3.
Events
4.
Campus News
5.
Reservations/scheduling for study spaces
6.
Videos/photos
7.
Social media
8.
Maps of the Campus
9.
Dining options on Campus
So with so many things done right, save for a little lag in
the interface, what does this mean for the MSBM and App development on the UWI?
MSBM Mobile App –
Why MSMB may be Developing Research and Business Apps
Personally the only problem I have with this App is that you
cannot complete your registration via the App, which is still a problem for
most UWI students. Also, it's only available for Google Android users; Apple
peeps have been shafted yet again!!!
Still, anything to make navigating the harsh realm of the University of the West Indies easier is always
welcome. It's also an initiative that other Universities such as the MICO University College, could do to
help students complete their orientation on time.
But more interestingly, is this the start of a UWI Developer
push, where every month we'll hear of another App being developed by the
Computer Science Department in collaboration with other Faculties and
Department on the UWI Campus?
Possibly Apps for Research, Data Capture, Gaming and even
Business App in partnership with a certain Telecom Provider?
Only time will tell if my sources are spot on...but this is
definately now on my watchlist!!
Email: msbm.mobile@gmail.com
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