We do not live in the same world as we did last year. Technology is constantly evolving and people have been expecting things to get faster, more reliable, easier to access and more user friendly.
Simply having a website might have worked a few years ago, but in today’s fast-paced world, Pierce College needs to have an app that students can easily access on their smart phones.
West Los Angeles College has already beat Pierce to the game and has had an app for the past few years. But there app has not been updated for Android since Nov. 16, 2012.
But an app is a great way to get information to students to keep everyone connected and on the same page.
An app can have a calendar section that shows students the upcoming events. It can also show the dates of Transfer Day and sports games. Students would be able to do the tasks they need to get done while keeping up with their fast paced lifestyle.
CSUN has an app for iPhone and Android that allows students to add and drop classes as well as pay tuition fees from wherever they are. The app connects students directly to Moodle so they can complete assignments from their smartphones.
Students at CSUN benefit from its GPS-enabled campus map so you always know where you are.
And it would benefit students to have an alarm on the app that can go off in case of an emergency situation.
According to a study done by Baylor University, 60 percent of students said that they are addicted to their smartphones. So if the technology is already glued to their hands, they can use this opportunity to put something useful and productive in front of them.
App developers’ prices vary but for the simplest of designs, an app can be developed from $1,000 to $4,000 and would increase for every additional feature. Such as a faculty directory, an event calendar and a section that links to the food options on campus to pre order your meal.
A benefit of having an app in addition to a website is that the app can send you specific notifications. Useful notifications can be a reminder of the last day to add or drop a class, the last day to withdraw or even when the books you checked out are due back in the library.
Departments at Pierce could have their own tabs and sections on the app with their information and with features that tailor to them. The Library / Learning Crossroads could have a section where you can renew your rented books. The Fitness Center can show open gym sessions. The Center for Academic Success can even have a section to set up tutoring sessions.
There may not be an allocation in our school’s budget for an app just yet but it should be something we push for because an app can create money for either the college or the district. Allowing advertisers space on our platform would be a way to pay for initial costs as well as pay for maintaining and updating the app.
Students would benefit from having all of Pierce’s resources in their pocket. If we can spend money on things that seem pointless and excessive, we can put money toward making student’s lives a little easier.
