Instead of ushering in the new semester in a celebratory fashion, students are sprawled across campus hunting for books in the Student Store, quickly revising their outfits because of rapid changes in weather and circling the school parking lots in hopes of finding a spot.
This process shouldn’t be so taxing.
The inclusion of an app created by UK app developers which allows students to access precious Pierce College information that’s dedicated to easing the early semesterly mayhem could be advantageous for our student body.
Imagine a world in which, the inventory of our Student Store, traffic updates and weather reports could become available in our hands.
The Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) currently has a mobile app that allows you to view your grades and financial aid status but, no school in our district has made one specifically for their respective campuses.
Many colleges across the country have invested the time and resources in creating such apps. California State University, Northridge (CSUN) has one of the highest rated mobile apps in the entire country, according to letsnurture.com.
CSUN’s mobile app allows students to have access to the employee directory, calendars with school events, parking lot capacities and even a full virtual reality campus tour of the school.
Their Information Technology Department is responsible for the cultivation and maintenance of the app. According to savyapps.com, “Apps built by smaller shops, possibly with only 2-3 people, likely cost anywhere between $50,000 to $100,000.”
This feat may be too much to ask, but there are many functions if there were a collaboration with certain departments and facilities around campus in which a Pierce College mobile app could excel.
The need for an app becomes necessary in these last few weeks, where sporadic rain in the San Fernando Valley came as a surprise to many. Sure, you can check the weather app on your phone to figure out how to dress for that day. However, Pierce College has a running weather station that gives live reports of the conditions of the Woodland Hills area. You can find this at http://piercecollegeweather.com/about.
This underused resource found on our campus could potentially save students a trip home to change their outfits in these winter and spring months.
Nothing is worse than showing up to school thinking you have ample time get to class, then discovering that the only parking spot available is on the opposite side of campus. This can become a slippery slope, turning you from early to late.
With new construction happening around campus and the influx in the number of students driving to school in the early weeks of a semester, it can help save time finding a parking spot on campus.
The Pierce College Sheriff’s Department avidly directs school traffic when it becomes too busy. If the Sheriff’s were to provide police reports to student’s smartphones, via the app, on local accidents and parking lot capacities, similarly to CSUN’s app, students could adjust their schedules and leave earlier to make it to class on time.
Our Student Store is regularly stocked full of snacks, school supplies and a plethora of Pierce clothing. Yet, finding your books stocked remains difficult.
There needs to be a way where the Student Store could update their stock in books. Students could independently check if their book is at the store and plan a trip knowing they’ll get what they need.
Schools including East Tennessee State University, have established a mobile app centered around their bookstore and have reported that having a bookstore database increases the possibility of students buying a book for their respective classes.
This system could ease the long lines running outside the Student Store and help you get the supplies you need without the trouble.
There are many possibilities for a dedicated Pierce College app. New policies should be ordered to push Pierce into the modern age, keeping our student community more connected than ever.
