BGSU releases mobile apps

BOWLING GREEN, O.—Looking for the latest Bowling Green State University news?  There’s an app for that. BGSU’s Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO) recently launched two mobile apps for iOS and Android smartphones.  BGSU News and BGSU Maps are the first of many apps developed specifically for the University community.

The BGSU News app pulls news feeds from all over campus. Users can see what stories are trending, share their favorite stories on Facebook and Twitter, or easily email a link to the full story.

BGSU Maps is the one-stop campus map, providing access to a full directory of buildings and important locations on campus. Users can easily filter the type of buildings they want to see on the map, or search for specific terms. Pictures and information about each building are included. BGSU Maps will be available for iOS soon. 

Student employees at Agile Software Factory (ASF), a service-learning program within the Department of Computer Science, developed the mobile apps. Anthony Fontana, learning technologies consultant, and Dr. Joe Chao, an associate professor of computer science and director of the Agile Software Factory, oversaw their work.

“ASF has provided a win-win situation for everyone involved,” said Chao. “The students served the campus community by developing software that meets their needs and at the same time gained real world experience that increases their value to future employers.”

“The importance of BGSU’s tradition in creating integrated teaching and learning opportunities for our students was very important to the way we create software at BGSU,” said Fontana.

“Our goal is to provide the best user experience possible when creating apps for Bowling Green State University. Many universities are creating applications that look like they’d be useful once and then you’d delete the app. We’re aiming to create applications that the BGSU community will find useful on a near daily basis.”

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(Posted April 25, 2012 )