Students already know their smartphones can help them plan their day. So, what might they think of an app that would not only wake them up, but also help them navigate to their first class?
This was the question posed by Texas A&M University in Galveston (TAMUG). While most university-developed apps have the entire campus community in mind, the development group in Texas wanted to make something the students would find most useful. In the past, they were given paper planners, which were unable to be updated when changes occurred.
Given that the current generation of college students is used to more guidance than others in the past were, the app serves as more than just a useful reminder of upcoming obligations: It can also warn students of potential conflicts when they want to schedule too much or connect them to student clubs that match their interests.
Powered by Montreal-based Oohlala, the app has already been downloaded by over half the school’s student population four months after its initial release. Other schools may take note and start similarly tailoring their offerings, hopefully retaining more students in the process.
