Mobile

Mott CC App Includes Wayfinding Feature

• By Dian Schaffhauser
• 09/04/18

A Michigan community college has launched a mobile app that includes wayfinding. Mott Community College developed Mott Mobile App for iOS and Android devices using Meridian Mobile Apps. The development platform is produced by Aruba, a company owned by Hewlett Packard Enterprise.

The directional help in the app works with Aruba access points that have built-in Bluetooth low energy (BLE) beacons, individual Aruba BLE beacons and AirWave network management. The app detects the BLE signal from a beacon and estimates the distance to the beacon to calculate a user's specific location and help the user pinpoint where he or she is.

The app also includes some more common functions that tap into the college's student information system (from Ellucian) and learning management system (from Blackboard). Students can:

• View their current schedules and course plans;
• Search and register for courses;
• Check the status of financial aid;
• View billing information and make payments;
• Look through current and past schedules;
• Check on grades;
• Manage their password resets; and
• Schedule appointments.

"We didn't want to have multiple, different apps that our users would need to download and that we would need to maintain," said Kirk Yaros, director of enterprise services in the college's Information Technology Services, in a press release. "With the Meridian platform, we were able to create a single app that delivers access to everything they need. For example, from within the app, students can link directly to Ellucian to register for courses and view their billing and financial aid status, as well as use new features that leverage the Aruba infrastructure — such as the 'blue dot' navigation — to find their way around campus."

In the future, Mott intends to use its new app to promote and provide details for college events; host a virtual tour of campus art and photography; and enable notifications for use with registration, food services and financial department functions. In addition, the school would like to integrate a rapid response feature so faculty can use the app in the classroom to push out questions for students to answer in real time to make sure their learning is on track during class.

"Having a full-featured mobile app for our school — as well as the right WiFi infrastructure to support it — is a must, and helps us stay competitive," Yaros noted. With these two components in place, he said, "we can continue to add important features and functionality, ensuring that Mott Community College remains competitive from the technological, as well as educational, perspective."