Students in the Department of Computer Science released a free iPhone application to help students, faculty and the community access Nicholls information on the go.The app, “Nicholls,” was created by students in the CMPS 410, “Special Topics,” class taught by associate professor of mathematics Kent White in April.
“This was the first time the class was offered,” White said. “No one had previous iPhone application creating experience.”
White said the students were divided into teams to work on different areas of the project, such as the computer language and interface.
White said some students worked on XML, a programming language, while others used Macs.
The app “allows users to login to BlackBoard, search for faculty/staff e-mail and phone numbers, locate buildings on campus, receive news about Nicholls and a calendar of events for Nicholls and the surrounding community,” according to its description in the app store.
With the use of this app, students have access to the entire faculty directory. Professors can be found by name or department. Once a professor is selected, the user has access to the professor’s name, title, department and one-touch contact buttons for phone and e-mail.
Users also have access to a satellite view of the campus, powered by Google. After selecting a building from a list, the map displays where the building is as well as the location of the user.
The app is also able to run the full BlackBoard Web site, giving students access to discussion boards, class announcements, assignments and grades on their phones.
“Anything you can do on BlackBoard, you will be able to do on your phone,” White said.
The app also has links for news, upcoming events, a calendar and the Nicholls home page.
“The Nicholls app was really helpful my first couple weeks of school,” Bethany Branson, freshman from Luling, said. “I could instantly find where I needed to go with the help of the map, and it makes it a lot easier to access BlackBoard when I need. It’s so convenient to have so much information with just the touch of a button.
