Mobile applications are taking over society little by little, as colleges across the country are giving students the opportunity to operate their school’s needs through their mobile devices. Keene State College is one of few that does not have a fully interactive mobile application accessible to not only students enrolled, but also alumni and soon-to-be college students as well.
“I think there would be so many benefits to this mobile app,” Student Body President, Eric Grady stated. Grady is a senior at KSC and is graduating this year with a political science and economics major. Grady added that students would be able to check their class schedule, register for classes, check organizations and events, the menu for the DC, and even their KSC email accounts.
Grady pointed out that students leave and come late to class because of registration, “Having the mobile app would make that a lot easier—the possibilities are endless,” Grady said. Also, he said he has been advocating the building of this program since his freshman year.
Fellow KSC senior Emma Kash stated, “There is no use in trying to use the applications we have now if they haven’t worked so far.”
Kash added that she does not tend to use her phone to check the site because it has caused her more issues than worth dealing with. Kash explained, “It appeared to be fine, I logged in and all of a sudden it redirected to a different college’s site.”
Denise Grattage/ Equinox Staff
Kash and Grady both agreed the fully interactive mobile application would benefit the school. Kash stated it would be good for “in a pinch” purposes and Grady stated it would be great for admissions because it would give incoming students the opportunity to virtually visit the school.
Chief Information Officer for the Information Technology Group at KSC, Laura Seraichick, stated for a program such as this to take off, it needs a framework.
Seraichick said she has been working with fellow faculty members to work in new aspects into the classroom and make more opportunities for students. Seraichick stated she thinks the website should be created by the students themselves.
Seraichick pointed out that computer science majors could benefit from this experience and knowledge. “It relies on the demand and the interest level to get it started,” Seraichick added. “You could end up having this be an internship for some students.”
Seraichick stated the site should be what the students want and need. She added that she wants to highlight the talent students have at KSC and wants it to be shared.
“People need to be more aware,” Kash stated. She said a poll or petition could help figure out what the students want in a mobile application. She also stated that as a soon-to-be alumni, she would use the application if it was up and running to keep up to date with the school.
Grady had another idea. He stated, “We could put up signs and even big OR Codes around campus for students to be able to scan.” He believes the application should be free to students.
Seraichick said she has not had any major interest from students for the physical creation of this application but is willing to be there as guidance and a helping hand for anyone who wants to get started.
If students are interested and want to contribute ideas and help with this possible project, they are encouraged to contact Laura Seraichick at the IT Group or a faculty member in the Computer Science Department.
Haley Erdbrink can be contacted at herdbrink@keene-equinox.com