New and improved BSU Mobile app 2.0
By Shawn Potter
Opinion Editor
Since the release of Bridgewater State University’s original mobile app, students needed more options to help them on the go. Earlier this week, BSU Mobile 2.0 was officially available on the App Store for students to download.
Raymond Lefebvre, the Chief Information Officer of the Division of Technology consulted with Eileen O’Sullivan, the Director of Web Services at BSU in 2013 to make the changes in the app.
The mobile app features 21 new and updated sections which include the Involvement Network, Connect Card, Emergency, and BSU Life. Some of the most useful features of the app have included the cancellations and news list. Other features, such as the catalog, allow students to access everything that they could on a regular computer.
The new look is geared more towards a monochrome appearance. Lefebvre explained, “The SGA and Webstream gave their opinion, and we received feedback from students. That aspect guided the finished appearance.”
Lefebvre also said, “One of the cornerstones of this release is the Student Email. I asked a student what they would like from this feature and they said that they wanted to keep their school life separate from their social life.”
With Student Email as a new feature, students can easily communicate with their professors outside of class.
The BSU Life feature, courtesy of the Student Affairs office, is a very helpful addition to the app. It gives a list of categories which include: Academics, Athletics, Wellness, Campus Living, Career, Diversity and Involvement. Every section is advertised with a specific picture which makes it eye-candy for anyone looking for a particular section.
The Laundryview feature was carried on by the original app. It includes every residence hall, except for Weygand, which Lefebvre explained, “is not a fault of Web Services, but it was due to the vendor that we were working with.”
The Handbook and IT Support are also new features. The IT Support feature has the option for students to chat with someone behind the desk at the IT center right on their phones.
Kasey Ritz, an Accounting Major at BSU, gives her personal insight about the new app. “I like it so much better than the older one. It is so convenient to have the Connect Card option. Now I don’t have to search the whole BSU website to find Laundryview,” she said.
“Infobear and the IN network always messed up for me when I tried to use them on the internet on my phone. It just wouldn’t load and I could never see anything. It makes life easier if I don’t have my laptop on me,” said Ritz.
However, Ritz explained that she didn’t particularly think the handbook was necessary because she doesn’t find herself ever having a need for it.
Lefebvre mentioned that the 3.0 update will be up-and-coming, with the Add/Drop Course feature coming with it. A few other minor things will be added to the app, including the possibility of a few more features to even out the appearance of the pages.
Any students with recommendations for a new feature or change to the app are encouraged to contact IT Support.
Shawn Potter is the Opinion Editor for The Comment. Follow him on Twitter @shawn_potter. Email him at s1potter@bridgew.edu
