The Office of Information Technology has introduced a new service that brings several aspects of the University’s Web site to digital devices.
OIT, collaborating with student contributors, launched Mobile Web Sept. 3. The site, accessible from any Web-capable phone, provides links to University-related news, a searchable personnel catalog and a system that shows the location of all Wolfline buses.
Jason Austin, an application director with OIT, said the idea came from other local universities.
“We saw what Duke was doing with their iPhone app,” Austin said. “Back in May, we decided to call anyone who was interested on campus to see who wanted N.C. State to go with [the idea].”
Austin said budget cuts stalled the project for a while, but it eventually regained its momentum.
“We held another meeting about a month or so ago,” Austin said. “On Aug. 26, we had nothing, but we wanted to get something out quick and fast — before the first football game. It’s still really new in the whole process.”
Most of the mobile Web site’s content is nothing new. The University’s news updates and catalog have been available on the main N.C. State site for quite awhile, as has Transportation’s Transloc.
Austin said that accessibility, however, is the major focus.
“One of the things we try really hard to do is pull information that is already out there,” Austin said. “[Transportation] has a mobile site already, and we just linked to that. The goal is to better integrate all these applications right now. On campus there weren’t a lot of mobile applications to base [this project] on, which is why this is so important.”
The site’s news section provides links to the University’s news updates, GoPack.com’s news stories, blog updates from Red and White for Life and Twitter updates from the University. For iPhone users, the new Web site links to the University’s YouTube channel.
OIT has advertised the mobile Web site on Facebook, Twitter and through digital ads in the library, but student knowledge of the project is limited.
“I haven’t heard of it,” Logan Draughn, junior in biochemistry, said. “I don’t use the wireless Internet capability on my phone, but it sounds like a good idea for people that ride the buses.”
Jamille Lackey, sophomore in math education, said she uses the Web browser on her phone but hasn’t heard of the mobile site.
“It seems convenient,” Lackey said. “The tracking system would be helpful — I have a friend who uses it all the time. Everything else is going to the Internet, so I guess they’re just keeping up with the times.”
Ashley Simons, sophomore in communications, said she would use it more if she had heard about it.
“The bus schedule would be handy,” Simons said. “The news aspect is also pretty good. I check a lot of things in-between classes, and it could be useful.”
Although the project is still in the developmental phase, Austin is confident more involvement in the project will foster new features.
“This is very much a first step,” Austin said. “It’s by no means complete, but we’re working on it. Hopefully as the popularity of it grows, it will entice people to get on board.”
Austin said programmers, while desired, aren’t the only ones welcome to help out.
“We’re looking for anyone who wants to contribute to the project,” Austin said. “It is an organized effort, but this is one of those projects where basically whoever has some ideas or talents and the willpower to help out can do so.”
In addition to seeking direct involvement from students, the group also encourages user ideas for new services and tools, which Austin said is vital to the project.
“If more people are talking, that’s a good thing,” Austin said. “We’re more than willing to listen to anybody, and we would love to hear student feedback.”
Students can submit feedback on the mobile website to the group’s e-mail account at [email protected], but can also tweet to the group’s Twitter account at ncsumobile.
