Mobile Apps Provide Anywhere/Anytime/From Any Device Connectivity

November 18, 2011 :: Shirley Ross, Information Systems and Computing

Mobile apps are now a fact of life, especially for our students. The field is evolving so quickly it doesn’t seem possible that only a year ago we didn’t have a wide array of apps at Penn. Today, students, faculty, and employees can access an enormous amount of information about Penn from any handheld device. Initial apps included Penn News, Penn Directory, Penn Libraries and apps to information about University athletic, cultural, and academic events on campus. Mobile Penn InTouch provides course, academic, and financial information to students with a simple tap of the finger. The latest app: Mobile Course Evaluation. Currently under development: University Donor Heat, which will support the goals of Development & Alumni Relations by providing information on all of a fundraiser’s assigned donors within a 20 mile radius when a DAR employee/fundraiser enters a location from anywhere in the world. Pin labels on a Google map will display basic contact information, such as name, address, phone, and email, as well as directions to the donor’s location.