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Mobile apps: the newest frontier in VGCC computer courses

November 4, 2013 | by VGCC Staff

Inside classrooms and computer labs at Vance-Granville Community College, students and instructors are responding to new workforce demands by focusing on the mobile devices that have changed how people access and communicate information around the world.

 

Along with other North Carolina community colleges, VGCC has updated its computer education curriculum programs, particularly Web Technologies , to reflect the importance of mobile devices and mobile apps. Mobile phones, in one form or another, have been around for more than 40 years, but only in recent years have smartphones, such as the iPhone and Android, come to dominate the market. With the rise of smartphones (followed later by tablet computers and similar products) came an explosion in demand for software applications, or “apps,” that would run on the devices. Apps have been developed not only for gaming and entertainment but also for productivity, news, banking services and other practical purposes. Businesses often use apps as part of their marketing strategies, and educational institutions employ apps to serve and engage students. VGCC launched a mobile app of its own in the fall of 2013.

 

“Mobile devices and mobile apps have opened up exciting new opportunities, so we are training our students on the new design and programming techniques they need to know, in addition to those that are used when working with traditional computer platforms,” said Spring Tucker, chair of VGCC’s Business Technologies department. “Once students graduate from VGCC with these skills, they will be prepared for employment in a growing field.” Tucker said that phones and iPads are quickly becoming as common in class as desktop personal computers.

 

A Web Technologies course, Mobile Web Design ( WEB 125 ), is scheduled to be offered for the first time by VGCC during the Spring 2014 semester, which starts Jan. 13. This course introduces students to web design for mobile devices and covers industry standard Mobile Markup Language, CSS3, multimedia, mobile commerce, social media, testing and publishing. Upon completion, students should be able to plan, develop, test, and publish Web content designed for mobile devices.

 

Other related courses that are set to be offered in the future include Mobile Application Development I ( WEB 151 ), Mobile Interface Design ( WEB 141 ), Mobile Simulation/Gaming Programming ( SGD 168 ) and Mobile Computing Devices ( CTI 150 ).

 

VGCC’s new program, the Computer Technology Integration – Web Design and Support track, also focuses on the mobile app market as it trains students for jobs that build and maintain effective, secure websites.

 

For more information on all VGCC Computer Education offerings, call Spring Tucker at (252) 738-3292 . 

 

Above: From left, VGCC student Donnie Jones of Creedmoor and Web Technologies instructor Steven Sievert examine an app on an iPad tablet in a computer lab on the college’s Main Campus. (VGCC photo)