Red Deer College announced on Thursday it will be the first college in Canada to offer an application for use with an iPod, iPhone or iPad.
RDC president Joel Ward said students will be able to check their schedule and classes, new students can use a GPS function to help them find their classes and RDC can use the system to post a message in the case of an emergency related to a fire or lockdown.
Students will also be able to connect at any time to post tweets via Twitter, updating what is going on at campus, be it a basketball game or arts event.
Students can also give feedback to school administration.
The application or “app” is available now and is free for anyone in the world to download for their iPhone or other Apple device. Anyone wanting to find out more can go to http://www.rdc.ab.ca/current_students/campus_services/Pages/AppforiPhone.aspx, where there is a link to download the app or go to iTunes apps store and search iRDC.
Ward said it is RDC’s intention to be leaders in the delivery of technology services to students.
“We see it as something that is unique and something that will enable us to connect with our students anywhere at anytime and we think that is really important,” Ward said. “That is how they communicate and that is how we need to communicate to them as well.”
The application was created by Chad Jones, with CollegeMobile, with collaboration from RDC’s information technology and marketing and communications staff. Jones first created a similar application for the University of Saskatchewan, which was the first Canadian university to offer it to its students.
RDC has been working on the project, which cost $7,000, since mid-January.
Students’ association president Steven Kwasny said now students won’t have to hike all the way across campus to find out a class is cancelled, but instead roll over in bed and check their phones. For students in Innisfail, Sylvan Lake or other places around Central Alberta, it could save them a drive into the city.
Kwasny said many students are so busy now, with work and other activities, that many of them are accessing college information between 10 p.m. and 2 a.m., so the college needs flexible ways like this to deliver information to students.
The college plans to create other applications for other smart phones such as Blackberries, Android and Google phones by the fall.
sobrien@www.reddeeradvocate.com
