Mobile Innovations At VCU Leads To Blackboard Catalyst Award
Pictured left to right: Jonathan Cox, Scott Davis, Jim Yucha, Donghai Huangfu
We are pleased to announce that our Web Services team (pictured right with Scott Davis, IT Division Director for Application Services) has been honored as a Platinum Winner in the Mobile Innovation category of the Catalyst Awards by Blackboard, Inc. The Catalyst Awards are judged by a panel composed of clients and select Blackboard staff members. Blackboard describes the Catalyst Awards as honoring those who push the boundaries of their educational programs and technology in order to deliver innovative and effective learning experiences… The Mobile Innovation category, in particular, … honor those who have embraced the use of mobile technology to positively impact the educational experience at their institution. The Mobile Innovation Awards recognize those who have helped to define the emerging field of mobile technology for use in and beyond the classroom environment.
The Web Services team’s most visible work in the mobile arena has been the stewardship of the VCU Mobile app for iPhone, Android, and Blackberry. This application has evolved over the last two years into a valuable every day tool for the VCU community. The latest version added augmented reality to the Maps module. When an iPhone is pointed in a direction the VCU buildings in that direction pop up on the screen. Just tap one of the building pins to learn more about the building. The team has also worked behind the scenes to ensure that existing VCU data such as event and course information are readily available and easy to access via the mobile platform. Most recently, the team deployed the Dining mobile module that shares daily the menus for all the Dining Services locations on campus. Web Services has also championed standards for VCU websites and services to be available in a format that transfers well to the mobile screen. This is important as smartphones and tablets such as the iPad and Kindle Fire continue to grow as the primary way to access information. The web is going mobile and Web Services is making sure that VCU is driving innovation for greater service to the VCU community.
Congratulations to the Web Services team for this honor recognizing their hard work. Representatives of the team will receive their award in July at BbWorld.
