Presentation to the Mobile Apps event of HEIDS/Scotland's Colleges/SCURL, in Hamilton, Scotland on 22nd August 2012.

1. The University Martin Morrey
Web Integration
of Edinburgh’s Manager
Mobile App 22 nd Aug 2012

2. • Why Mobile
• Selecting a Solution
• What is U@Ed?
• Demo
• Future Plans

3. Why Mobile

4. 1) Can’t Ignore It
Mobile visits week-1 to *ed.ac.uk
Nov Aug
‘09 ‘12
From 800 (0.5%) to 30,000 (10%) in <3 years
Recent mobile survey (Dec ’11):
• 95%* had a smartphone
– * voluntary selection bias…?
• ~50% Apple, ~30% Android
• Up from 67% in Oct 2010, 50% March 2010

5. 2) Obvious Benefits
• Fresher orientation
• Optimising access to PCs
• Reduced need for PCs and library
terminals
• Image of institution

6. Selecting a Solution

7. Possible Solutions
• Home built apps
• Mobile web, e.g. uPortal Mobile
• Vendor Solution
– Blackboard Mobile Campus
– Ombiel CampusM *

8. What is U@Ed?

9. What is U@Ed?
• Smartphone app
– #1: students
• UoE info on the go
• Location based:
– Maps
– PC availability
– “Friend Finder”
• Courses (WebCT)
• Timetable (MVM)

10. Apps + Web
• Apple (iOS)
• Android
• Blackberry

11. Management Console

12. Integrations
Course
Timetables VLE
RSS CampusM
News Voyager
Manager
Feeds OPAC
PC Bus Map
Alerts
Availability Track Data

13. Reception So Far
• 8000+ app downloads
– 6251 on iOS App Store, ****
– 2732 on Google Play, ***
• Usage...?
• Survey December 2011
– PC availability most useful module
– Deeper VLE and Library integration
needed

14. Demo
U@Ed on iPad

15. Future Plans

16. On its way....
• Blackberry support (available)
• Usage tracking (on its way...)
• Bus Timetables (tbc)
• Non-centrally supported PCs
• Enhanced Freshers module
• Local “AEK” developments
– e.g. from student projects

17. Longer Term
Enhancements
• Linking to more mobile-friendly web
content
• Access to course timetables (coming)
– currently College of Medicine...only
• Improved VLE integration
• Improved OPAC functionality
• Integrated Announcments (Alerts)
– U@Ed and MyEd Portal

18. Other Ideas
• QR Codes on Library Shelves?
– Search within shelfmark range?
• Job Shop
– vacancies for students, drawn from
careers database
• DropBox-style integration to shared
file system
• Student Diary (Office 365)

19. Contact
Martin.Morrey@ed.ac.uk
@martinmorrey
Web Integration Manager
Applications Division, Information Services,
University of Edinburgh
0131 651 5233