By Kelliann Dietel, News Correspondent
The start of classes and a new semester marked the introduction of the new Northeastern Mobile app for iPhone and Android smartphones, developed earlier this year by the university’s Information Systems (IS) department.
Students are praising the system and some say the app is a sign the university is embracing new technology to get students better connected.
The home screen of the app has options titled Admissions, Athletics, Calendar, Courses, Directory, News, Social Media, Services and Visit NU, a resource for campus parking, directions and maps of and around campus. There is also an option at the bottom of the screen for students to log into their myNEU account and retrieve their specific academic schedule as well as their dining plan, balance for laundry bucks and Husky Dollars and page balance for printing. The app refreshes itself every time a student uses a meal swipe or spends money using their Husky Card.
Tim LePage, SGA vice president for student services, was involved with the creation of the app. After the app was developed by IS, LePage worked with a team responsible for the project to ensure that any issues were resolved prior to its release.
“I think it is great for a first build and look forward to seeing it further developed,” LePage said in an email to The News. “I think it is great that the university recognizes the demand for mobile access and acted upon it.”
Students first log in to a condensed version of myNEU. From there, they can check their balances, view maps of campus and review their schedules, among other things.
“I think this is wonderful for students because it gives them connectivity wherever they may be,” Student Government Association (SGA) President Michael Sabo said in an email to The News.
LePage is unaware of specific flaws at this time, but he and Sabo both said SGA will be working closely with IS to gather student feedback and make improvements in the near future.
“Students will have the chance to post new features they would like to see with the app as well as post any
comments or aspects of the app that may need to be changed going forward,” Sabo said.
Some students said they thought the app was both helpful and user-friendly.
“I like that you can access your myNEU account so easily,” Alex Anfuso, a freshman music industry major, said. “It’s also nice that you can check the calendar if you’re looking for something to do. It’s handy.”
Despite mostly positive reviews, some students found flaws.
“It’s frustrating to have to log in again every time you want to use it,” Katharine Feldman, a freshman behavioral neuroscience major, said. “It would be nice if the application could store login information so we don’t have to log in every time we open the application.”
The application’s website, www.northeastern.edu/mobile, said the app “keeps current students, prospective students and university faculty & staff updated on news, information and important services.” People visiting campus can also benefit from the app’s campus map and admissions feature.
The app is available for free on the Android Market for Androids and the App Store for iPhones. IS says the app will be available for BlackBerry “in the next week.”
