Janel England
Contributing Writer
Last week, the administration announced to the student body that The College of Wooster now has its own mobile app.
The email announcing the app’s arrival informed students that campus maps, menus and events, as well as a variety of other features, would now be found in one location.
Tabitha Conwell, director of applications development, explained that the app has been in production for quite a while. Using a template provided by the College’s administrative software company, Ellucian and a variety of individuals from the administration have been working to tailor the app to the College’s needs.
“Internally, it’s taken months to get the underlying data in place and the app configured and published,” said Conwell.
Dwight Nagy, assistant director of web communications, also noted that the app was designed to have a feel and organization similar to the College’s website.
Overall, students’ reactions seem to be positive.
“It’s super handy-dandy, much more convenient than having to log into Scotweb every time,” said Carly Eppler ’17. “The news and publication section is also way more accessible, which is super cool. If you can’t make it to a physical copy of the Voice, it’s right there on your phone.”
“Because the app is similar to the [College’s] website, it makes it a lot easier to navigate,” noted Sara Beckstrom ’18.
However, students haven’t failed to notice some flaws in the app. “The menus were available at first, but now they’re not there at all. The things that would have made the app awesome aren’t even available,” said KC Gale ’17.
The administration acknowledges the app’s faults. “We know that dining menus are very popular and initially had them included in the app; however, they weren’t always working as expected. … We will be working to make that right,” said Conwell.
“Just understand that the tool we’ve been provided does have some limitations so we can’t always honor every request,” she continued. Conwell also noted that there will be occasional updates from Ellucian, such as the ability to access the app through wearables like Fitbit, which is scheduled to be available next semester.
She stressed that the app is by no means a completed project and that it will continue to evolve based on students’ suggestions and needs.