As of this summer, students and faculty can use the new Houghton app to stay up-to-date on campus events and access a variety of resources.
Jared Hobson, a junior majoring in Communication, lead the creation of the app over the summer. Hobson’s initial team – including Elliot Spicer, Mallory Moore, Lauren Couturier, Olivia Flint, and Katharine Meyer (all currently juniors) – conceived the project during VOCA’s Sophomore Leadership conference in February 2018.c. “When we were creating the app we really just wanted it to be a resource for students especially to be able to be more connected on campus,” Hobson says.
The app is available on the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store. Upon downloading it, users may select their role as either “Current Student”, “Faculty & Staff”, or “Visitor”. They are then prompted to create an account using their Houghton email address, set up a profile with basic information, and complete a Welcome Survey indicating their interests. Users may link their Google Calendar and contacts to the app. After completing these sections, users continue to the full contents of the app.
The app organizes information and resources that students are likely to want to pull up quickly. It includes a dashboard of upcoming events in categories users have expressed interest in, a campus map, a separate trails map, building hours, the academic calendar, a faculty and staff directory, and shortcuts to other resources like Moodle and Student Self Service.
The app works using software from Involvio. Involvio’s website allows app administrators to quickly revise the information visible to users, without users needing to update the app to see it. The team now responsible for the maintenance of the app includes Hobson, AC Taylor in Student Life, and Betsy Rutledge in the Admissions Office. Hobson spends several hours each week ensuring that the app remains “something that is always current for students.”
In the first few weeks of the app’s availability, student feedback has been largely positive.
They note the results of the app team’s work to keep information updated. “I do love the app and I like that they keep improving it. It is very helpful to have and I use it regularly,” says Sarah Evans, a first-year student. Hope Barnes, a sophomore, also comments on how “practical and user-friendly” the app is.
Despite the praise, portions of the app have yet to reach the full potential envisioned by its creators. While the app includes the ability to create groups, which can be home to dorm events, team announcements, or club discussions, Barnes says, “The one downside to the app is that I don’t think many people know about it, making the group chat function pretty pointless at the moment.” Becca Loomis, the ARD and current senior who created the Gillette Hall group, also notes the need for a larger user base to take advantage of the groups feature. “The more people who get the app and use it,” she says, “the more useful it will be.” Hobson agrees that this feature is as useful as students make it for themselves. “We especially want clubs to be signing up and creating groups,” he says. As they do, users will be able to easily scroll through a list of all the clubs meeting on campus, fulfilling the app’s major goals of accessibility, awareness, and involvement.
Going forward, the app team hopes to more seamlessly integrate students’ class schedules so that as they view events, the app can automatically warn them of conflicts. In the meantime, Hobson says, “I’m really excited because I’m hoping that it opens people’s eyes to the idea that there is so much to do on campus and there are so many ways to get involved.”