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Sage Kiernan-Sherrow<\/strong> | News Editor<\/span><\/p>\n Through the new MyWOU mobile app, Western\u2019s students now have a way to carry campus with them wherever they go. As of now, approximately 1,200 students have downloaded the app, with 990 of them using the app through iOS and the rest through Android.<\/span><\/p>\n Director of University Computing Solutions Bill Kernan, and Web, Mobile and Systems Programmer Tony Manso are two of the people responsible for cultivating and modifying the app to give it that \u201cWestern look.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThe idea actually started maybe 2 and a half years ago \u2026 Elucian, the provider of Banner, approached Western, Southern, Eastern and OIT and asked if we were interested in a mobile app and I said \u2018we are,\u2019\u201d Kernan said.<\/span><\/p>\n MyWOU functions much like portal \u2014 students can find all of the information on portal built into the app but Kernan said, \u201cthe current portal isn\u2019t responsive, so we are in the initial planning stages for portal 3.0 \u2026 MyWOU isn\u2019t ever going to be a replacement for portal, but will hopefully work in a similar fashion.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n However, unlike portal, MyWOU is customizable, more accessible for daily use and has a few unique features currently in development.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n One \u201ccool feature is College Scheduler \u2026 (a) mobile app to do planning with. You can put your schedule in and then say \u2018I want to take these types of classes\u2019 and then it will fill it all out so you can use that when you apply for classes,\u201d Kernan commented. That will be linked into the MyWOU app within the coming months.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe also have the campus map,\u201d Manso added, \u201csince it\u2019s running on a mobile device, the device has GPS capability, so we could actually do things according to your location on campus, so as soon as somebody comes up with a reason to do that, we will probably have that functionality on the app.\u201d This function could serve to give students information about events being held in different buildings on campus, or interesting fun facts about the art and architecture of Western. It\u2019s like Pokemon Go, but for learning about the campus.<\/span><\/p>\n The biggest feature that has already been implemented, however, is notifications.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s really hard to get ahold of students because it seems like the current generation of traditional students that are in college don\u2019t use email much anymore, they use social media more,\u201d Kernan said, \u201cwe\u2019re thinking this is one more communication tool to get information out to students in a timely manner, such as reminders that it\u2019s time to see your advisors.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n However,\u00a0 MyWOU is still in its early stages of development.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re hoping it can be a tool for success,\u201d Kernan said, but \u201cif students have feedback about the usability or additional functionality they\u2019d like to see \u2026 we\u2019ll take it to that subcommittee in UTAC and we can go from there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Manso concurred, \u201cthere\u2019s a lot of possibilities \u2026 once the students get ahold of it, we need to learn from them, what they want to see it do and let them define it from there.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n For students interested in providing feedback, contact Tony Manso at <\/span>monsot@wou.edu.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n