Curriculum Development

One of the key deliverables of the Strengthening Mobile Application Resources and Technician Training (SMARTT) project is the creation of two new associate degree programs in mobile design and technology. After completing and analyzing the results of Business and Industry Leadership Team meeting, the SMARTT project teamed mapped the desired knowledge and competencies to preexisting coursework within the college. This mapping process led to the identification of the core coursework and curriculum of an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) in Mobile Application Design and Mobile Application Development. These new A.A.S. programs will include preexisting courses as well as seven new courses created specifically focusing on mobile application design and technology.

The results of the BILT discussion and course mapping are summarized in the following document: BILT Voting Document

Multi-Disciplinary Curricular Approach

Mobile App Design

The Mobile App Design degree program equips Interactive Media students with highly specialized and in-demand skills in the design and development of content and media for mobile devices in IOS and Android.  Design principles, user interface and user experience considerations for a multitude of screens are emphasized. Technical topics include markup or scripting languages that are required of specific media, as well as media optimization, distribution methods, mobile analytics, basic networking concepts, database fundamentals and project management skills.

Upon successful completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Design and develop mobile media content incorporate design, usability, and interaction principles, specific to mobile device use.
• Identify strategies and technologies for marketing, selling, and distributing products and services through the mobile arena.
• Identify opportunities, challenges, and emerging technologies in the mobile industry.

Mobile App Design

Mobile App Development

The Mobile App Developer Associate degree program is designed for students who wish to pursue a career as an application developer for mobile devices, such as smart phones, tablets and iPads; or plan to transfer to a four year institution to pursue a Bachelors degree in Computer Science. Featuring the two popular platforms of Android and iOS programming environments, the program also includes a curriculum in current design principles, user-interface design, and user experience and analytics.

Upon successful completion of the program, students will be able to:

• Develop applications for mobile devices on both iOS and Android platforms.
• Apply concepts of HTML 5 and JavaScript to network applications.
• Apply modern project management techniques using an Agile methodology.

Mobile App Development

New Course Development

In order to address the lack of specific courses focused on Mobile App Technology, seven new courses were created in Interactive Media, to be used within both the Mobile App Design Degree and the Mobile App Development Degree.

IMM 1101- Mobile App Design I

Credits: 3
Prerequisites: None
Class Hours per Week: 2 lecture, 2 lab
Program requirement in Mobile App Design and Mobile App Development.
The Mobile App Design I Course is designed to teach students basic levels of graphics creation through the use of software programs used by design, animation, and interactive media companies worldwide. The course emphasizes vector graphic design from a mobile web-specific point of view and provides students with a thorough understanding of the basic techniques and tools used for designing compelling interfaces for mobile applications.

IMM 1110- Mobile App Design II

Credits: 3
Prerequisites: IMM 1101
Class Hours per Week: 2 lecture, 2 lab
Program requirement in Mobile App Design.
The Mobile Media Design II Course teaches students advanced levels of graphics creation through the use of software programs used by design, animation, and interactive media companies worldwide. The course emphasizes raster graphic design from a mobile web-specific point of view and expands the knowledge of digital color models and interface composition to create a more visual compelling aesthetic optimized for handheld delivery.

IMM 1210- Mobile User Interface Design

Credits: 3
Prerequisites: None
Class Hours per Week: 2 lecture, 2 lab
Program requirement in Mobile App Design and Mobile App Development.
The Mobile User Interface Design teaches students the concepts and strategies needed to create usable interfaces optimized for handheld devices. In this course, students examine the foundation of creating logical, intuitive, and clear interfaces. The course examines interaction principles, experiential, and gestural design patterns relating from usability, visualization, and functionality constructs associated with human factors that drive touch screen interfaces.

IMM 2010- Mobile User Experience Design

Credits: 3
Prerequisites: IMM 1110, IMM 1210
Class Hours per Week: 2 lecture, 2 lab
Program requirement in Mobile App Design and elective in Mobile App Development.
The Mobile User Experience course focuses on the overall experience and satisfaction rating users have while interacting with a product or computer based system. As users interact with these systems via a collection of combined interfaces, the process for accomplishing a task or achieving a goal is created. In this course, students learn to approach each problem by identifying its parts and then break up those parts into a collection of smaller tasks. Through closer examination of each task, students leverage their understanding of usability and interaction design. The results improve users’ experiences by increasing the efficiency and productivity of handheld devices.

IMM 2110- Mobile Project Management

Credits: 3
Prerequisites: IMM 1110, IMM 1210
Class Hours per Week: 2 lecture, 2 lab
Program requirement in Mobile App Design and elective in Mobile App Development.
The Mobile Project Management course teaches students with the development, management, and assessment of program projects. The courses provide an opportunity for students to apply analysis skills, create strategic plans, and foster professional workflow practices

IMM 2210- Mobile Analytics

Credits: 3
Prerequisites: IMM 1110, IMM 1210
Class Hours per Week: 2 lecture, 2 lab
Program requirement in Mobile App Design and Mobile App Development.
Understanding the actions customers take while using mobile applications is essential for developing a communication strategy. By analyzing traffic data for mobile applications, students gain rich insights into marketing effectiveness. Students appreciate the differences between poor metrics, such as "page views" and good metrics such as "liking", "sharing", "watching" and "purchasing". Applications are written and modified to target audiences more successfully.

IMM 2999- Mobile Capstone

Credits: 3
Prerequisites: IMM 2010, IMM 2110
Class Hours per Week: 1 lecture, 3 lab
Program requirement in Mobile App Design.
Utilizing a high-end mobile device lab as the setting, both Mobile App Design degree seeking students as well as Mobile App Developers from the Computer Science area will engage in group project based learning that involves external businesses and the completion of a mobile app.