lines-qless-students

Students can now skip the line without being a jerk


Qless eliminates physical queues, allows students to line up virtually

line-qless-studentsNobody likes waiting in line, but everyone hates a line skipper.

Thanks to a new partnership between Blackboard and Qless, students will be able to skip lines without actually skipping in line. Instead, Qless “eliminates physical lines” completely.

Rather than lining up at a location, users “line up” virtually. The app is already in use at several colleges and universities around the world.

“QLess is the only solution of its kind, allowing students to see and join a live queue remotely, while working seamlessly with walk-in traffic,” Alex Bäcker, founder and CEO of Qless said in an announcement.

The partnership with the Blackboard would integrate the app into the learning management system’s mobile platform, Mosaic. Using the function in Mosaic, students can schedule, edit, and cancel appointments. When making an appointment, students are placed in a virtual queue.

Real time wait forecasts and text message alerts let a student know when he or she is about to reach the front of the line.

(Next page: From LMS to security apps, how Blackboard is changing)

Universities in countries as far as Spain and Australia are already using Qless, but the app is mainly in use at large retailers and urgent care centers. Bäcker said he hopes partnering with Blackboard can help more colleges adopt the service.

“There has never been a better time for colleges and universities to adopt QLess, as our Mosaic app collaboration ensures a turnkey approach for implementing a virtual waiting system that is easy for students and staff alike,” he said.

The partnership is one of several initiatives that Blackboard has recently started in an effort to expand its services beyond a typical learning management system.

Last year, the company piloted a program at Quinnipiac and Tulane universities that transformed mobile devices into student ID cards, allowing smart phones to open doors, pay for campus meals, purchase items in vending machines, and use copiers and printers.

In April, that same arm of the company, Blackboard Transact, partnered with campus security platform LiveSafe to produce a mobile safety app.

“Our partner and developer programs drive tremendous value for clients by enabling access to pre-built extensions that help them fully utilize campus resources, access essential information, and boost student engagement,” said Jim Kelly, vice president of business development at Blackboard.

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