iAchieveODU helps students stay on track for success


Student-developed app targets assignments, deadlines, and resources

student-appWhen students at Old Dominion University – either those taking classes at the main campus in Norfolk, Virginia or any of ODU’s distance learners across the globe – have a need to organize their semester’s coursework, they can click to an app designed specifically for ODU by a fellow student.

Preston Brown, computer science major and student worker at ODU’s Center for Learning and Teaching, developed the iAchieveODU, a tool to increase student engagement and responsibility.

“Everyone who has ever been successful in school has used an organizer of some kind to stay ahead,” Brown said in a press release, adding that technology has made it easier for today’s students to keep abreast of assignments and be efficient learners. “Everything now is about convenience and efficiency.”

(Next page: How the app helps students stay on track)

In the release, Brown said “it takes users about five minutes at the beginning of each semester to enter their courses, and a few minutes each week to keep their iAchieveODU updated. The app takes it from there, providing reminders about assignments and other academic deadlines, projections of course grades and overall GPA, a template for creating flash cards, convenient methods for note taking, directions to tutoring that is available on campus and via the internet, reminders about campus events, and achievement badges for students who keep current with their coursework.”

Among its features are an assignment center (to remind students when course deadlines are approaching), a flash card builder (to help in the creation of study aids), a resource center (that links to both tutorial services on the main campus and a variety of Khan Academy videos), and three different methods of notetaking.

iAchieveODU will even help students project their course average and calculate their GPA as they earn badges for reaching semester milestones.

The app, free to ODU students, is available on both iOS and Android platforms:
iOS
Android

iAchieveODU became available on the app store early in the Spring 2014 semester. During 2014, it was downloaded more than 1600 times, and it has a 4-out-of-5 stars rating. Comments from users range from “My new favorite app!” to “Has everything I need, located in one app! Genius!” to “I’m a bio major…this makes everything so much easier.”

Material from a press release was used in this report.

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Laura Ascione

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