If you’ve always wanted to develop an app, but you don’t know how, there’s a group of students who can help. Students in computer science professor Qusay Mahmoud’s third-year software engineering class will be designing and developing apps for U of G faculty as part of their group projects for Winter 2012.

“My main objective is to provide students with experience working on real-world software projects,” says Mahmoud, adding that faculty also benefit from having an app they can use for teaching or research.

Faculty members from all disciplines are invited to submit their ideas by filling out an online form. The deadline for submissions is mid-December and the students will begin working on the projects in January.

If their idea is selected, faculty will be asked to meet with the students who are developing their app and provide feedback. This type of project provides students with realistic experience, says Mahmoud, because they will be working with a real client who will determine the app’s requirements.

The apps can have a range of applications, from classroom use to collecting data in the field. “Basically, we are open to ideas,” he says. The students will design apps for use on any mobile device, which poses a challenge, he adds, because there are so many different types of smartphones and tablets.

The Centre for Mobile Education and Research, which is funded in part by RIM and based in the School of Computer Science, will provide the students with the devices and technical support they need to develop their apps.