Peirce College Pushes Boundaries of Smartphone and Mobile App Technology

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In what is described as the first of future steps in the institution’s continual development of mobile communications, Peirce College introduced its iPhone and Android phone applications for students, alumni, faculty and staff, as well as friends of Peirce and other visitors who want mobile access to resources at the College.

“Students want learning and data options that fit their lifestyles”

The new apps, which are free, can be run on Apple iPhones and iPads, as well as Droid-powered phones, and will keep Peirce on the leading edge of mobile communications technology.

“Consumers today want and expect fast access to information from wherever they are. Our students are no different,” says Christopher Duffy, Chief Information Officer for Peirce.

How well colleges and universities deliver information to their students will be one of the key measurement tools of institutions, Duffy says. “Students want learning and data options that fit their lifestyles,” he says. “That means the constant adaptation and expansion to new communication platforms.”

The genesis of Peirce’s app was the popularity of smartphones and mobile phones among Peirce students, as well as feedback gained from a recent student survey.

The apps have a number of features that allow users to access:

Student course lists
Faculty and staff directories
Campus data
Peirce College blog

In addition to the College’s blog Peirce Connections, campus overview and directions to the College, users can contact and search for anyone at Peirce. The apps serve as one-stop access to resources at Peirce. With one touch to phone and to email, a student can see who their faculty members, advisors and financial aid specialists are, or their classes and schedules.

During the summer, Peirce conducted a survey among students to gauge their interest in smartphone apps. Students were asked did they have a smartphone or were they planning to buy a smartphone, and if so, which model did they own or would buy.

The survey response also confirmed an exciting trend at the College: the large and continually increasing number of smartphone users—current and prospective students—who are accessing Peirce’s website and student portal via their phones. “Students expressed a growing need for mobile access,” Duffy adds. “In our commitment to customer service, Peirce values student feedback and makes a point to listen and assess student suggestions of this kind.”

Peirce is looking at other popular platforms and is planning a BlackBerry release soon. Once all three platforms are in place, Peirce will increase functionality based on additional data from the survey and continue to expand development of its smartphone apps.

Initial user comments reflect the utility of the app. Matt Updegrove, a Paralegal Studies major at Peirce, says the new app “is perfect and essential for students. It allows us to get contact information for every faculty and staff member. You can also check your past, present and future courses. Having all that at my fingertips makes it a lot easier. It is pretty neat that the school is staying ahead of the curve,” he says.

Peirce’s research data also validates a recent Pew study, which finds that mobile phone and wireless laptop Internet use have each grown more prevalent over the last year. Forty percent of adults use the Internet, email or instant messaging on a mobile phone.

“Our goal is to keep expanding mobile, smartphone app technology to provide enhanced functionality for Peirce students,” Duffy says.

About Peirce College

Peirce College offers bachelor’s and associate degree programs in the areas of Business, Healthcare, Information Technology and Paralegal Studies. Peirce College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104 (phone: 267-284-5000). The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs accredits the College's business program and the Paralegal Studies program is approved by the American Bar Association.

For more information about Peirce College, call 888.GO.PEIRCE, or visit www.peirce.edu.

Visit Peirce’s blog, Peirce Connections, at http://blog.peirce.edu.

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