COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Colorado Technical University (CTU), a leading provider of campus-based and online higher education, recently announced its newly-redesigned mobile app – CTU Mobile – for Apple iOS and Android phones and tablets. Created to complement student’s mobile-centric lives, CTU Mobile offers users the ability to connect with the university, track grades and degree progress in real-time, and participate in courses from the palm of their hand.
An upgrade to the university’s legacy app, CTU Mobile’s all-new user experience and interaction design reflects the principles of top-rated mobile applications and elevates industry-wide standards for higher education mobile apps. The extensive redesign expands upon CTU’s award-winning work in adaptive learning and reflects the university’s commitment to innovative learning technology that enables students to better fit education into their lives.
“Colorado Technical University is proud to offer our students a best in class mobile app that makes education more manageable within the demands of their fast-paced lives,” said university president, Andrew H. Hurst. “CTU Mobile is another way the university is investing in learning technology to improve the student experience and help students uncover more opportunities to learn.”
CTU Mobile was designed to help students take advantage of their mobile moments, and in turn, find it more convenient to fit education into their lives. Current CTU students shared their challenges and the development team zeroed in on the areas which could make the most significant impact in their learning experience. In collaborative focus groups, students defined which features and push notifications they wanted most – making the app’s real-time updates highly valuable and relevant to each individual user.
“Push notifications can be distracting if they’re not designed with intention,” said Melissa Balsan, CTU’s vice president of marketing. “We knew that mobile notifications had the potential to open an entirely new line of communication with our students, so we were protective of the user experience and conservative with our messages.”
Top Student Benefits of CTU Mobile
The newly redesigned app focuses on the area where students spend the most time – the classroom. Other priorities include motivating students, helping students connect with the university, and preparing new online students for sustainable success. Key benefits for CTU students include:
- Learning Essentials – Whether students are waiting for a train or vacationing with family, they can play live or archived lectures, read and respond to discussion board posts, and submit individual projects from the cloud – anytime, anywhere they have access to the internet.
- Real-Time Notifications – The anxiety of waiting for a grade is gone with the app’s grade alerts. Students receive reminders when assignments are due and notifications for class activities.
- Time Management – To-dos are organized by day and week so that students see what is due next and can plan their time. Plus, tasks and assignments can be added to a personal calendar.
- University Contacts – With one tap, students can email or call their professors, financial aid advisor, or success coach. CTU departments are listed with hours and contact information to make navigating the university less cumbersome so students can stay focused on learning.
- Degree Progress – Students can see their current grades, visualize degree progress, and celebrate milestones as they work toward earning their degree. Motivational messages from alumni and faculty are displayed in the app to help students stay focused on their goals.
Student feedback about CTU Mobile has been positive and students report that the new app is making a difference in their university experience. “I definitely feel more connected to my education with CTU Mobile! I find myself checking it throughout the day and planning ahead much more than before,” said Rosalyn G., a CTU student who attends the virtual campus. “My phone is always with me, and now, class is always one-touch away.”
CTU’s Mobility Vision
CTU Mobile is just one important aspect of the university’s mobility vision, which extends beyond mobile applications alone. “Today, the academic experience is fluid,” observed Dr. Connie Johnson, CTU’s chief academic officer and provost. “We’re focused on developing course content that can be consumed in student’s mobile moments, which mimics the way we use social media sites throughout the day.”
In addition to CTU Mobile, students are also able to access intellipath™, CTU’s proprietary adaptive learning technology, from a tablet device. “As an avid proponent of technology, exploring new ways to leverage mobile to engage our students will be how CTU remains relevant as an educator for years to come,” added Johnson.
CTU Mobile is available now in Google Play for Android users and in the iTunes App Store for Apple iPhone and iPad devices.
About Colorado Technical University
Founded in 1965, Colorado Technical University (CTU) provides higher education to connect students to what matters most in reaching their professional goals. CTU offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs taught by real-world faculty members who enrich the curriculum with their industry experience and prepare students for today’s challenges and the hard-hitting problems of tomorrow. CTU’s personalized, online learning system allows students to control what, where, when and how they learn. Students can also learn and connect on campuses in multiple cities. With the help of faculty, industry professionals and more than 85,000 graduates, CTU students can also grow a powerful professional network to use their entire career. For more information, please visit www.coloradotech.edu.
Colorado Technical University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission, www.hlcommission.org. CTU cannot guarantee employment or salary. Find employment rates, financial obligations and other disclosures at www.coloradotech.edu/disclosures. CTU is also a member of the Career Education Corporation (NASDAQ:CECO) network of universities, colleges and schools. For more information, visit www.careered.com.
