Indonesian Universities Starting to Use Mobile Apps For Academic Activities

M Campus app for Android. Image source: Okezone.com

Given the high rate of usage of mobile devices among teenagers in Indonesia, it is not a surprise that educational institutions have begun to use gadgets to facilitate communication with students. Two universities in Indonesia now have special mobile applications for conveying academic information. These apps are supposedly the first mobile academic applications in the country, according to the universities.

The University of Bunda Mulia in Jakarta recently launched its M Campus applications for Android phones. This application includes class and faculty schedules, a student’s courses and GPA, payment details, and other university information. The program is going to be bundled with the Sony Ericsson Xperia X8, and will be given to 200 freshmen when they begin classes this month. The bundled mobile phone will also be marketed to other students for only US$176.

Additionally, the Pelita Harapan University (UPH) is collaborating with Telkomsel and Research In Motion (RIM) to create Mobile Campus BlackBerry applications. With content similar to that of the M Campus app, this app can be downloaded for free directly onto students’ BlackBerry devices.

Reynier Wayong, senior IT director at UPH, explains to PennOlson:

We took the offer of a cooperation from Telkomsel to make this application, and now we are still testing the app. We think it will be good for students.

BlackBerry is still very popular among Indonesians, and Android phones are also spreading here too. These applications will certainly be very useful for students since they are already active mobile users. It’s possible that other universities will make similar applications in the future, perhaps even for additional operating systems.