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Mobile Cmmunications
UOIT launches Ontario’s first Mobile Devices course to meet growing demands of digital economy
New curriculum designed to alleviate province’s shortage of trained mobile application developers; will give students a clear edge over the competition
OSHAWA – Recognizing the province’s need for software developers who can meet the increasing needs of the mobile application industry, the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) has announced the launch of a new Mobile Devices course aimed at providing students with specific training in the development of applications for mobile gadgets such as smart phones.
Another example of UOIT’s leadership in the digital media arena, the course is offered through UOIT’s Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Computer Science (Digital Media specialization) program. Launched in 2007, and the only one of its kind in Canada, the program focuses on the use of sound, images, graphics and video for interactive computer applications such as mobile devices, computer games and educational software. Last September, UOIT also launched a separate Digital Media specialization through the Faculty of Education’s Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Honours) program.
The development of the Mobile Devices course is being funded in part by the Mobile Experience Innovation Centre (MEIC), a research and development collaboration involving major industry organizations, small and medium enterprises and academic research partners including UOIT. It will be a core course for senior students enrolled in the Digital Media specialization of the Faculty of Science’s Computing Science program and in the Faculty of Business and Information Technology’s Game Development and Entrepreneurship program.
“It’s clear that we are living in a rapidly changing world, with digital media clearly at the forefront,” said Dr. Mark Green, a professor with the Faculty of Science and a recognized expert in the area who will teach the initial offering of the course this fall. “UOIT is strongly committed to ensuring its students have access to programs and courses such as Mobile Devices that reflect the province’s mobile application industry. This new course will enable our students to learn software skills and innovative applications that are directly related to smart phones and digital media – helping to meet the current shortage of trained developers here in Ontario.”
Funded by the Ontario Media Development Corporation, an agency of the Ministry of Culture, and led by the Ontario College of Art and Design, MEIC provides its members with a forum for analyzing and gathering information for research, commercializing research applications and gaining strategic foresight into Ontario's mobile content industry. With a goal to advance trained developers and related industry and academic partners, MEIC focuses on the role of user experience and usability design, which are key components of UOIT’s new Mobile Devices course.
The development of software for devices such as smart phones differs from traditional software development because the devices have limited central processing unit capabilities, smaller graphics chips, limited amounts of video memory and input mechanisms that are restricted to touch screen or keypad entry.
The new course will ensure students have access to the laboratory infrastructure, exercises and projects that are essential for developing the skills required to address these challenges including the innovative use of compression schemes, algorithms and the optimizations necessary for successful high-graphic/data throughput.
With the mobile sector expected to grow by 15 per cent each year, careers related to software and application development are projected to increase. UOIT’s Mobile Devices course was developed with an increased emphasis on smart phone applications and has the potential to meet the demand for graduates trained in that sector.
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