COURSE CONTRIBUTION TO PROGRAM
This course aims to primarily introduce students to the world of mobile apps from the developer's perspective. Classes are fundamentally hands-on, enabling students to develop simple mobile apps, in this case, based primarily on the Apple iOS platform (iPhone, iPad and iPod touch), though we will also examine applications for the Android platform.
For students without any programming experience, this is an excellent opportunity to explore a world which is increasingly important for our society. Just as mastering English has become key for business in the last few decades, programming, the universal language of technology, will become fundamental in the coming years.
As mentioned, the course is practical in focus. This implies that, after an introduction to the economic and technological concerns developers have to face when developing a new app, the course will focus on the theoretical-practical elements related to programming. Students will thus learn to use Apple's Xcode(*) and Android Studio (XX) development environments as well as the device simulators they incorporate. If students wish, they can also test their app projects on any of their own devices. Thus, in addition to bringing their Macs to class(*) and the device in which they want to install their apps, they also have to bring a USB cable to connect their devices.
In terms of content, the course addresses two fundamental aspects of app development for mobile devices: (1) designing the graphic interface and (2) programming code. In addition, the different class sessions will address other related topics: multimedia content in apps, uploading web content, maps, etc.
(*) Xcode is only available fro Mac computers. Consequently, those interested in developing apps specifically for iOS should have their own Mac. If they don't have their own Macs, we can form a group in class with classmates that have one to address the topics related specifically to iOS.
(**) Android Studio is available for both Mac and PCs. Consequently, students with a Mac will be able to use both development environments.