By Samantha Bradsky | Reporter
People are using apps more than ever before, and some professors on Baylor’s campus have been contributing to the growing world of application development.
With the average smartphone user using 10 apps per day and total mobile app downloads continuing to increase each year, consumer spending on apps reached a record high of $64.9 billion in the first half of 2021.
John Carlson, an associate professor of information systems, teaches the mobile app elective offered by the Information Systems and Business Analytics department called Mobile App Development (MIS 4319). The class was first offered in 2013.
“It has been a pretty big hit, filling up two sections each spring since then,” Carlson said. “I’ve had students from all over campus and many with little programming background.”
The class teaches introductory programming skills to translate over into student app creation. Carlson said many students have come out of the class with functional apps ready to be put on the App Store and falling under a variety of categories, such as gaming, health and fitness, education and business.
Currently, 1.96 million apps are available in the Apple App Store. With such a diverse range of apps on the market, Carlson said he believes his class teaches very relevant skills.
“The introduction of real mobile apps with the first iPhone was a sea-change to the software development industry,” Carlson said. “Apple created what was essentially an entirely new market. Yes, there were mobile phone programs prior to Apple’s, but they would be largely unrecognizable as such to a modern audience. Also, it was just exciting. The App Store offered any programmer the opportunity to place their app in a store with millions — and then hundreds of millions — of potential customers.”
Another individual on campus invested in app creation is Greg Hamerly, an associate professor of computer science. He helped create a free app called CRADLE White Eye Detector, which can detect a symptom of eye disease.
“The app runs completely on the phone,” Hamerly said. “It does not share any private information without explicit permission. It can analyze photos and videos in real time.”
Carlson has also developed his own app currently on the App Store called Queue Alert. The app helps people estimate how long they will be in line.
“It’s a neat little app, but it hasn’t really taken off,” Carlson said. “I think most of the people who got it are related to me.”
MIS 4319 will be offered in the spring 2022 semester and is open to any Baylor student.
“Everyone seems to have an idea for a great mobile app, and this course will help them figure out what it takes to build it,” Carlson said.
