OU Innovate, a compelling new mobile application from Oklahoma University, is transforming the college experience in an era of rapid technological advancement. Built by Dom & Tom, this groundbreaking digital product showcases what’s truly possible in using tech to help students succeed in the classroom and beyond. Through its features, the app acts as a direct line between individual students and their campus community, directly connecting them to campus life and activities.
At a time when college education is almost crucial to professional success, educators have come to understand that there is a close relationship between campus engagement and the rate of student returns and ultimately, graduation. A 2015 study found that student “mind-set,” — defined as a student’s sense of social belonging or grit — is the strongest predictor of whether a student is likely to graduate. This is why it is essential for educational institutions to create a sense of community amongst students. OU Innovate is designed to foster these relationships by making it easy for students to find our information about parking, events and campus activities.
Beyond acting as a hosting location for campus announcements, the app, which Dom & Tom built for both Android and iOS platforms, performs a variety of unique functions and services that are incredibly valuable to OU students.
One such feature is the app’s OU SafeRide integration. SafeRide is designed to protect students against the dangers of drunk driving, an issue that is a real threat to student safety. The school’s administration realized it needed to develop a solution in order to curb drunk driving and its severe consequences. The solution was OU SafeRide, an university initiative that keeps intoxicated student drivers off the road.
While the program existed prior to the application launch, the D&T team was tasked with integrating its benefits into OU Innovate. Now, the option to hail a free ride after a night of drinking is only a tap away. Through the application, students can summon a ride directly from their mobile devices, completely free of charge. This service, which they are able to use one time per weekend, keeps them from getting behind the wheel of their own vehicle while also saving them costly taxi fees. The goal of SafeRide is to create a seamless experience in keeping students from driving after imbibing on weekends.
Diego Navarro, a D&T team member, was one of the core developers involved with the project.
“The most exciting thing for me was the new technology we used on this,” he said. “We used the Google Maps API in detail. This was a challenge, paired with the fact that we had to meet some milestones quickly.”
However, it appears the work has paid off. SafeRide may be one of the most popular features of the OU Innovate app. The launch took place only last week, but students are already actively using the product. Their feedback is paving the way to create more innovative approaches to student safety.
In tandem with SafeRide, OU Innovate also provides GPS tracking of SafeBus. A related program, Similar to SafeRide, SafeBus allows students to board a bus to commute home safely after a night of drinking.
Another popular aspect of the app is its parking spot finder. As any commuter college student knows, parking lots fill up rapidly, and it’s hard to know whether there will be a space close to class. Not knowing this can cause people to be late to class due to crowded parking lots, which can ultimately hinder their opportunities for academic success.
As part of the OU Innovate application, students can easily find out where there is parking on campus and can then park accordingly. The app uses an API to pull in data about parking lots, which the students can then use to find a parking space without having to circle the campus for hours on end.
The app also collects data about student activities through an integrated dashboard, which administrators can use to improve the students’ experiences. Paired with student feedback, there are endless possibilities for building a comprehensive tool that adequately addresses college students’ needs.
Congrats to both the OU and the Dom & Tom teams on a terrific app. Special thanks to Dom & Tom team members Jessica Ahn, Diego Navarro, Tom Tancredi, Chad Ziolkowski, David Bean, Amy Hudson and Trupti Rane, all of whom contributed to this amazing project.
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