University of Newcastle students work with Microsoft

A new Microsoft program is not only changing the way applications are created but also connecting users from around the globe to a worldwide forum where they can share information and ideas.

Students studying a Bachelor of Information Technology at the University of Newcastle this year will be the first to experience Microsoft’s programming environment TouchDevelop.

The program enables users to write apps for mobile devices without the need for extensive programming knowledge. TouchDevelop has been introduced to enhance the student learning experience and reflect the rapidly changing technological landscape.   

“The external environment is changing and those changes fundamentally are that information technology is now not just in business, it’s not just in science – it’s everywhere. It’s now about design, it’s about building systems and social networking,” said Head of Discipline, Mr Bruce Cheek.

Increasingly humans are moving away from accessing the internet through a browser and are using apps that run on wireless devices instead.

TouchDevelop was specifically designed to be mobile responsive and recognises all the functionalities of a phone. It knows that the phone has an up and down and has the ability to be shaken or moved so this is written into the code. Users can also integrate other mobile tools such as the camera or GPS into their app design.

“Microsoft has managed to simplify down all this programming knowledge and make it a lot more intuitive. Students can now be creative and build things out of ‘Lego blocks’ rather than having to start making the blocks before they can actually build anything,” explained lecturer Dr David Cornforth.

The innovative program is leading edge and the University is working closely with Microsoft domestically and internationally. Over 150 modern smart phones loaded with TouchDevelop have been donated for use as part of the course, which means each student will be able to borrow a handset for the course.

“Not only will our students have theory from our classes but they’ll have a handset to develop apps and access to a testing environment,” said Dr Cornforth. “It’s also an online community so once the script is written it doesn’t end there. Students can publish the script online through Microsoft and then you get other people around the globe commenting on the app you have written. It’s a whole global community swapping bits of code,” he added.

TouchDevelop is the first step towards a new way of teaching within the Bachelor of Information Technology.

“While we still expose the students to conventional desktop software development, we are introducing these new mobile development tools to equip them for the innovative development needs of the IT world they will confront in their professional life,” said Program Convenor Dr Brian Regan.

“Success in IT now demands more creativity mixed with the existing technical expertise,” he added.

The new course, Wireless Development for the Cloud (INFT3009), has been introduced at Ourimbah and Callaghan this semester.

For more information about the Bachelor of Information Technology degree, please visit www.newcastle.edu.au/information-technology.

For more information about Touch Develop, please visit http://silverbullet.newcastle.edu.au/davidcornforth/touchdevelop/.