Gonzaga is experiencing the first release of a campuswide mobile website. With students, faculty, staff, alums, parents and visitors using SmartPhones, tablets and other mobile devices to access the Internet, Marketing/Communications and ITS have ensured that the university has a mobile-friendly website. The site has been a top priority for the past few months, according to Chief Information Officer Chris Gill.
"Our goal is to make university information available quickly and effectively to anyone who wants information about the university from a mobile device," Gill said. "We want to provide our users with the information they need, where they want it — on their phones and tablets."
Key elements of the main website that were used frequently and contained the most important information were identified by a team working on the project. The group then programmed these elements into the new site. They included general university information, an events calendar, a campus map and campus tour, admissions information, current campus news, hours of operation and activity for computer labs and dining halls, as well as information that would be useful for visitors.
They even threw in Ask Spike, Gonzaga's virtual chat agent. Links to Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and Foursquare make entering various sites quick and easy. Students can update their statuses through Gonzaga's site. Emergency links, athletics and alumni information can also be accessed at the touch of a finger.
"Students will find a lot to be excited about on the mobile website," Gill said. "They can easily look up campus events and news on a website designed for mobile devices. They can look up athletics information on mobile devices, and they can ask Spike a question on the run."
The site lends itself to fun events and basketball ticket distribution, but there is an academic aspect as well. Students will be able to locate information about faculty and staff from the directory that is programmed in. From there, it's easy to email or call that staff member directly.
The campus tour is exciting for visitors who need guidance getting from College Hall to Crosby to Tilford. All campus facilities are showcased in the tour, enabling visitors to view photos and videos for each building. They can locate facilities on campus through an interactive map, and each facility will be pinpointed on Google Maps.
Junior Riley Englin was a little skeptical about the site.
"I don't know how much it will get used by students. We already have so many apps and sites on our phones," Englin said.
However, Englin did point out how useful the campus maps would have been freshman year when new students were trying to remember which building PACCAR center was and which direction the Spanish professor's office was in. Looking up class times and places is now one step easier.
"It's a fantastic new resource that has resulted from a strong partnership between Marketing/Communication, admissions, Campus Services and ITS," Gill said. "It will be very popular with visitors, alumni, parents, prospective students and anyone who wants to learn more about campus."
Staff who created the site will be working to continually improve both the current university website and the new mobile site as changes are needed, Gill said. He projected that there will be many improvements to come.
Gill complimented the staff that worked to create the site.
"We have a great team who are very experienced at developing websites and content," he said. "Although this is Gonzaga's first mobile site, I think that the result is another example of the capabilities of our web team who have put together a very high-quality professional, and useful mobile site and mobile campus tour for all of the users of the campus website."
A vendor-neutral system was used when building the site, ensuring that it would work well on most mobile devices. Gill explained how the vendor-neutral system enables support to act quickly to add new platforms and new devices as they become available.
"This first-generation mobile website is a resource to help website users access information about the university quickly and from anywhere," Gill said. He added that electronic resources are only one component of a rich educational experience.
"We strongly support and encourage students to use all electronic resources appropriately, and we believe that this mobile website, used effectively, will support and enhance the complete student experience," Gill said.
is a member of the 
Be the first to comment on this article!