‘App-solutely’ fine on campus
NEW students who register in person at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) for the 2018/2019 academic intake on Sept 2, no longer need to worry about getting lost on campus.
This is because the university’s Faculty of Technology and Information Sciences has developed a mobile application dubbed Mesra@UKM to make orientation week fun and innovative.
UKM vice-chancellor Prof Tan Sri Dr Noor Azlan Ghazali said the university’s end goal is to digitise all its operations and instead of holding its traditional orientation week, this time it will all be done through the app.
“As the fourth industrial revolution takes over the world, we want to ensure that UKM creates a digitised environment for its new students,” he said at the launching ceremony of the app last Friday.
Prof Noor Azlan stressed that as the world changes, students too should become more comfortable in using digital applications to complete tasks rather than lugging folders to lectures.
A total of 3,653 students registered for the new academic year with UKM. Prof Noor Azlan said they were selected from at least 25,000 students who applied.
The app was completed within a month, thanks to the involvement of seven students from the faculty.
Project leader and front-end developer Muhammad Fahmi Mat said the app makes orientation week convenient for students as they can see it whenever they like on their handphones and not risk losing information.
“Students previously had to carry around the schedule, which was printed on paper.
“Also, the schedule now has detailed instruction on every activity and is integrated with maps so that they can go to the location assigned easily without getting lost,” Muhammad Fahmi, 26, added.
Mesra @UKM covers all aspects of making orientation week chaos free, said UKM deputy vice-chancellor (Student Affairs and Alumni) Assoc Prof Dr Roslee Rajikan.
“It shows the zoning systems for parking when students’ parents and family come to visit them so everything is more organised.
“Students can also view the different activities that will be held, its locations and timetable; they can select which one they wish to attend,” he said.
Dr Roslee said the app has a map of UKM and students can also check out the bus timetables and its movement in real time.
Students, he added, need to register into the campus on Sept 2 as the orientation week will start from that night until Sept 6.
Students can download the app for free from Google Play Store and App Store and will have their own identification when they register.