Carleton’s engineering faculty is considering launching a course where students and staff learn how to write iPhone apps after the success of a summer pilot program.
“There is a good chance the course will be offered again in October of this year or early next year,” said Saqib Dareshani, the course’s instructor.
The program was launched in May as a summer course.
According to the online registration page for the course, it was moved to a larger room to accommodate the higher-than-expected enrolment.
“The feedback I received was actually very positive,” Dareshani said.
“From the class survey I handed out, I got responses along the lines of ‘Very useful to get me started’ and ‘Great introduction to iPhone development,’ ” he said.
Dareshani, a graduate from the department of systems and computer engineering, has iPhone and iPod Touch applications available on the App Store.
Dareshani said there will be a fee of roughly $200 per person to purchase equipment. The course will also cover the leveraging of Twitter, Flickr and Facebook in relation to iPhone apps, in addition to a new hands-on component.
“After every class the students will go into the lab, remotely connect to Mac Minis and start developing right away. The best way to teach iPhone development is to get them to code, not just by digesting theory and showing off example apps,” Dareshani said.
The App Store currently has over 200,000 apps to choose from, with categories ranging from Managing Money to Fun & Games.
“My role was to teach students about the paradigm shift into mobile technology,” said Dareshani. “The world in the palm of your hand.”