Important!

Please note that this page is informational, and does not replace the official Module Information Pack (MIP). All students attending this module must carefully read the MIP which can be accessed online via Blackboard.

Logistics

Module leader:	Nearchos Paspallis
When and where:	Refer to the timetable (requires login)
Syllabus:	Refer to the Blackboard for the syllabus, assignments, etc. (requires login)

Module content

• Mobile development
  Introduction to key mobile platforms (Android, iOS, Windows Mobile etc) to support informed choice and discussion of development approach
  Development using a development platform for mobile applications, (e.g. Android)
  Development of distributed applications e.g. server-side programming and n-tier applications
  Understanding of programming considerations relating to security, accessing data from a server using simple SQL, transactions, synchronisation, reliability
  Key features of wireless network technologies from a developer perspective: short-range (e.g. Bluetooth), local (e.g. IEE802.11 wireless LAN), metropolitan (e.g. WIMAX), wide area (e.g. GPRS).
• Mobile Interface Design
  Introduction to key areas with HCI and Interaction Design that focus on usability and user experience
  Exploration of relevant techniques for user-centred design and evaluation in a mobile context
  Understanding of key user and user-interface issues when developing interactive application for mobile devices
• Contemporary Issues in Mobile Development
  Understanding of gestural interaction and associated HCI issues
  Creation of interfaces for tablet-sized devices

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students are expected to:

• To develop an understanding of contemporary mobile development platforms and skills required to develop applications for mobile devices (phone and tablets);
• To explore a range of technical problems and solutions inherent in developing software applications for mobile computing: connectivity, security, data storage;
• To develop an understanding of the key challenges in creating usable and effective interactive mobile applications and design techniques to address them;
• To develop understanding of the unique features of contemporary mobile devices and how they can be used in interactive mobile application: gestural input, location awareness, on-board-sensing (eg accelerometers).

Resources

Phillips, B., Hardy, B. (2013) Android programming: the Big Nerd Ranch guide, Big Nerd Ranch Guides; 1 edition

Meier, R. (2012) Professional Android 4 Application Development, Wrox Professional Guides

Clark, J. (2010) Tapworthy: Designing Great iPhone Apps, O'Reilly Media; 1 edition

Rogers, Y. Sharp, H. Preece , J., (2011) Interaction Design: Beyond Human-Computer Interaction, Wiley; 3 edition

ACM Digital Library, CHI Conference, http://dl.acm.org/event.cfm?id=RE151

Many more e-books on software development are available through UCLan Cyprus’ library.

Additional material (including lecture slides and hand-outs) will be available in Blackboard

Collaboration

Students are encouraged to study and learn in groups. However, individual assignments should be the result of their personal effort (unless group work is explicitly asked).

As a principle, you should follow Gilligan's Island Rule: you can discuss assignments with your classmates, but you should not take any notes (electronic or not) from these meetings, in order to be able to fulfil your assignment independently using your own undestanding of the lectures and the group meetings.

General rules

In addition to the general rules of the University, you should also respect the following rules:

• Attending the lectures is mandatory.
• Students should respect the right of their classmates to attend without disruptions or unnecessary interruptions and thus you should not arrive late (or leave early) unless absolutely necessary.
• You are asked to respect the intellectual copyright legislation, concerning copying and using software and books (in electronic or print form).
• Extensions to assignments will not be granted. In exceptional situations, you should consult the Year-1 Tutor.
• Plagiarism is a serious offense. The University uses plagiarism detection software for all assignments and offenders are subject to the University's rules concerning plagiarism. More details about what plagiarism is (and is not) can be found in your MIP, which is available on Blackboard.