Learning by Doing: How to Develop a Cross-Platform Web App

Abstract

As mobile devices become prevalent, there is always a need for apps. How hard is it to develop an app especially a cross-platform app? The paper shares an experience in a project involved the development of a student services web app that can be run on cross-platform mobile devices. The paper first describes the background of the project, the clients, and the proposed solution. Then, it focuses on the step-by-step development processes and provides the illustration of written codes and techniques used. The goal is for readers to gain an understanding on how to develop a mobile-friendly web app. The paper concludes with teaching implications and offers thoughts for further development. A revised version of this paper was published in the journal Journal of Information Technology Education: Innovations in Practice, Volume 14, 2015

Learning From Doing

“…While these applications have shown effectiveness in improving learning, a critique has been made that they have not paid sufficient attention to aesthetics and the user experience (Davis & Wong, 2007). This might be because most educators are not software developers, and they have limited time and resources to master application development (Huynh & Ghimire, 2015).…”

“…There is a paucity of literature that provides information on how to develop an educational web application from scratch. Huynh & Ghimire (2015) is the only literature we have discovered that provides a step-by-step procedure on how to develop a mobile-friendly web application to students who are more comfortable with using mobile devices to get access to learning materials. Although the authors provide detailed and valuable Web development information, there are specific components of developing an educational web application, such as legal regulations and working across industries, that the authors do not address.…”

“…The Web-based Inquiry Science Environment at the University of California at Berkeley has helped K-12 teachers with project-based learning. In higher education, researchers also utilized self-developed educational applications to facilitate teaching and learning (Huynh & Ghimire, 2015;Seiler, Kuhnel, Ifenthaler & Honal, 2019). While these applications have shown effectiveness in improving learning, a critique has been made that they have not paid sufficient attention to aesthetics and the user experience (Davis & Wong, 2007).…”