Here at Pyxis Mobile we have a wide variety of users. Because our mobile enterprise application platform - or MEAP - is so flexible and powerful, we can build just about any type of application in a fraction of the time it would take a programmer to do it. Recently, Pyxis Mobile teamed up with Boston University to help them extend their coursework beyond the classroom walls and onto BlackBerry® smartphones.
“As a renowned institution, we look for ways to increase our students’ ability to learn and to transcend the boundaries of the classroom into the real world,” says Scott Stewart, Research Associate Professor and Faculty Director of BU’s MS in Investment Management (MSIM) program, and former fund manager at Fidelity Investments. “We are delivering mobile access to the tools used by the very professionals our students seek to become. My students have real-time market data, quotes and charts, analyses, and advanced decision-making tools available to them at all times. There is no better way to learn than through hands-on experience with what takes place in everyday professions.”
Imagine being one of these students. For most professionals who graduated from college over 10 years ago, this wouldn’t have been a plausible opportunity! The application connects students to high-level investment research to support live portfolio management, and enables them to replicate the role of equity analyst in the field. By having this real-world experience while being enrolled in a classroom setting, the student is gaining many skills for their future professional endeavors.
Besides these features, the application also allows for a collaborative research discussion board and access to student investment research and portfolio holdings. Powered by Pyxis Mobile’s Application Studio and featuring their Configure Once, Run Anywhere™ technology, the application works on all BlackBerry® smartphones.
Top analyst firms predict that by 2013, mobile phones will outnumber PCs and function as the most common web browsing device. While I find mobile browsing still to be a bit cumbersome, mobile browsers ARE getting better. Judging by the improvements that we've seen over just the past year or two, I can believe that these predictions will come true! Almost every student owns a mobile device or a smartphone, they are part of our everyday life. Without these devices, college students today are lost. Their mobile devices are like an extension of their body. So what better way for BU to greatly enrich their students’ educational experience and enhance campus life than to push the boundaries beyond typical use of this “personal” mass medium? The college student demographic is driving this industry forward and there is no looking back.
Todd
Christy, CTO and President of Pyxis Mobile recalls, “When BU School of Management
and Pyxis began discussions, we were both immediately on-board. BU has always
had a stellar reputation for advancing learning techniques and pushing its
students to be among the best the nation has to offer, and we couldn’t be more
pleased to deliver this application to BU students.”
So what’s next? Will other schools jump on board with this innovative learning experience? Do you think this is the next level of learning? Let us know!
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