ÉTSMobile is the mobile application portal used on a daily basis by several thousands of students at École de Technologie Supérieure (ÉTS). It is a mobile application developed as a joint project by the ApplÉTS student club, who specializes in mobile engineering, and the “Entreprise Systems” team of ÉTS’ IT organization. Thanks to this mobile application portal on the iOS and Android platforms, students can check course and exam schedules, access course evaluations and documents at any time and listen to the student radio.

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Creation of ÉTSMobile

ÉTSMobile is one example of a successful collaboration between the ApplÉTS student club and the ÉTS’ IT department. This department not only sponsored the project but also provided the club with the required institutional web services to power the application.

The first version of the application was published in 2012. By using secure web services from ÉTS back office applications, it allowed students to view their exam results in real time as well as the school’s phone directory.

Figure 1 First Version of the ÉTSMobile Android Application, Published in 2012 on the Google Play Store

At the beginning of the original project, all of the stakeholders, i.e. the IT organization and the club members, elaborated a document defining the project’s vision. Next, the Software Requirements Specifications (SRS) were defined and documented. This document was of utmost importance in the successful completion of the project because it formed the basis of a contract between the stakeholders and defined the project scope, the product’s positioning and overview, features, characteristics, development constraints, quality assurance norms, human resources and deliverables. This was followed by the software architecture documents, the software data model and the graphics user interface (GUI). The development of this first ÉTSMobile version was elaborated in line with the ISO/IEC 29110 and IEEE-STD-830 standards.

New 2015 Features

In 2015, after the resounding success of this application with the ÉTS student community (see Figure 2), the ApplÉTS team set themselves to work on a more elaborate version.

Figure 2 Number of Installations on ÉTSMobile iOS/Android Devices

Figure 3 Second ÉTSMobile Version for iOS/Android, launched in March 2015

This new version included new features such as the ability to download course documents through a Moodle platform.

Figure 4 Access to Moodle Documents Through ÉTSMobile

This major update, developed for the iOS and Android platforms, was officially launched and made available to the students at the end of the winter of 2015.

Throughout the development of this new version, the ApplÉTS team refined its development process. Among other things, the team was inspired by the ISO/IEC 14764 standard for maintenance and the ISO/IEC 12207 and ISO/IEC 29110 standards to establish a software lifecycle suitable for the dynamics of a student club, i.e. a variable number of members and regular turnover of students participating in the organization. The application’s security features were then validated with ÉTS’ IT department.

Figure 5 Improvement in the User’s Experience (iOS version) in the “News” et “Schedule” Windows

This new version was also designed to respond to requests from users who expressed a high level of satisfaction after publication of Version 2 (see Figure 6).

Figure 6 History of User Evaluation of ÉTSMobile Android

A Forward-Looking Project

The development of the next version by the ApplÉTS team is already underway and will provide a more satisfactory user experience. Under iOS, the third version will mark a turning point because the user interface will be revised, and the application will be completely re-written in Swift, a new programming language developed by Apple.

In addition, it will soon be possible to use the placement system for student work terms (ÉTS undergraduates programs are all compulsory coop) on both platforms. The team is going to integrate features to enable consultation of job offers and confirmation of interviews through the institution’s web services developed and made available by ÉTS IT department. In addition, the application is being integrated with the institution’s MonÉTS student web portal. This integration is taking place through Amazon’s notification transmission systems.

Figure 7 An Interactive Mobile Prototype for the Job Placement System

With the ÉTSMobile portal, ÉTS benefits from greater visibility on the net and better positioning as a higher institute of learning on the cutting edge of information technology. This initiative has also allowed many students to specialize in the development of mobile applications and, once they graduate, to find employment in this field in companies such as CGI, Worximity, Greencopper and Sherpa.