Android App Presentations @ Mbarara University 2015

It brings me great joy to say that the Android Student Club at Mbarara University of Science and Technology successfully completed the Udacity course and submitted back their projects. They are part of a much bigger team of students around the world who dared to learn Android mobile application development.

They went through 7 intensive weekly sessions based on the Android Fundamentals course on Udacity as well as the Android Developers’ site. They learnt concepts such as Intents and Intent Filters, SQLite Database, Fragments, etc.

The Android Student Club Poses for a Group Snap

The closing ceremony took place on Saturday 20th June 2015 at the Mbarara University campus. We were privileged to have Mr. Bamutura David and Mr. Mugonza Robert, who are both senior lecturers at the University as the chief guests. 

A total of 10 students submitted their applications and demoed them before the entire class, chief guests as well as the two facilitators who also double as lecturers at the University in the Institute of Computer Science.

A lady developer demos her app, CleanDisposal

The facilitators after carefully judging all the applications based on the implementation of key android development concepts chose the best three applications as follows;

1. MyBeats, an app by Waako Brian that allows one to mix their music files on their phone (DJ).

A Google Online Marketing Challenge 2015 Professor congratulates the MyBeats Developer

2. SmartTransportation, an app by Kalende Rebecca that eases payment for bus transportation by using mobile money instead of hard cash.

The facilitator hands over Google Swag to the SmartTranspotation app Developer

3. ShakeToCall, an application by Gusimba Paul that allows one to dial a number simply by shaking their phone.

The facilitator hands over Google Swag to the ShakeToCall Developer

The Club walked away with Google Swag inform of T shirts, Notebooks, Pen kits etc. I am so glad to have been the organizer of the Android Study Club and it wouldn’t have been possible without the facilitators; Mr. Kimera Richard and Mr. Galiwango Martin. Thank you so much. 

We are equally grateful to the administration of Mbarara University of Science and Technology most especially the Institute of Computer Science under the leadership of Dr. Annabella Habinka Ejiri.

Most importantly we are also grateful to the Google Students at Mbarara University of Science and Technology as well as the Google Student Ambassador Program. 

Hopefully we will continue to “Do Cool Things That Matter”. It was an honor to have served Mbarara University of Science and Technology as the Google Student Ambassador for the year 2014/15. God Bless.

For a link to more photos from the session; please click Android @ Mbarara University App Presentations or view the YouTube playlist; Android App Demos at Mbarara University 2015 for some of the session videos

by Kagimu Brian Vicent, Google Student Ambassador 2014/15

Google AdClass Session 3

On the 25, February 2015, Wednesday evening, we had our third AdClass session. I am personally grateful to all the students who showed up. They inspire me.

The event yesterday ended on time, just about 5 minutes after the ending time because we kicked off a little bit late.

The challenge of poor Internet connection got to us again. We were however able to cover how to structure one's account for success. We looked at why it is important to have ads as specific as possible because it helps the business to offer ads that are relevant to the user.

We looked at a few examples of bad ads (that are too general) as well as good ads (that are as specific as possible).

We also looked at the structure of your AdWords account and broke it down it into its' components ie the account, campaign, ad group as well as the different ads and their keywords.

By the end of the class, students were able to know how to structure their account for success as well the strategies that help to ensure success.

We also gave them information on why improving the ad quality as much as possible is the ultimate winning goal of any advertiser.

Of course this can be improved by ensuring you have a good landing page that your potential customers arrive on after clicking on your ad as well as ensuring that you create relevant ads that are as specific as possible targeting your potential customers.

We will have our fourth session on Monday 2 March 2015 hopefully in S210, Science Block, Mbarara University of Science and Technology. Incase of changes in location due to Internet connectivity, we will shift to the Development studies block and we will make sure everyone is informed.

Hopefully we will continue to "Do Cool Things That Matter" here at Mbarara University of Science and Technology.

Coming together is a beginning; keeping together is progress; working together is success. - Harry Ford