There should not be a student who has not suffered to do simple things in the secretariat of his school, such as getting grades, notes, course schedules, etc. Understaffing, disorganization and "unforeseen events" are chronic pathologies of the Greek university. At the same time, the number of students who do not use smartphones and computers should not exceed 10%. According to all studies, the 18-24 year old age group is the pre-eminent users of new technologies. If the above were the basic parameters of an equation waiting to be solved, then the question would be none other than who and when will replace bureaucracy with digital applications. These are not the schools themselves because they do not think digitally. However, it is a group of six young programmers who began to solve the problem they were facing in their schools.
“I was studying at the University of Economics and Business when I created the first version of the application and distributed it for free to my fellow students,” says Dimitris Kanelis, now 26. “Its popularity prompted me to develop it further, and so in January my colleagues and I presented the new application, which includes all the universities and technical institutes of Attica, the University of Fine Arts, the Aristotle University and the University of Macedonia,” he continues. Studdle provides the useful information that students, especially those in their first years, are looking for. Course and exam schedules, announcements from each student’s department, a map with available public transportation, information on public transportation strikes and access to their university’s online classroom. The application works on Android and iPhone and has already been downloaded by 6,000 users, of which more than 5,000 use it systematically. "We notice that they look at the app in the morning, in order to see the day's schedule," says D. Kanelis.
Similar applications exist in a multitude of universities in Western Europe and the USA, but they are usually developed by the institution itself each time and not by companies, even setting a strict framework for protecting copyrights. The young programmers used materials and processes that are widely available on the Greek Internet, but are not utilized by the institutions in order to innovate in the provision of services. The maps are Google Maps, the available means of transport are on the OASA website and the information per faculty or professor is on the university websites. “We do not offer new information and we do not see it as work. We simply make it useful for students,” says the 26-year-old.
However, the fact that they do not speak exactly the same language as the institutions and bodies does not allow them to develop the application as much as they want and imagine. “We are asking the rectors to officially adopt the application, so that we can also obtain information directly from the universities and provide new services. We could add special announcements, course postponements, news from the liaison offices, and even notifications for apprenticeship programs or job advertisements,” he continues. Another problem they face concerns public data. OASA’s information, for example, is copyrighted and the organization does not allow the reuse of its information, such as planning a route, which is done in many EU countries. However, it has concluded a special agreement with Google, which also integrates these applications into its service menu. Studdle is currently expanding to cover all universities in the country. Being a voluntary effort, it does not risk conflict with the State over the use of its information. “We saw the copyright and simply stopped,” says D. Kanelis.
Source: kathimerini.gr
