Mobile App Development

In a world where smartphones and apps drive everything from communication to entertainment, understanding how to create apps is a valuable skill. App development can be used to design games, build productivity tools, or create social media platforms. It's a skill in high demand, making it a great stepping stone toward careers in technology, entrepreneurship, or industries like healthcare and education, which increasingly rely on apps to innovate and connect.

In this course, students will explore the fundamentals of mobile app design and development using MIT App Inventor, gaining an understanding of user interfaces and layout principles and acquiring key programming skills. They will bring their apps to life by exploring event handling, variables, procedures, conditionals, and random number generation. As the course progresses, students will delve deeper into essential programming concepts such as lists, loops, databases, and location services to create dynamic and data-driven applications.

Each week, students will utilize MIT App Inventor to design and develop an app, and test and debug their app, while also considering the potential benefits and harmful impacts of mobile apps on our lives. Through this work, they will become familiar with the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), the process of publishing apps and the ethical considerations of app development. The course culminates in an exciting capstone project, where students will apply all their skills to design, develop, and showcase a fully functional app.

In this standard-level course, students are expected to invest approximately 6 hours per week on their coursework. There are no prerequisites for this course; students do not need any prior programming experience.

Acknowledgements

There are no prerequisites to this class.
This course contains an end-of-course proctored exam. Instructions for students to identify an appropriate adult proctor are included in the course lessons.

Course Objectives

Course Essential Questions

How do we build functional and engaging apps to solve real world problems?
How do we develop reliable and effective apps through testing?
How do we determine the impact of an app on society?

Course Learning Objectives

Implement best practices of user interface design in mobile app development.
Apply basic programming concepts to develop functional and interactive mobile apps.
Incorporate user feedback and testing to refine and improve mobile app design and functionality.
Evaluate the benefits and risks of mobile apps on society.

Additional Requirements

Students will need an App Inventor account and will be directed to create these accounts during the first week of the course.

To create apps, students must have access to a desktop computer running Microsoft Windows, Apple macBook macOS, or Google Chromebook ChromeOS.
It’s recommended that students have access to an Apple iOS device such as an iPhone, iPad, or Android device such as Samsung Galaxy, Google Pixel, OnePlus or Chromebook ChromeOS. These devices will require the MIT Companion app to run and test apps made with MIT App Inventor. If students do not have a mobile device, an emulator can be installed on Microsoft Windows or Apple macBook macOS that simulates an android screen.

The App Inventor account requires a Google account; students will be guided to use an existing account or create one as needed.