On campus or off, UALR students with a smartphone are just a tap away from classroom discussions and assignments, links to professors, the latest news, a campus map, and real-time locations of the campus trolley – thanks to UALR Mobile.

The iPhone and iPad app – free from iTunes – offers mobile links to the Blackboard online classroom platform, the academic calendar, an interactive map of campus, the UALR news feed, faculty contacts, and a GPS tracker for the Trojan Trolley. Students, faculty, staff, and visitors can all use the free app.

A similar app for Android devices is in development and is expected to be available soon.

“More and more people – particularly college-age – are accessing information via their smartphones and tablets more than desktop computers,” said Peter Stuckey, associate director of Information Technology Services. “UALR Mobile puts campus information and Blackboard classes in the palm of students’ hands.”

Features of UALR Mobile include:

• A directory of faculty email listings that will save contacts in the user’s phone address book.
• A campus map, with augmented reality features that give the user a picture of a building, identifies the building, and maps a route from one spot on campus to another with an estimate of how long it will take to walk there.
• A direct link to the Trojan Trolley Tracker gives a user a GPS look at where the trolley is located in real time and when it will arrive at a designated stop.
• A campus news feed from the Office of Communications.
• Instant access to all of your Blackboard Learn content on the go. Check for class announcements and more. Those using the standalone Blackboard app can access the same content through UALR Mobile.
• Scan the course catalog to view class times, locations, and more.
• Keep track of the academic calendar.
• Browse the entire UALR library catalog and check item availability.
• ‘‘Images” provides the ability to search, browse, download, and share images from the UALR collections.
• Athletics provides news, schedules, and features on Trojan teams.
• Video features the latest events from around campus, as well as special interviews and highlights.
• A “Help” button provides access to important numbers.

Development of UALR Mobile was a collaboration among several UALR offices – Scholarly Technology and Resources, the Office of Communications, and Information Technology Services – partnering with Blackboard Mobile.