F A Q
Can I see a copy of last semester’s syllabus?
Sure.
Can I get a copy of the poster that was placed around campus?
Of course.
Do I have to be an MIS major?
No. All majors are welcome.
Do I have to be in the business school?
Unfortunately, due to a new school policy, only business majors are allowed to take business classes. I am sorry.
Can grad students take the course?
Yes, grad sections are available. Any grad major is welcome (again, not just business school students).
Do I need a permit to register?
You are not supposed to need a permit, however, some students have reported needing one. Undergraduate students may apply for permits here. If you are unable to register, contact me (or directly contact our department's admin assistant Carol Marroquin) for help.
What about pre-business (or other restricted) students?
If you are enrolled in a program (such as pre-business) that does not allow you to register for 4xxx courses, then that restriction remains in effect. As soon as you progress in your program to the point where you may register for 4xxx classes, then you are good to go for mobile dev.
Do I have to have an idea for an app?
No, not at all. Just an interest in learning mobile development.
Do I have to have a Mac? What about a laptop?
Windows or Mac is fine and, yes, a laptop of some sort would be very useful. The machines in the classroom are a bag of hurt.
Do I have to learn Java or Objective-C?
No, we will do our coding on the Solar2D using the Lua language. Java and Objective-C are both sophisticated languages and great to learn. But they are hard. Lua is a scripting language that has been designed to be easier for beginners to learn.
This sounds like it could be fairly difficult. Do I have to be an ace coder to get an “A”?
No, I don’t think so. I’ve taught programming to business students for over a decade and routinely give high grades to people with little or no prior experience. Once you start learning the basics, creating little apps can be fun and kind of addictive.
Seriously, what are the prerequisites?
Just a desire to learn some basic mobile programming. And an ongoing ability to pay your tuition bills. That’s important too.
Do I have to buy some expensive development software?
No, all of our tools are free to use.
Do I have to own one of the listed mobile devices?
No, keep your Zune. Our scripts will run in the Corona/Solar2D Simulator. Loading it on a device will only be an option, not a requirement.
Can I really make an app that prints money?
No.
Will I learn enough in this course to create my own version of [insert wildly complex game or app]?
That’s really unlikely. But who knows?
Are you an expert in mobile app development?
No, absolutely not. I’ve been teaching computer programming since 1999 and love it. I rolled out this mobile development class in the spring of 2013 to two full sections. We had a lot of fun and created some cool apps. If you're curious, I do have an app in the App Store (just for iOS at this point) called Queue Alert. It's fun if you ever have to wait in line.
