By
News and updates for Commencement festivities are as close as your smartphone.
For the second year, Boston College will offer a mobile-optimized web site that collects important information on services, schedules, and planning for the University’s Commencement weekend (May 16-19). Information Technology Systems Web Technology Group designed and produced the site, located at www.bc.edu/2014.
From parking and diploma ceremony maps to seating for Alumni Stadium and locations of complimentary water stands or where to buy flowers, the Commencement Mobile site is packed with helpful information.
New this year, the interactive map displays suggested walking routes and utilizes geolocation to display a pin where users are located, a feature typically not available on web sites. Detailed maps also allow visitors to plan the best route for arrival and parking.
“Commencement is a special day not only for the graduates, but also their families who have invested so much in the education of their student, but may not be as familiar with the campus,” said ITS Web Support Manager Scott Olivieri. “This is a new approach to help visitors navigate the campus.”
While the University maintains a traditional web site located at bc.edu/commencement, administrators developed a mobile tool aimed at improving the on-site experience for guests by presenting streamlined information, custom maps and late-breaking information. Any smartphone user can enter the URL in their web browser and the complete web site is downloaded to the phone. Once downloaded, the site can be accessed locally in its entirety – even if a user loses a Wi-Fi connection.
The site allows organizers to provide notifications to users. If rain changes the location of a ceremony, for example, users will see a notification icon appear in the upper right corner of the app with updated information.
Vice President and University Secretary Terry Devino, SJ, said, “It is my hope that our students and their families will take the opportunity to download this mobile site. It will be a great help to all who are looking to find information about Commencement and Commencement Day. There are maps, details about the diploma ceremonies – so many remarkable highlights right in the palm of our hand.”
In addition, the site provides information about Senior Week, cap and gown rentals, Commencement speakers, parking, the history of BC’s Commencement and moving information.
Commencement Mobile was created in collaboration with the Office of the University Secretary, Parking and Transportation, Student Services and Information Technology Services. The technical team included James O’Neill, Ramiro Oliva, Kul Thapa and Peter Salvitti. In creating the campus maps, ITS utilized support from Lynn Berkeley and Mark Lewis of Facilities Management. Constantin Andronache, who works in Research Services, also provided formatting support.