Mobile Apps Course draws 50% women, attracts new CS majors
The University of San Francisco teaches students how to create mobile apps using App Inventor, an online software development tool from the MIT Media Lab's Center for Mobile Learning. This course attracts nontechnical students and has encouraged women to consider majoring in computer science. Business Week ran this video story featuring students Kelly Lazzara and Andrea Conway, and their professor David Wolber, speaking about how the course opens up the field of computer science in an approachable, fun, and engaging way by allowing them to quickly build apps for real-world purposes.