Students now have another way to stay in touch with what is going on around campus.

The “BGSU Campus” application was released a couple of weeks ago.

This application is specifically for students, faculty, staff and community members to use at the University.

The app includes a map that shows specific areas of campus along with a calendar of campus events, campus news and information regarding the recreation center.

“For newcoming students, they don’t really know what’s going on,” said Ryan Copley, senior and co-creator of the app. “So they can go there for all the information they need.”

The software consists of a few of their previously developed apps integrated into one, said Joseph Chao, an associate professor and director in the Computer Science Department.

The integrated application includes the BGSU News, The Calendar and the Campus Maps app. It also contains information about the University’s Recreation Center.

“Our apps use what is called the drawer method,” Chao said, ”This gives the flexibility to add more folders to the app.”

All University based apps are created at the Agile Software factory.

The software designers associated with ASF come up with the ideas for the campus apps.

“This app is the same as a lot of previous apps created for campus,” Chao said. “We have an app for athletics, news, a campus calender and maps along with many others.”

The ASF is a part of the computer science program at the University, which was created in 2008 by Chao.

Copley, who is majoring in computer science, is in charge of the iOS development of the app.

ASF recruits and trains student employees. The factory’s staff consists of a project manager, as well as graduate and undergraduate students.

“I really believe that it really is a win-win situation,” Chao said.

Student employees are all very happy to be able to get paid to create apps and have them used by other students on campus, Chao said.

Some students are very excited that the University is deciding to use the app.

“I think it’s a really good tool,” said senior Anastasia Sweet. “To just have an app to open at any time I want is pretty cool.”

The apps not only benefit the students who use them, they also benefit the students who help create them.

“All of my student employees get job offers after working in the Agile Software factory because they get real world experience,” Chao said .

Financing for the app comes from various places so that students can be hired to create the apps, Chao said.

The University’s Information Technology Services sponsored the Campus App.

The iOS version of the Campus App is available now and is compatible with iPhones, iPads, or iPod Touch that has iOS 6.0 or later. The Android version of the app will be available at the end of the month.

ASF is working with Dining Services to include dining services information to be apart of the app as well, which should be available at the end of the month.