ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Athabasca University’s Faculty of Science and Technology is seeking an iOS and Android OS mobile application developer to develop a mobile learning application for an open mobile self-guided field course in physical geography as part of the Campus Alberta Open Educational Resources (OER) Initiative. The unique field course will consist of real excursions all across Alberta, facilitated, in the absence of direct supervision from an assigned instructor, by a mobile device and application acting as a guide by drawing students’ attention to geographical features of interest and providing associated learning content and activities.
The mobile application developer will work closely with Dr. Qing Tan (School of Computing and Information Systems) to design, develop, and test the mobile field trip application. This application will be built as an extension of and integrated to an existing mobile learning management system. It will be a client-server based application capable to work both online and offline. The mobile application developer is expected to work along with another developer responsible for the server side application. The major tasks and completion timeline for this contract position are as follows:
Familiarize with the server side of the existing location-based mobile learning management system (June, 2015)
Design the iOS and Android OS mobile field trip application and write the application development documentation (June, 2015).
Develop the iOS and Android OS mobile field trip application (July – September, 2015)
Plan, schedule and implement the mobile application testing (August – November, 2015).
Due to the project’s timeline and stakes, the mobile application developer is also expected to meet with the project team frequently for progress report and feedback.
This is a contract position, starting in June 2015. The length of the contract is contingent on the terms of the funding grant. The estimated length of the contract is approximately 6 months, worth a maximum of $20,000 dollars.
REQUIREMENTS
Applicants must possess a post-secondary diploma in computer and information science and demonstrate strong knowledge and experience with mobile devices, mobile programming, and mobile application development. Applicants should also have good knowledge of wireless technology and be familiar with wireless network and mobile hardware including GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, webcam, and other mobile-native features. Experience with e-learning, in particular location-based mobile learning, is highly desirable. Some knowledge of physical geography or a closely-related discipline would be an asset, but is not required. Successful applicants will be highly motivated, hardworking, resourceful, and flexible. They should also demonstrate the following skills:
Excellent programming skills in iOS and Android OS.
Good programming skills in Java, PHP, JavaScript, and HTML5.
Good understanding and work experience with MySQL and SQLite database.
Good knowledge of wireless networking and communication.
Strong organizational, time management and problem-solving skills.
Effective written and verbal communication skills in English.
Ability to work well independently as well as part of a team.
TO APPLY:
CONTACT
Interested applicants can submit their C.V. and letter of interest electronically to Dr. Qing Tan, School of Computing and Information Systems: qingt@athabascau.ca.
For further information regarding this opportunity, contact Dr. Tan via email or phone: +1-866-442-3221(toll free).
CLOSING DATE
Applications will be evaluated beginning immediately and thereafter until a contractor has been found.