2008 Woodie Awards
Students develop Facebook apps as part of computer science coursework
Emily Riley
Issue date: 10/19/07 Section: News
Students who bring their laptops to class so they can "type their notes" and search Facebook at the same time are in for a treat.
Creating Engaging Facebook Apps, a 300-level computer science course, was added to Stanford University's curriculum as part of the university's Persuasive Technology Lab this fall.
B.J. Fogg, the director of the lab, and software developer Dave McClure created a class focused on Facebook and its continual development.
Head teaching assistant Dan Ackerman-Greenberg said the course is an extension of the lab's focus on observing how the public reacts and adjusts to advances in technology.
"The Persuasive Technology Lab deals with the ability of technology to influence people to change their behavior," Ackerman-Greenberg said. "Facebook provides ideas for learning about these behaviors."
Since Facebook first began allowing users to create their own applications in 2006, more than 5,000 programs have been launched, he said. Applications include the Microsoft Paint-like Graffiti Wall and iLike, where users can post and share their favorite music.
Facilitating the formulation of the programs is the Facebook Platform, which provides an outline for developers to create applications that reach every member of the site's demographics.
"Facebook encourages developers to do exactly what we're doing," Ackerman-Greenberg said. "This is what they want. At the end of the day, these programs make Facebook stronger."
Utilizing the popularity of the applications, the class teaches students how to create a more interactive user experience while getting their ideas out to the expanding Facebook population, he said.
"We're realizing that we are in a new era of user-experience design, where designers can get immediate and personal feedback from users, feedback which can help them optimize their user experiences on the fly," Ackerman-Greenberg said.
According to the course Web site, the goals of the class are to familiarize students with processes for interactive design and to learn about development and distribution of Web applications.
Creating Engaging Facebook Apps, a 300-level computer science course, was added to Stanford University's curriculum as part of the university's Persuasive Technology Lab this fall.
B.J. Fogg, the director of the lab, and software developer Dave McClure created a class focused on Facebook and its continual development.
Head teaching assistant Dan Ackerman-Greenberg said the course is an extension of the lab's focus on observing how the public reacts and adjusts to advances in technology.
"The Persuasive Technology Lab deals with the ability of technology to influence people to change their behavior," Ackerman-Greenberg said. "Facebook provides ideas for learning about these behaviors."
Since Facebook first began allowing users to create their own applications in 2006, more than 5,000 programs have been launched, he said. Applications include the Microsoft Paint-like Graffiti Wall and iLike, where users can post and share their favorite music.
Facilitating the formulation of the programs is the Facebook Platform, which provides an outline for developers to create applications that reach every member of the site's demographics.
"Facebook encourages developers to do exactly what we're doing," Ackerman-Greenberg said. "This is what they want. At the end of the day, these programs make Facebook stronger."
Utilizing the popularity of the applications, the class teaches students how to create a more interactive user experience while getting their ideas out to the expanding Facebook population, he said.
"We're realizing that we are in a new era of user-experience design, where designers can get immediate and personal feedback from users, feedback which can help them optimize their user experiences on the fly," Ackerman-Greenberg said.
According to the course Web site, the goals of the class are to familiarize students with processes for interactive design and to learn about development and distribution of Web applications.
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