OVERVIEW

Universal access requires meeting students where they are, both on- and off-campus. As universities improve on the innovations brought by the pandemic, they must shrink the digital divide by employing inclusive and accessible design and by expanding the reach and utility of IT services provided.

UH Go is the single source for official university mobile app features at UH and serves the student audience as its top priority. For today’s students, the smartphone is the preferred technology for information, education, social life and community interaction. The app provides innovative, personalized tools and resources in the palm of the hand to help them at every step, from recruitment to graduation and beyond.

CURRENT STATE

• Expanded availability of technology in classrooms across UH Main, Sugar Land and Katy campuses to increase adoption of distance learning options.
• UIT assumed operational control of UH Go in the summer of 2024
  • Dozens of services have been integrated into UH The newest include a personalized chat experience for new student orientation, the Bikeep bicycle parking system, texting UHPD, FIXIT and personalized campus housing information.
  • User experience improvements:
    • • 2023
        • Personalized user experience including Cougar Card on home screen
        • Alumni persona and login enhancements
        • Display personalized account information in the IT Support Center for logged-in users
      • 2024
        • Single click to login and change personas on Visitor and Future Student pages

PATH TO SUCCESS

• Leverage technology to increase access to courses, regardless of the student’s geographical location.
• UH Go has four primary goals: (a) support student success, (b) empower stakeholders,
  (c) leverage data and reporting to guide strategy, and (d) promote the app.
  • Enhance the app by providing more personalized content and engaging activities to encourage frequent use.
  • Enable stakeholders to build and manage their content and deliver messages to targeted interest groups.
  • Build tools and gather data at a more granular level to support data-driven decision making.
  • Increase app awareness and visibility through marketing and collaboration with departments to make the app an essential tool for student engagement.

FY2025 INITIATIVES

• Remote Learning
  • Introduce new faculty support programs and resources to improve instructional use of classroom technology that focuses on expanding access through high-quality multimodal and online delivery.
  • Gather data from remote students to provide insights into their needs and challenges to help drive decision-making regarding technology requirements and adoption.
• UH Go
  • Integrate a new chatbot into the app.
  • Make navigation more intuitive, incorporating contextual cues to find information and services efficiently.
  • Continue to build on personalized experience by providing data at-a-glance (for example, class schedules, grades, financial information).
  • Boost user engagement with gamification and user incentives.
  • Improve data collection and analysis to guide the design process.