Communication Associate: Public Relations | Lori Melton | lmelton@d.umn.edu | (218) 726-8830
February 28, 2013 Daniel Nolan | Assistant Professor | Department of Foreign Languages/Literature | 218-726-6213 | dnolan@d.umn.edu
Cheryl Reitan | Associate Director | External Affairs | 218-726-8996 | creitan@d.umn.edu
Kathleen McQuillan-Hofmann | Communication Associate | External Affairs | 218 726-7111 | kmcquill@d.umn.edu
UMD German Grammar Guide App Launched on iTunes
DULUTH, MN – The UMD German Grammar Guide app is now available free on
iTunes. The app was released on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013 and was developed by
the students and faculty of UMD's Mobile Language Learning Group. Students and
faculty from multiple disciplines worked together to design the app.
"There are so many skilled people at this university, and this app was developed
by drawing on the work of people from very different parts of our campus," said
Assistant Professor Dan Nolan, Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures.
"By working across disciplines, and by getting students involved in each step of
the process, together we've been able to make something that no one individual
could've ever completed on their own."
The UMD German Grammar Guide App helps users learn the German language by
providing two different ways of accessing and learning about the structure of the
German language. Advanced language learners and beginners can access grammar
content at a pace that is right for them.
"What UMD's Mobile Language Learning Group has created is truly innovative,
and it's going to have a big impact on language education," said Susan Maher,
dean, College of Liberal Arts. "When these developers have presented at national
conferences, they have received strong interest and generated excitement. The
group is now working on similar apps for Russian, Spanish, and French."
Developing the App
Nolan had been using a printed German grammar guide. When he learned it was
going out of print, he worried that students would miss the quick access to grammar
content. He talked to his colleague Michael Mullins, an instructor in the Department
of Foreign Languages and Literatures. The two decided to create an iPad application
to improve on what the original printed version could do, but needed help writing
the code and producing graphics for the app.
Mullins suggested getting students involved. Mullins and Nolan contacted Associate
Professor Mariana Waisman, from the Department of Graphic Design in the School
of Fine Arts, as well as Associate Professor Peter Willemsen, from the Department of
Computer Science in the Swenson College of Science and Engineering. Each of them
reached out to interested students from all three departments. Those students then
applied for the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program. Without student
input, creating this app would never have been possible. The app was finished in
2012.
"You know, I spend a lot of time at the Minnesota Legislature and emailing and
speaking with Legislators," Mullins said. "They always ask me what are students'
concerns, what are their needs, and what would they benefit from the most. This
Grammar App is an example of what students need. Students are being recognized
for just one of the many things they accomplish in making this university a
wonderful public institution."
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