Most of the software design and development techniques seen in the first three years of the degree are applied to build desktop or web applications. In this module, students will learn to design and develop mobile applications, by translating the skills they already have into a new framework: the Android development environment.



In order to take this module, students should previously know:

- Object-oriented programming using Java or a similar programming language

- Relational database design and SQL

- Working in groups

On completion of the module a student should be able to:

- Understand the importance of design as a part of the software development process

- Understand and use third-party software libraries

- Acknowledge, understand and use software design patterns correctly as part of the software development process

- Understand and develop web-service oriented architectures

- Understand the fundamentals of mobile application development

This module is arranged in the following topics:



1. Fundamentals of Android

2. User interfaces: layouts and fragments

3. Notifications and dialogs

4. Local storage: files and databases

5. Services and broadcast messages

6. Background work

7. Third party libraries

8. Google Play Services

9. Remote databases

10. Push notifications with Firebase

11. Cross platform frameworks



Due to the changing nature of the mobile-application development ecosystem, some of these topics might change slightly or get updated over the course of the module.

Theory and practice sessions.

• Continuous Assessment System
• Final Assessment System
• Tools and qualification percentages:
  • Individual works (%): 60
  • Team projects (problem solving, project design)) (%): 40

Students can choose between two methods of assessment: continuous and final.



Students who choose continuous assessment will get their grade based on three tasks:

- 2 individual projects, each project corresponds to 30% of the final grade. Practical projects consist of the implementation a mobile application that meets certain requirements.

- Group project, 40% of the final grade. Development of a project in a group of 2 or 3 students. Students can choose to use several tool/technique presented in the module.



Students who choose final assessment will get their grade based on a single practical exam at the end of the module.



For more information about the assessment method, get in touch with the teaching staff.

For more information about the assessment method, get in touch with the teaching staff.

All the necessary material will be available at the university's eGela platform.

Basic bibliography

Android Developer website: https://developer.android.com/



Learn Android Studio 4 : efficient Java-based Android apps development

Ted Hagos (Author); Electronic book 2020 2nd ed.

Berkeley, CA : Apress, 2020.

In-depth bibliography

Flutter: https://flutter.dev/
Android sub-forums at Medium: https://medium.com/androiddevelopers
Youtube channel, Android developers, run by Google: https://www.youtube.com/user/androiddevelopers/

Web addresses

Android Developer website: https://developer.android.com/
Flutter: https://flutter.dev/
Medium forum: https://medium.com/androiddevelopers
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/androiddevelopers/