The official University of Rhode Island campus mobile app launched in the summer of 2020.

Priorities for Rhody Connect

  1. Offer service and transactional functions that will make students’ lives easier.
  2. Provide opportunities to increase engagement of students with campus events, activities and leadership development.
  3. Build student awareness and excitement about the mobile app.

To date, 14 services have been integrated into Rhody Connect, including Office 365 SSO, Brightspace, Transloc URI Shuttle location, myHousing, Dining/Virtual ID card, RAVE emergency notification, URI Events calendar, Gmail, LaundryConnect, Google Maps wayfinding, Parking, Handshake, Starfish, and Patient Portal.

Newest App Features

Fall 2020

Content changes made in preparation for a modified return to campus due to COVID-19.

  • *New* Returning to Campus Menu
    • Daily Self-Assessment form
    • Study Spaces calendar
    • #rhodytogether link to uri.edu COVID-19 page
    • Health Services moved under
  • *New* Direct links to external apps
    • Gmail
    • CBORD GET Mobile Virtual ID card
    • LaundryConnect
  • Redesigned Dining module
  • *New* Kingston Dining Locations in Campus Map
  • *New* RAVE Alerts Emergency module
  • Implemented Modo Communicate push notifications
    • Public: Used for sending a message to all users of the app
    • Opt-In: Used for subject-based or interest-based channels that users can subscribe and unsubscribe from at will
    • Location-Based: Used for proximity-triggered messages that appear when a device enters the region of a Bluetooth beacon or geofence

Potential Future Features

These are proposed features and do not have a specific end date at this time.

    • Read-only PeopleSoft integration
      • View your grades
      • View your class schedule
      • View exam schedule
    • Read-write  PeopleSoft integration
      • Register for classes
      • Pay for classes
      • Add/drop courses
      • Use your degree planner
      • Access To Dos
      • View holds
    • Biometric login capabilities
    • Dining Hall Webcams
    • Improved Faculty/Staff/Student directory
    • Room availability/reservations
    • Deploy beacons to guide users to scheduled events
    • Integrated dining hall status/menus
    • Real-time parking availability
    • Indoor maps and wayfinding
    • Change map source to ArcGIS
    • More robust app content for all RI campuses
  • Orientation module, including personas for students and families
  • Commencement module: schedules, guest information, maps, social
  • Participate in the Modo Ideathon, a series of weekend-long competitions full of fun and innovation where students take their ideas and build them into an app – no coding skills necessary.

Do you have an idea on how to use mobile technology to enhance academic and campus life at URI? Let us know! 

App Timeline Archive

August 2020 – Version 1.0

  • Officially launched mobile app to campus community with emphasis on #rhodytogether Returning to Campus functions.

September 2020 – Version 1.1

  • Added icons to directly link to Gmail, CBORD GET Virtual ID, and LaundryConnect apps
 

URI Mobile App Advisory Committee

The Mobile App Advisory Committee will serve several important functions as the mobile app expands to include more modules.

  1. The committee will set priorities for incorporating new features and modules into the university’s app.
  2. The committee will review suggestions for features and modules proposed by members of the staff, faculty, and students.
  3. The committee will determine whether features and modules can be produced in-house or if they need to be produced by Modo Labs.
  4. The committee will review any third-party software applications that have the potential to be integrated with Modo Labs (this includes software that university departments currently use, as well as mobile-only software that departments wish to incorporate into the app).

The Mobile App Advisory Committee will consist of members of the Division of Student Affairs and Information Technology Services, including

  • Lori Ciccomascolo, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Student Success
  • Karlis Kaugars, Chief Information Officer, ITS
  • Catherine White, Rhody Connect Project Manager, ITS

Individual colleges, departments, and other campus entities may propose changes or additions to Rhody Connect by contacting the Mobile App Advisory Committee, but they may not create their own apps.