ICT & Smart Mobile

Start moment: September, February
Location: Eindhoven
ECTs: 30
Language: English
Duration: 20 weeks
Contact hours: 15-20 hours per week

Since the introduction of the smartphone, mobile IT and Media have played an important role in our society. Meanwhile, personal portable IT is still growing in development.

The use of, for example, optical wearablesand biometric sensors is already considered fairly normal. And here too, we are only at the beginning of an exploding industry. The shape of this IT will still change, but the personally portable IT will never go away.

Within the ICT & Smart Mobile specialisation you will get to know the operation and possibilities of mobile devices. This can range from the appropriate devices such as a smartphone or tablet to interactive watches, biometric wearables or optical wearables. This is about what happens on the device, also in terms of interaction, but also about what needs to be arranged in the background to make it work.

You get to know the operation and capabilities of portable mobile ICT devices. At the end of this specialisation these devices will have no secrets for you and you'll decide partly how we will use them in the future.

The focus is the substance of the two major players and latest developments in Progressive Web Apps (PWA):

Android development
iOS development
PWA / Hybrid development

Subjects are Mobile Programming, Interaction Design, Gamification, Concepting and of course a project with a mobile solution.

What to expect

You will work on both the concept, design and the interaction design, as well as a native prototype demonstrator of your app. The idea is to apply the basic knowledge you acquired by independently creating a design based on your own idea, to turn it into a testable prototype with a native programmed proof-of-concept with a minimal set of requirements. A new development, following demands and suggestions from the Mobile Development community, allows for either broadening and/or deepening of technical and design skills among students towards becoming a T-shaped professional. We therefore offer workshops and assignments based upon a students’ choice. The platform for which we develop is chosen based upon a students’ own preference, however it is mandatory to show technical skills on both the Android and iOS platforms on at least a basic level. This level should be demonstrated through a natively programmed app running on a mobile device, accompanied by a design portfolio. The student should involve the teachers in the learning process via weekly talks and a formative portfolio assessment. The feedback and conclusions are noted and curated by the student and added to their portfolio to reflect on.

Semester guide
Smart Mobile Development

Need more detailed information?

download semester guide

The teachers will frequently provide the students with formative feedback on deliverables and demonstrations. The student shows the work, alone or in a group context, but will be given feedback on an individual base. The students’ work will be discussed with a focus on interaction design and technical aspects, where the student will be informed whether the learning goals are achieved concerning the criteria. The student is expected to record his own feedback in Feedpulse. This feedback should be processed in further deliverables within reason.

At the end of the semester the student will be assessed on his performance of the semester. The integral assessment is based on the shown performance and will be graded as follows:

• Outstanding (O) when all learnings of the outcomes are marked as advanced
• Good (G) when more than half of the learning outcomes are marked as advanced
• Satisfactory (S) when all learning outcomes are at least proficient
• Unsatisfactory (U) when one or more learning outcomes are graded lower than proficient

Integral semester assessment is expressed as: Outstanding (O), Good (G), Satisfactory (S), or Unsatisfactory (U). Outstanding (O), Good (G), and Satisfactory (S) result in the assigning of 30 EC. Unsatisfactory (U) results in in the assigning of 0 EC.

How will your course programme be recognised by your home university?

Fontys will provide you with a so-called ‘Transcript of Records’, which will clarify the results that you have achieved. Depending on your results, you will receive a maximum of 30 ECTS credits. ECTS credits are recognised throughout Europe. The agreement between your home university and Fontys University of Applied Sciences will usually include a condition whereby the credits that you obtain will be recognised and transferred into the records kept by your home university.

Dutch Grades vs. European Credits Transfer System(ECTS)

Some coursework is graded with "Pass" ["Voldaan = V “] or "Fail" ["Niet Voldaan = o”]. Most exams are graded with round marks ranging from 1 to 10, with mark 6 needed to pass.

The following table gives round Dutch marks, the percentage of successful students achieving these marks, the equivalent ECTS grades and their definition:

* 5.5 and above are also sufficient.

- VR = exemption (no grade given)
- V = sufficient = 7
- G = good = 8
- O = not sufficient/fail

Dutch grades	%	ECTS grades	Definition
9 - 10	2%	A	Excellent
8	8%	B	Very Good
7	40%	C	Good
6	50%	D - E	Satisfactory - Sufficient
5*	-	FX	Fail [some more work required]
4 [or less]	-	F	Fail [considerably more work required]

English language proficiency

For all exchange programmes a minimum level of proficiency in the English language is required, as detailed in the table below. You must substantiate your level of English-language proficiency by submitting evidence in the form of a language test result pertaining to one of the below-mentioned courses.

* = Only if the units ‘Speaking & Writing’ and ‘Listening & Reading’ have been completed successfully.

Test name	Minimal score	Accepted for students from
IELTS	6.0	EU and non-EU countries
TOEFL paper	550	EU and non-EU countries
TOEFL computer	213	EU and non-EU countries
TOEFL internet	79/80	EU and non-EU countries
TOEIC*	670	only EU countries
Cambidge ESOL	CAE-C	only EU countries
CEFR	B2	only EU countries

How to apply as an exchange student

Applications should always be submitted via the International Exchange (or Erasmus) Officer at the home university. If several versions of the programme are offered, please indicate for which version you would like to apply to (Programme I, Programme II, Programme III, etc.) This officer will send your application request (nomination) to Fontys. Once Fontys has accepted the application, your Fontys study department will send you a link to a web application called Mobility Online. Added to the link you will receive all necessary information and a manual. Please take a look at this website to see how it works.

Deadline for application:

Fall semester	15 May
Spring semester	15 November

For more detailed information about practical matters, such as travelling in the Netherlands, visa, residence permit, accomodation, health insurance etc.

more information

Opening a Dutch Bank account:

After you have arrived in the Netherlands, you can open a Dutch bank account.

For opening a bank account and for buying a sports card, you will need a proof of enrolment. This document will be sent to you by e-mail when you have the status registered. More information.

The Brainport Region Eindhoven

The Eindhoven region, also known as the Brainport region of the Netherlands, is the most important technology and industrial center of the Netherlands. With 730,000 inhabitants and a workforce of 400,000. Eindhoven region generates € 24 billion of GDP and € 55 billion in exports, one-quarter of the Dutch total. It is a manufacturing center in a high-cost country. By focusing on producing high-value, technology-based products, it is in competition with fast-growing manufacturing centers in nations with much lower costs. At the same time, however, Eindhoven is saddled with demographics familiar to Europe, in which a low birth rate and aging population is reducing the regional labor force. To win the battle for the talent that provides its competitive advantage, the region must make itself economically and socially attractive to knowledge workers from around the world and concentrate on innovation.

Eindhoven’s answer to these challenges is a public-private partnership called Brainport Development. Its members include employers, research institutes, the Chamber of Commerce, the SRE, leading universities and the governments of the region’s three largest cities. More information about Eindhoven is available on the Intelligent Community Profiles pages of the ICF Web site (intelligentcommunity.org)