Adopting mobile computing in Sultan Qaboos University: The case of mobile majors allocation system (MMAS)

Internet penetration in most developing countries is still low as oppose to mobiles dissemination. In Oman and despite the government plans and strategies to enhance internet diffusion, internet subscribers comprised about 0.025 of the general population in 2005. In contrast, the number of mobile holders increased substantially since the launch of these services in 1996. Prepaid mobile services and SMS were introduced in 2001 and both are currently popular with subscribers. Such fine appeal influenced many government organizations to go mobile with its services, and Oman is no exception. Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), the only public university in Oman, has started to embrace this technology to develop a multichanneling approach with its students and employees. This paper reports on a work-in-progress project that aims to allow students in the College of Commerce and Economics (CCE) to select their majors using their mobile phones. It also investigates and describes major expected benefits of the system. Currently, the major selection process in CCE must only be done on campus in CCE's computer labs using a standalone PC application, with no online access. The mobile approach will enable students to send their choices via SMS and receive result notification by the same means.