NMSU School of Nursing utilizes app to change behavior
Two New Mexico State University School of Nursing professors, in conjunction with 2Morrow Inc., have created an application, Student Success Keeper, to help students build effective study and health habits.
Assistant professors in NMSU's College of Health and Social Services, Linda Summers and Conni DeBlieck are collecting data for a study along with Wanda Borges, as a consultant, of fifth semester nursing students, but the app is open to all NMSU students.
DeBlieck said this app was created because of a lack of apps connected to behavioral changes in study habits.
"Developing better study, time management and health habits will help students be more successful in school," she said. "However, once created, these habits will continue to serve students throughout the rest of their life as well. Good habits make life easier."
With mobile technology advances, interactive tools such as apps and smart devices are helping students alter their study and health behaviors. The purpose of the Student Success Keeper app is to monitor students' progress and keep them motivated as they build new habits.
In the app, students create a habit and then check the action every time they complete it. The app follows the progress and sends reminders if they are not on track. Students earn badges in the program.
Since the app opened in August, more than 308 downloads have been recorded. The app users have generated almost 1,200 new habits and nearly 3,400 actions. The most popular habits added have been avoid distractions, stress reduction and exercise three times a week.
The app is free until August 2014 and available for download through Google for Android users and iTunes for iPhone users with an email address and the password is Aggie for students.
To download the app, visit https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=edu.nmsu.aPL6 or
https://itunes.apple.com/app/id686775201?ls=1&mt=8.
