EUGENE, Ore. -- (Jan. 31, 2011) -- A four-credit elective course being launched spring quarter will provide up to 20 University of Oregon students with mobile smart phones and a mission: Build smart-phone apps.

The course was developed by way of a start-up gift from UO alum Isaac Babbs and his employer, Qualcomm Services Labs Inc. (QSL), a wholly owned subsidiary of Qualcomm Inc. that serves as an internal mobile services incubator. It is open to any student, regardless of academic major, said Stephen Fickas, professor of computer and information science, who will lead the hands-on course.

Under the initial agreement, the UO computer science department will offer the course (CIS 199 App Design) for at least five academic quarters.

The gift -- generated by Babbs, who holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry, and QSL -- allowed for the purchase of 25 Android smart phones for use in the courses. The course could lead to marketable apps, said Babbs, who also will provide students with an overview of the mobile industry and review student projects annually.

While the course is being offered through the department of computer and information science, students in the arts, humanities, social sciences -- "any and all academic areas" -- are encouraged to seek a space in the class and work to create apps to serve any possible target audience, Fickas said.

The course, Fickas said, also will be part of a new proposal to the National Science Foundation on Transforming Undergraduate Education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.