Greg Easley
Generative AI in Teaching, for Fundamentals of Mobile App Development
Fundamentals of Mobile App Development provided students with a comprehensive understanding of the preproduction and production stages essential for building and launching successful apps. Designed for those looking to solidify their understanding of app production and the app business, this course covered key principles and practices that form the foundation of app development. Students started with the basics of conceptualizing apps, learning how to refine ideas, then used no-code (a.k.a. “vibecoding”) tools to write functioning app software. As a final step they created viable business plans.
Faculty Reflection
This course confirmed that non-engineers can become legitimate app creators when given the right tools and frameworks. Students embraced AI not just as a productivity tool, but as a creative partner—using it to brainstorm, write text, refine pitches, troubleshoot feature ideas, and generate functional apps.
What surprised me most was the students’ ability to absorb complex product development thinking and processes without being overwhelmed by technology. By abstracting away technical complexity through no-code tools, they were able to focus on user needs, storytelling, and strategic design.
For me the most rewarding part of the course was watching final presentations on May 12. Students showed the class video demos of their functional apps that were creative, thoughtful, and often commercially viable. Several students expressed interest in continuing to refine their apps or applying their new skills in internships and professional projects.
The course underscored the need to teach digital product fluency and AI skills across disciplines, not just in tech departments. AI and no-code platforms have radically lowered the barrier to entry for product development, and we now have an opportunity to empower a much broader group of creators.
Curriculum and Student Projects
Students progressed through a semester-long product development cycle that culminated in the creation of functional app prototypes and pitch decks. Key milestones included:
- Conceiving a concept and conducting basic market validation
- Defining core (“MVP”) features and user flows
- Developing marketing plans and user personas
- Creating wireframes
- Building a functional prototype using Lovable.dev, an AI “vibecoding” tool
- Producing a one-minute demo video and a comprehensive pitch deck
- Weekly assignments progressed toward the final product, scaffolding skills in research, design thinking, and storytelling.
- Practice communicating their ideas using basic startup tools.
App Design, Pitch Deck, and Video Media by Sofia Miloseska