Modo’s 2021 Appademy Awards Names Best Campus Apps

Recently, Modo Labs, the top no-code app building platform for higher education and enterprise, announced the winning college apps in their annual Modo Appademy Awards, according to a press release. This juried award recognizes colleges and universities that have built exemplary digital experiences in apps built on the Modo platform.

“The Appademy Awards not only recognizes the dedicated and creative efforts of colleges using the Modo platform but it also is a glimpse into the priorities and needs of institutions of higher education,” said Matt Willmore, Modo’s senior director of product marketing. “In this year’s entries, we saw excellent examples of the ways that college apps made tasks easier, such as registering for classes and paying fees, and also substituted for many in-person college experiences like orientation and graduation.”

While some app capabilities were created out of urgency due to the pandemic, many ended up being features colleges kept when it became clear that students and staff were comfortable using them. Features such as ticket requests for games, registration, and add/drop appointments are now permanent and available even as restrictions lift.

“It’s impressive to see the variation and creativity of the app development teams. We saw again and again in this year’s applicant pool that colleges did more than get tasks done, they created digital experiences and options for students to engage with their college in ways we’ve never seen before and in ways that kept college an engaging, immersive experience,” Wilmore added.

The 2021 Appademy Awards include one overall Best Unified App and two categories for student engagement and app design, and winners came from every region including the Cayman Islands and Australia.

Best Overall

• Best Unified App – Winner: University of California, Merced

• Second Place: Vassar College

Best Apps for Student Engagement

• Best Health and Wellness App – Winner: Vassar College

• Second Place (TIE): University of California, Berkeley and University of Redlands

• Best Recruiting and Admissions – Winner: St Francis College

• Second Place: University of Rhode Island

• Best Commencement – Winner (TIE): University of Central Florida and University of Connecticut

• Second Place: Santa Monica College

• Best New Student Orientation – Winner: The George Washington University

• Second Place: Northern Arizona University

• Most Innovative App for Communication – Winner (TIE): California State University, San Bernardino and University of Houston

• Second Place (TIE) University of Texas Arlington and Assumption University

Best Apps for Design and Experience:

• Best Overall Design – Winner: Santa Monica College

• Second Place: California State University, Channel Islands

• Best Student-Driven App – Winner: Northern Arizona University

• Second Place: California State University, East Bay

• Best Marketplace – Winner: University of California, Berkeley

• Best App Personalization (XModule) – Winner: University of Houston

• Second Place: Carson-Newman University

• Best Desktop Experience – Winner: Humboldt State University

• Second Place: Penn State University

“We’re thrilled that Vassar Mobile has been recognized with the 2021 Health and Wellness Appademy Award! This year has been a challenge for everyone’s mental and physical health and wellness,” said David Osburn, assistant director for communications and mobile strategy at Vassar College, which won for Best Health and Wellness app. “We’re proud of the work we’ve done to provide our audiences with quick and easy access to tools and resources that can help during such a trying time.”