An Auckland school is seeking legal advice on how to best protect the intellectual property of students who are designing and programming apps.

Avondale College is looking at how best to protect the work of students whose work could have commercial potential. The college has set up an Innovation Programme and this year a class of 28 had created apps with a wide range of purpose.

“We have some students developing apps that will actually automate the teaching and marking process in the education sector,” said Paul McClean, a teacher involved in the innovation programme.

“Another has built a procurement management and supply application for measuring weights and measures of fuel distribution on fuel sites.

“Another has done a home budgeting application … there is a nutrition management application – to monitor your calorie intake each day.”

Mr McClean, who worked in the tech industry before becoming a teacher, said this was the first year the class had run, after a smaller pilot last year.

Source: The New Zealand Herald

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