Type Private | Campus Online | |
Location Gainesville, Florida, United States | ||
Grooveshark University was a free, semester-long program offered by software engineers at Grooveshark.com to intermediate programmers at the college level and beyond. Grooveshark offered the initiative to help programmers gain the experience needed to develop their own technological innovations.
Contents
Enrollment was by application only, and was not limited to college students.
History
Grooveshark University was developed to help ease new interns into Grooveshark's work environment. Gradually, the program grew into a hub for idea creation, technical learning, and prototype development, as Grooveshark saw "potential for other ideas developed in Gainesville to grow into full-fledged businesses."
Grooveshark University was part of an ongoing process to promote innovation in the Gainesville, Florida area. The program's mission was to provide an environment where interested developers, young and old, can hone their skills or work with other developers to create new projects and pursue great ideas.
Classes
The GSU lectures focused on a variety of different technical topics, including: mobile and web development, web standards, and specific programming languages like Python. Weekly sessions were held in the evening at Santa Fe College's downtown Center for Innovation and Economic Development.
Meetings typically included presentations by Grooveshark developers and group discussions for networking with other programmers.
Students
Undergraduate students, graduate students, and experienced developers have taken part in Grooveshark University. Grooveshark said it looked for individuals "with a lot of raw potential" when choosing participants for the program.
The program is selective. In the first semester, 25 of 50 original applicants were accepted as students, and of that group, fewer than 15 students completed the first semester. The application process screened for personality as well as skill, and favored candidates who were comfortable working with other people.
Students of Grooveshark University were encouraged to create their own projects outside of the weekly lectures. Graduating students have produced projects such as