Computer science students and faculty face challenges in keeping pace with rapidly evolving IoT technologies, while employers increasingly demand hands-on experience with contemporary programming and IoT applications. This study investigates the research question: Do app-agnostic instructional approaches achieve student satisfaction and learning goals while reducing course design burden on faculty? A mixed-methods approach was employed to compare traditional IoT integration methods with app-agnostic approaches across multiple computer science courses. Data collection included student Course Opinion Survey (COS) satisfaction ratings, cohort grade distributions analyzed against course and program averages, and structured faculty feedback on workload and teaching effectiveness. The study examined potential factors, including differences between course and program average outcomes, the effectiveness of app-agnostic assignment design, student perceptions of job market relevance, and faculty perceptions of transferring IoT discovery processes to students. Results demonstrated that app-agnostic approaches achieved comparable or improved student satisfaction scores compared to traditional methods, with grade distributions showing positive variance from program averages. Students reported higher perceived job relevance when engaging in self-directed exploration of IoT technology, while faculty feedback indicated a significant reduction in annual course revision workload, with no change in teaching effectiveness. The student-centered discovery approach enhanced both the acquisition of technical skills and problem-solving capabilities. App-agnostic IoT integration represents a viable solution for maintaining curriculum currency while optimizing faculty resources. By transferring the responsibility for technology discovery to students within structured learning frameworks, institutions can achieve the dual objectives of enhanced student engagement and reduced faculty workload. This approach better prepares students for dynamic technology environments while creating sustainable curriculum models that adapt to rapid technological advancement without requiring constant faculty retraining.

Keywords: App-agnostic education, IoT integration, computer science curriculum, student satisfaction, faculty workload optimization, technology-neutral learning, experiential education, curriculum sustainability, emerging technologies, pedagogical innovation.