Engineering Laptop Programs Goals, Expectations, Resources, Experiences William F. Moss College of Engineering and Science Clemson University Clemson, South Carolina USA

Two Broad Goals Produce a better product Slow the growth of IT costs

Business and industry want employees with … Good oral and written communication skills (Eng: rule) State-of-the-art technology skills Experience working in teams Good content knowledge

Laptop students have better … Communication skills Technology skills Team building skills Life-long learning skills

Where are the IT dollars going? Keeping labs up-to-date Printing costs Storage costs Support of multiple platforms

Where should the IT dollars be going? Support staff including talented students Wired and wireless network Centralized support of common platforms for students and faculty High end labs Smart classrooms Course management system (WebCT, Blackboard)

Laptop Program Rollout Select: courses, students, faculty Construct smart classrooms as needed Install wireless network as needed License a course management system Provide laptop faculty development Create a centralized laptop help desk and repair center

Experiences in the US Build smart classrooms with network access as needed. Early adopter faculty should offer “best fit” courses first. Provide a faculty development opportunity. All courses do not have to use laptops in class. Students see advantages to having a laptop even when they have no laptop courses.

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