It has always been the philosophy of Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering to get the right technology in the hands of our students. This reasoning fostered our decision in 1984 to become the first large public university to require our entering engineering freshmen to purchase a PC. This pioneering decision provided our engineering students with a state-of-the-art technological undergraduate education.
In 2002, the time was right for the College of Engineering to switch the requirement to a notebook. Today, in order to provide the opportunity for our engineering students to continue their education at the cutting edge of technology, we are moving to the Convertible Tablet PC. Use of this device in and outside of class will provide our students with experiences that they will use in the future.
The classroom capabilities of the Tablet PC give the college the ability to significantly enhance the learning experience of the students while providing advanced pedagogical tools for faculty / student interaction. It is for these reasons we are excited about the Convertible Tablet PC requirement.
Unlike previous generations of the “slate” or pure “tablet,” the Convertible Tablet PC is a powerful and fully functional notebook computer with the added advantage of incorporating hand writing capability. The technology has matured to the point that it is supported in a standard fashion by multiple, top-tier vendors, providing product price and feature competition necessary to bring the cost of the tablet feature down to a very reasonable level. The decision to move to a Tablet PC was made after three years of researching the technology and evaluating roadmaps of where the platform would be for the fall of 2006.
When the College of Engineering made this decision, it sought input from faculty and students. Not everyone was in agreement, but the majority of those surveyed supported the decision to move to the Convertible Tablet PC.
The enhancement of this computer system allows students to use digital ink for taking notes, drawing diagrams as part of the notes or homework assignments; annotating faculty PowerPoint slides or other electronic files and easily writing mathematical equations. Additionally, students will be able to use digital-ink enabled collaboration software to support learning activities in and outside of class. By having all of their information electronically in one place, students will have a tool to support them with organizing their assignments and time as well as collaborating electronically with their peers.
The Tablets will be used in engineering classes and incoming freshmen can expect to use their Tablets in their first year courses, such as ENGE 1024, 1104 and 1114 as well as in many upper division classes.
Students will be able to install any applications or operating systems that will run on standard PC compatible notebooks.
Formerly a “computer requirement,” we now view this as a “technology requirement.” We group the computer, software and any other tools necessary as part of an integrated requirement. Through this program we know that the students will benefit from their experience.
In addition to the standard documentation and communication tools expected in all colleges, the college also views these systems as engineering computational and design tools that must meet the higher specification.
Although there are numerous choices available for computers, the Tablet platform offers the college and its incoming students the best platform for teaching and learning in the engineering educational environment.
By moving to a Convertible Tablet PC requirement all previous computer requirement specifications will be exceeded. The Tablet PC offers expanded functionality over standard notebook computers, which will aid students in the classroom and in their day to day activities now and in the future.
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