Collegiate Times

It bears the name of a writing device used for millennia, but the modern tablet is no mere instrument of stone. Beginning with the class of 2010, engineering majors will be required to purchase a tablet PC for use in class.

Following on the heels of the announcement that tablet PCs would be required, the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech announced a partnership with PC-maker Fujitsu and software powerhouse Microsoft to develop a program to integrate tablets into classroom work.

Professors Vinod Lohani and Jenny Lo, faculty members in the engineering education department and the coordinators of the first engineering course, EngE 1024: Engineering Exploration, are working with other faculty to effectively incorporate the new technology into this required engineering course.

Incoming freshmen engineers will sign up for a sustainable development design project as part of the EngE 1204 course. The project, lasting six weeks, is designed to include both individual and group responsibilities. The tablets will assist the students by allowing them to electronically log their work and share design sketches.

Students will also benefit from the tablet?s extensive graphing capabilities, flowcharts and extensive problem solving and organizational skills. The tablets will also help them to create more efficient engineering drawings.

"Engineering education faculty members continue to revise their curriculum to include more active learning experiences for their students. The tablet PC is the type of technology that will support faculty in implementing interactive instructional strategies," said Associate Dean Glenda Scales.

The department selected Fujitsu as their partner based on a consideration of over twenty different criteria. This includes processor speed, available options, price, warranty, service record, availability of spares, national benchmarks, battery life, weight, reliability, past experience, ease of purchase, screen size and delivery availability. "CDW-G has been handling our online purchasing," said Eric Hollandsworth, a Fujitsu representative. "They say they?ve been swamped with (Tech) orders."

To provide support for the new computers, technicians have been trained to provide first-level hardware service on campus and to be available to support student machines. Fujitsu staff will be available to service student needs, courtesy of their on-call warranty program. "The bookstore will be offering support as well," said Hollandsworth.

A University Bookstore representative said the College of Engineering?s decision to work with Fujitsu came as a surprise. "We went out and got manufacturers to submit bids ? the engineering department?s announcement was a surprise," said the representative, who wished to remain anonymous. "Nobody told us it was coming."

Despite the lack of forewarning, the University Bookstore is making an effort to provide service for engineering students who purchase Fujitsu computers. "We are talking with (Fujitsu) ? we may be able to offer support for them in the fall," said Joe Giaclone, an employee of the University Bookstore?s computer department. "Nothing is set in stone yet," he clarified.

University Bookstore, which operates several locations on and off campus, offers several computer packages for incoming freshmen. No Fujitsu computers were listed in the promotional brochures for the Bookstore being handed out at orientation seminars. As for tablets, Giaclone said the Bookstore already offers the computers through another vendor. "We have a partnership with Toshiba ? they?re simply a better product, we feel, and the computers we sell fulfill all the engineering department?s requirements.

Despite these problems, the College of Engineering is enthusiastic about the switch, as are many students. Not everyone is ready to jump on the bandwagon just yet, however.

In particular, VTLUUG (Virginia Tech Linux / Unix Users Group) stands against the requirement.

"The computer requirement, for many students, is already a strain on money ? especially students who are paying their own way through school. While I agree that a computer is a necessity for college, I think that the College of Engineering should do its best to keep the cost of this requirement as manageable as possible. Tablet PCs are inherently more expensive than other computers that contain comparable hardware, and are provided by a much more limited number of sellers." says Bill Hilburn, president of VTLUUG.

Ruffy Zarookian, a computer engineering major, suggests that the new technology is not necessary for the curriculum.

"I think the bottom line is that Virginia Tech does not realize how little the laptops are being used, and how little the tablets will be used in the coming years for educational purposes. It is unfair to mandate a form factor when the curriculum does not demand it."

Other students point out that the idea seems forced and prevents engineering students from making their own decisions on what to spend their money on.

"Engineers are problem solvers ? I ask that they not be limited in the tools that they are asked to buy, and to let them choose what will let them get the job done in the best/most efficient way possible." says Sean Elble, vice-president of VTLUUG.

Engineering student Ryan Harne says that student feedback on the matter was overlooked.

"The College of Engineering has decided what they want, perhaps what some professors have specifically wanted for some time. Since the administration makes the call pertaining to the computer requirement, only student recommendations and immediate feedback can sway their minds. The Student Technology Council (organized by the College to help advise them for the adoption of new technologies) recommended that the CoE not go with tablets since the advantages over traditional laptops were minimal. It is obvious that this recommendation either wasn't desired or that the decision was made prior to the request for student advice."

Misgivings or not, the College of Engineering is pressing ahead with its decision, and other majors may follow suit. Tech?s Pamplin College of Business currently recommends its students purchase a tablet, but does not require them to do so. It remains to be seen whether tablets will be the latest step in cutting-edge technology or discarded like Socratic slabs of stone.