Engineering Laptop Programs

1
Engineering Laptop Programs

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

2
Two Broad Goals

• Produce a better product
• Slow the growth of IT costs

3
Business and industry want employees with

• Good oral and written communication skills (Eng
  45-55 rule)
• State-of-the-art technology skills
• Experience working in teams
• Good content knowledge

4
Laptop students have better

• Communication skills
• Technology skills
• Team building skills
• Life-long learning skills

5
Where are the IT dollars going?

• Keeping labs up-to-date
• Printing costs
• Storage costs
• Support of multiple platforms

6
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)

7
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

8
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.

9
Engineering Laptop Programs

• Clemson - http//laptop.clemson.edu
• Oklahoma - http//coe.ou.edu/advising/laptop/index
  .htm
• Vanderbilt - http//frontweb.vuse.vanderbilt.edu/v
  use_web/transit/dean.asp
• Tennessee - http//www.engr.utk.edu/coe/compreq.ht
  m
• Mississippi State - http//www.msoe.edu/notebook/
• RPI - http//www.rpi.edu/laptops/