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Implementing a Student Laptop Program at UNCG

Presenters:
        Dr. Janice Tulloss, UNCG
        Kevin Latimer, UNCG

In 2005, UNCG made the decision to require incoming students in the Fall of 2007 to own a laptop computer, under our “Student Laptop Initiative.” This initiative was the result of a proposal by the University Provost and a vote by the Deans Council and was delegated to Information Technology Services (ITS) to implement. Fall 2006 begins the pilot year of the program, with incoming freshman encouraged, but not required, to purchase a laptop. This pilot year will be heralded by the opening of our on-campus Laptop Support Center which will provide service and support to students who purchase the designated program computers and a tremendous expansion in the campus wireless service area. Our presentation focuses on the challenges and opportunities involved in bringing such a large-scale, university-wide program into being. This project has involved not just various areas within (ITS), but staff from the Registrar’s office, Financial Aid, Enrollment Services, Physical Plant, the Office of Space Management, and at sometimes what seemed to be a cast of thousands. In our presentation we share lessons learned, pitfalls avoided, and others fallen into. Some of the points we will cover include the necessity of identifying key decision points during the planning stages, such as choosing one vendor and one distribution process (such as on-campus distribution versus direct sales to students) over another, the decision to, and consequences of, offering both PC and Macintosh platforms and the importance of including key interest groups and decision makers outside of ITS early in the planning process.