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Laptop
Learning
Introduction
On your first day, we’ll hand you a laptop computer. In two years, you’ll
get an upgrade. In the fall of 1999, Southwestern College became the only
college in Kansas and one of the few in the region to implement laptop
learning into the curriculum.
Then in 2002, all of the public areas on campus went wireless—you can access
the Internet from virtually anywhere you can carry your laptop on campus.
Why is that important? For starters, you’ll graduate with the practical
computer skills to land a top-notch job in a computer savvy world.
But just as importantly, you’ll be able to connect to your professors, to
research, and to other students just about any time, anywhere. It can
improve the way you communicate, study, act, think, and learn.
What do I get?
You will be leasing a Dell Latitude D520 laptop. It will contain a
1.83GHz Core 2 Duo processor with 1 GB of DDR2-667 RAM, a 60GB SATA 7200 rpm
hard drive, a CD-RW/DVD combo drive, and 14.1 XGA LCD display, with
integrated network, wireless and sound cards.
Here’s the
rundown:
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The laptop
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A carrying case customized with the SC logo and
school colors
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Software including Windows XP with Internet
Explorer 7, Microsoft Office 2003 (Word, Excel, Outlook etc.), FrontPage
2003, and Norton's Symantec Anti-virus software with automatic updates.
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Insurance - $500 deductible for theft and $250
deductible for student-generated, accidental breakage
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Warranty for hardware defects not attributed to
damage
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Training on how to care for and use a laptop
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Help desk support
How will I use my laptop while
I am at Southwestern College?
When you receive your laptop, you also receive your own
password-protected Web page. The page is created on Blackboard software and
contains a place for you to keep a calendar, task list, and other helpful
items to organize your academic life. Also on your Web page is a list of
your course schedule and class Web pages.
On your class Web pages will appear the class syllabus, assignments, grading
scales, required reading and any class announcements. On these pages, you
may check your grade, talk to your classmates, respond to any posted
discussion questions, download a required journal article, e-mail your
professor and get the latest-breaking class news.
When you are in class, you will be required to prepare and submit your class
assignments and presentations on software commonly used in today's work
environment. When you are preparing this homework from your residence hall
room, you will have 24-hour access to the Internet and various other on-line
research tools available through the Southwestern College library Website.
(Each residence hall room has two data ports for fast, direct, on-line
access--superior even to a cable modem.) Plus, you'll be able to work on
group assignments from any campus public area by accessing our wireless
network.
While you are studying, you can involve other classmates and even your
professor in your thoughts by posting an e-mail message to the entire class.
Or you can participate in on-going, online discussions.
When your assignment is complete, you can attach it to an e-mail and send it
to the professor at any time of day. The professor can in turn make written
and voice comments directly on the document and return it back to you
without printing one page.
I already have a computer, am I
required to use the college's laptop?
While you may bring your own computer if you wish, you are still required
to use the Southwestern College laptop. The decision to implement a
standardized, integrated laptop learning program was one made primarily for
academic reasons. If faculty were to require using a computer in their
classroom (i.e. posting assignments on the Web, requiring electronic
presentations, requiring students to e-mail their papers, requiring students
to participate in on-line discussions), they wanted to be certain that
everyone had equal access to the information and technology. In addition,
they wanted this access to be as hassle-free as possible. The only way to
accomplish this is to require that everyone have the exact same computer.
After I have enrolled and
paid tuition, do I own the laptop?
Southwestern College owns the laptop hardware and software and provides
it for your use as long as you pay tuition. For two years the same computer
is yours to use during the school year and over Christmas and summer breaks.
After two years, Southwestern replaces your laptop with an updated one.
Consequently, during the course of your four years at Southwestern you
will receive two computers. The benefit to you is that you will never work
on hardware or on software that is more than two years old.
Do I get to keep the laptop
when I graduate?
If you wish, when you graduate, you may purchase a laptop (usually the
one you've been using for the past two years) for a nominal fee of $50 which
includes not only the laptop but the Windows Operating System and the
Microsoft Office Software Suite. Norton Anti-Virus will need to be removed
in agreement with the college's software license.
What happens if I have a
problem with the software or laptop?
Our laptop resource center is available to assist you with problems or
repairs. The center is open by phone and in person during normal business
hours. If the problem is caused by a defect in the computer that makes it
inoperable you rill receive a loaner computer (if one is available) while
yours is being fixed. Every attempt will be made to place the data from your
old computer's hard drive on to your new computer. If the problem is
user-generated (soda in the keyboard, broken screen or popped keys), your
account will be charged up to $250 for repairs.
Will I be able to print from
my laptop?
Many of our students bring their personal printer with them. However, for
students without personal printers, there are several high-quality laser
printers located throughout the campus that are available for student use.
These printers are located in most of the academic buildings as well as the
library. The laptop software is delivered to you already equipped with
on-line access to these printers.
Should you choose to purchase a printer while you are here, the college
bookstore has printers available for sale.
What about textbooks?
As time passes, the delivery of course materials will change to reflect
technological advances. For example, many publishers are experimenting with
new forms of textbooks on CD-ROMs. Southwestern College is prepared to
handle these changes. Some of our courses have discovered that when
everything is on-line, textbooks are not required. This is particularly true
of classes that discuss recent developments in their subjects. Many
scholarly journals are on-line or are available on-line through the
Southwestern College library.
And you can have all this capability from anywhere you and your laptop
decide to go.
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