Computer usage in the curriculum of the COA has increased significantly and continues to rise. Most students use their computer on a daily basis for some type of activity. However, with a student body of approximately 300 persons, access to one of the 20 lab computers is uncertain. Also, the COA Computing Lab serves as the primary digital classroom for the college and as a result it is occasionally closed to general access. Most importantly, students should have the ability to perform individual computing tasks directly within the design studios.
Direct access is key to the success of learning to use the computer as a design tool.
The COA recommends MacOS compatible computers. The COA Computing lab and internal network are all MacOS based. Use of a Windows compatible computer will place you at a disadvantage in the current COA computing environment. However, all Macintosh computers read and write PC disk and file formats. If running Windows-only applications is essential to you, then it is possible to run Windows applications in the MacOS via emulation packages such as SoftWindows by Insignia Solutions, or VirtualPC by Connectix Corporation.