This article attempts to provide an overview of the issues involved and sketch some of the models being used at institutions with a computer-ownership requirement. Given the diversity of institutions enacting these requirements, one might expect the justifications for these requirements to reflect this variety, but in fact the rationales often share the same themes. Requiring all students to own a computer will facilitate student learning and enhance students academic performance. The adoption of a computing standard will leverage the institution's computing resources and result in better services for all members of the community. The very nature of computer-based information technologies compounds the problem and increases the complexity of any implementation plan.
Institutions have to make decisions about the hardware and software configuration being required.
Computer technology advances rapidly, and a top-rated computer purchased as a student begins college will be obsolete before that student graduates. Incorporating technology into the classroom and laboratory is a tremendous challenge for a university attempting to use computers as a tool for enhancing student learning. Under this model, students are still faced with the obsolescence of their equipment, and the impact of a recommendation on classroom use of information technologies is unclear. Some institutions have mandated a computer-ownership requirement but did not specify any computing standards. One advantage to this approach is that it creates a requirement with a minimal impact on the institution and the entering students.