But Heeger knows that there are skeptics out there. And it's going to be absorbed into different institutions, in different ways. All While some people are taking college-level classes in the comfort of their own home, others are being encouraged to take their computers with them everywhere they go. This year at Northern Michigan University in Marquette, all freshman and sophomores are required to borrow a laptop, customized according to their classes and major, from the university. Under a special educational arrangement with IBM, the school is absorbing the cost of the ThinkPad through a hike in tuition and undergraduate student fees.
Technology is one tool to help make that happen.
A total of 4,200 laptops were distributed, bringing the number of laptops on campus for undergraduates to 5,200. Last year, laptops were encouraged, but not required, when administrators gave out 1,000 ThinkPads. This year, upperclassmen were allowed to waive out of the program if they could prove that they had their own computer that had a comparable amount of functionality as the mass-distributed laptops. It is unclear whether or not ThinkPads will be a welcome addition to the classroom. It's up to the faculty members, who are responsible for the instructional environment.