Virginia Tech and their Tablet PCs
byThe Virginia Tech College of Engineering made the news late April with their requirement for all incoming freshman to purchase a Tablet PC. It’s not a huge jump–they already had a desktop requirement ever since 1984 and a laptop requirement since 2002–but for those of us rooting for tablets in education, this could be an enormous step (which may be why this article ended up longer than I expected).
I’ve been following the backlash and questions from those affected by the policy with great interest. I know we have a couple readers who found us looking for a tablet due to this requirement (hi there!), so maybe y’all can chime in, but I thought I’d summarize some of the things I’ve found.
To start, the university unveiled the program April 19th with a press release you can read here. In the release, you’ll see the statistic of 1250 entering freshman who fall under the requirement (and if that doesn’t help tablet sales for the next couple years…^_^).
Now, is it just me, or is it simply hard to explain in words why a tablet is good for a student? I know I struggle to get the idea across all the time, and it looks like Virginia Tech (from here on out referred to as VT) is having the same problem. "Students can write or sketch equations onto the tablet portion and save these handwritten notes, taken during class, to the computer as a document." OK, true, but…that just doesn’t get the idea across.
"Additional applications for use of the Tablet in or outside of class include: digital sketchpad for diagrams, writing mathematical equations; advanced note taking, organizing and sharing with OneNote; collaboration tools including ConferenceXP and ReMarkable Texts; tools like Physics Illustrator and ChemPad for exploring different concepts; take handwritten notes in class which can later be converted to digital text (if desired); complete diagrams and projects in class; and pen-based 3D design software." That paragraph did a little better, although I’m wondering if they’ve ever actually used Physics Illustrator, heh.
So with that press release, they have a link to their computer requirements page, and a link to their Tablet PC page (which hopefully is in the works still…there’s ~2 pictures on the entire site).
Those requirements limit it to only a few tablets on the market right now: the Toshiba M4 and M400, and the Gateway CX200X (barely). The most limiting factor is the graphics card and what I interpret as an internal DVD/CD-RW drive requirement. I’ll touch on this later.
So, as expected, there have been numerous complaints about the college forcing students to buy Tablet PCs. The Collegiate Times has two articles from students (I’m sure there’s more) about the issue, one saying, "Tablet PCs, even future projected models, cost more than laptops, but, ironically enough, the Tablet is the lightweight when it comes to performance."
The other article looks at it with a different problem: tablets are only Windows machines right now. With how important it is to many students to be different and escape from big business Microsoft, many aren’t too happy with this. The author of this article states, "…if someone could tell me what an Apple or Dell laptop with a 2.0 GHz processor, plenty of memory and a large hard disk cannot do, that a tablet can (besides the obvious features, which to me seem more like toys than real features), I would love to hear it."
Here again, quoted from an engineering student at VT:
"When they changed over to laptops, it was perceived that they would be heavily incorporated into the coursework," Ryan Harne, a junior mechanical engineering major, said. "The average engineer will use that laptop for the two intro courses and that’s it. As in any major, they will take it to class and sit in the back and chat on AIM. That’s the most use it gets after those intro courses."
"I have never, except for my first year, never been given even slides to follow along with … it’s all things I have to write down by hand in class," Harne said. "I can perceive that they will effectively use this in the intro course … but after that, it’s an expensive piece of machinery that will have little use."
So where am I going with all this negativity about Tablet PCs from VT people? That the problem isn’t with tablets, but with laptops in general. Keep that issue in mind any time you read someone complaining about going to VT and having to buy a tablet. The complaints are that they’re expensive, only Windows based, and not well integrated in the classroom. Now, what part of that is the tablet’s fault? A Windows based computer was a requirement even before they went to Tablet PCs, except now there’s more of a difference between the platforms because I don’t know of any Mac you can natively write on.
I also see that VT is having the same problems the University of Texas at Austin is having in attempting to integrate tablets. At UT, we’re looking for a low price, high power, portable computer and there just aren’t many on the market. When Dell comes out with their tablet (not any time soon), we’ll have more options considering we do a lot of business with Dell, but as for offering a good quality tablet with a low sticker price and good support…well the closest we’ve come is the monster Gateway (which isn’t really that bad, we’d just like a more portable option for students) and the HP I looked at last week.
The Toshiba’s are good tablets but hard to support, thanks to the wonderful customer service Toshiba has (insert eye roll), and the ThinkPad is alright, but Lenovo is also a hard company to work with. We just need more tablets out from the big vendors like HP and Dell that are already situated on campuses to come out with options. Options are coming, but they’re still quite a ways away.
So with VT saying they don’t recommend students buying their tablet until May or June because they’re still working out vendors and pricing, I’m interested to see what they come up with. It also leaves a lot of parents and students out hunting on their own for the moment (VT doesn’t even have an list of tablets out right now, just the specs they want the students to have).
PenComputing magazine has an online Q&A where a parent’s question on what to buy his VT son is answered by Geoff Walker (Technology Editor). It’s well thought out and a good read for anyone looking for a tablet, however I did have some issues with some things mentioned. Geoff emailed me and asked for my comments on the article, so I emailed him back the following:
"First, a 12” screen is in no way a problem for a student. In fact, it’s what I recommend to any student who asks. I’ve tried a 10.4” screen and, yes, that’s too small for a student, but a 14” is slightly large for a student to get good use out of the tablet functionality . You can see the same amount of data on a 12” screen with the same resolution as a 14” screen, so with how mobile students are, I would much rather save the weight. We also still have good eyes so small pixels bother us less ^_^.
"Also, an internal CD/DVD drive is not a necessity. Considering the limited amount of time CDs are actually used anymore (iTunes, software downloads), a cheap external drive works just fine. If the student really wants to watch DVDs on the go, a portable external drive or virtual drives can do the trick. If the students wants the laptop to be a portable DVD player first and THEN as a computer, of course an internal DVD drive would be a good thing, but I don’t think that will be a parent’s first concern .
"Given 12” screens are my preference as a student, I would actually put the M400 equal to the M4 (I will say I really like the M4). I currently use the M200, while I’m personally looking for a slate to purchase this summer (I’ll be keeping my M200 so the slate won’t be my only computer), my convertible purchase would be a M400. It has the power needed for a student to do anything he/she needs to, a high res screen, it’s light and portable, and has an internal drive.
"I really think far too much weight is being pushed on whether a tablet is Vista compatible or not. OK, so say Vista comes out in (we’ll be optimistic) February 07. I would NEVER recommend doing a major upgrade like that during the semester, so the earliest it would get to students is summer 07. Right there is one year down where it never mattered what tablet the student was using. So we’ll say the student want to install Vista for the Fall 07 semester. The graphics requirements are to run Vista on full blast mode, not to run Vista at all. If the graphics card isn’t up to snuff, the student would be able to run Vista without the graphics bells and whistles, but it would still run (assuming the student buys a new convertible tablet, or in other words, a decent machine). Worst case scenario, the student uses XP for a year or two longer. I’m not seeing what the big deal is, but perhaps I’m missing something.
"On that note, I think it’s not the best planning to think a single tablet will last a student 4 years. Most extended warrantees are three years, and I think you’re forgetting how MUCH the student will be using it and HOW the student will be using it. It won’t be sitting on a desk all day, and it won’t even be gently moved from a padded bag twice a day. It will be in a backpack (even laptop backpacks aren’t safe as I found), jostled around, in and out several times a day, walked all over campus, whipped out for classes then thrown back in to hurry to the next one. I’m really hesitant to say that something that barely lasts 4 years in a business setting, will last 4 years in a student world. A two year life cycle is a nice number, three if you don’t feel the need to keep current. Personally, I have a three year warranty from Toshiba and I’ve already had to use it this year thanks to my backpack strap breaking and the tablet falling on hard steps. I’m not saying tablets are unreliable, I’m just saying more accidents seem to “just happen” when students are involved.
"On to other things, $380+ for a monitor is a little steep. Students don’t really NEED a 20” LCD (though bigger is always better), just something extra on your desk so you can have two full screen to work with. I found a 19” CRT from Best Buy for $80 last summer, and while that’s a nice price, I definitely wouldn’t start the price range at $380. A 17” or above flat screen, be it LDC or CRT, will get the job done, so I’d say starting the pricing at $150 is more reasonable, and a lot less scary to a parent/student on a budget.
"And two small things I just thought I’d mention, rolling backpacks for a college student? I know just to get to one class on my campus I had to travel across 100+ steps (I counted one day) and only 70% of the walk was paved. My backpack is never really that heavy with a tablet anyway because I don’t have to carry books with me anymore. Just a suggestion. Also, I’ve tried fancy map programs due to my love of gadgets and gizmos, but I just can’t find the need as a student. When would the student use it? New to the city? A road trip? I don’t see how the student couldn’t just “rough it” with Google Earth/Maps ^_^.
"All that aside, I actually did agree with a lot in the article. I’m thrilled a large college like Virginia Tech is doing this tablet program and I think all involved will come to see why those who know tablets, like tablets."
So now I’m asking my fellow college student readers (or anyone) what they really think about the Tablet PC for EVERY student. Do you think VT will be successful? What would happen if your university/college/school tried to make tablets a requirement? What would you tell the students who are upset about the switch from laptops?
I think Virginia Tech has a lot of creative thinking ahead of them to really sell the tablet idea. It’s very possible and worth it, but implementation is key. At least they’ve jumped one hurtle already; one key aspect of Tablet PC appreciation is actually trying it, and the requirement for ALL students to have one will certainly accomplish that.
Other posts that may interest you:
http://www.gottabemobile.com/.aspx
May 5th, 2006 at 5:33 pmThe right way to go about it is to recommend purchase for student in areas where it is especially needed, such as engineering. The University of West Florida has a strongly worded recommendation to purchase a tablet. See here http://uwf.edu/ece/tabletpc/ But if a school wants to require a history or spanish major to buy a tablet, perhaps they should offer a special loan incentive or buyback program to the students. It is not feasable that all students should be expected to buy a tablet that costs 500-800 more than a comparable laptop, when most would rarely use it to its full potential. Too bad though, I think if given a chance by parents (i.e. the deep pockets) who are just now getting used to the way things are, and are too afraid to invest in an unfamiliar product (but my kid really needs an CDROM and 25 lbs. of books!) the tablet might really take off.
May 5th, 2006 at 6:52 pmAt the university I attended (Morehead State University in KY, they considered making laptops a requirement for ALL incoming freshmen. However, they backed away from that stance and instead made a “suggestion” for students to purchase a laptop.
MSU offered a lease-to-own option on Gateway M275s which included Office 2003 Student and Teacher Edition, security software, and on-campus tech support for around $450 a semester for 2 years (Four semesters and a total investment of $1800).
Many students took advantage of it only to find a huge problem: no infrastructure to support TPC use! Most of the classroom buildings were woefully inadequate in regards to outlets and most of the old-school desks made using the TPC in class dificult.
I hope VT has thought out the little things like outlet placement and furniture upgrades that can make mobile computing a seamless experience. It would tick me off for a university to mandate a mobile computer and then give me no place to charge it when the battery starts running out. JMHO.
I got my first TPC right before my last semester of undergrad work and it really changed the way I studied. I look forward to using my TPC in graduate school and know that it will provide me with a huge advantage over pen and paper.
May 5th, 2006 at 8:39 pmFirst of all… maybe I’m way off base here, but the school is called Virginia Tech, right? Which seems to me to imply that they are a tech school. Now, OK, I understand they offer a LOT MORE than just tech programs, but it’s clear that they have a focus and interest in it.
Second, this is a requirement that has existed for a very long time now of all students. It’s not like this is some new shock or surprise. Times change, and so does technology. It’s therefore reasonable to assume that requirements for technology would change.
That said, I think it’s perfectly reasonable that they would continue their requirement. My school doesn’t require students to have a computer, but it does have minimum requirements for the hardware that is brought on campus. Why?
Productivity and support for the student. If students buy “cheap” hardware their freshman year, that hardware is either going to fail or it’s going to fail to accomplish what they want to do with it… especially after a couple years when it’s out of date. The saying is true– you get what you pay for.
If this was some brand new requirement, I’d be pretty upset too, but it’s a pretty well-known school with well-known standards and policies. When you apply, I am certain this information is provided well in advance of your payments. When you agree to attend a school, you also agree to the rules and policies of that school. If you don’t agree, then maybe the school isn’t right for you.
I think Tablet requirement is fantastic. My convertible tablet is the greatest purchase I’ve ever made, because it has made me much more productive in and out of class. Between ebook texts, Internet access, and the ability to do all of my work digitally– I get things done easier, faster, and better.
Kudos to Virginia Tech for raising the bar on tech standards! More schools should take this kind of stance, but I offer this warning. If it is true that they are not making productive use of their requirements in the classroom, then perhaps it’s important for their faculty to rethink their integration plans.
May 5th, 2006 at 8:54 pm“Now, is it just me, or is it simply hard to explain in words why a tablet is good for a student?” –it is hard to explain in words, but since when are you limited to words? Show us some math. Show us some notes. Why bother with explanations when you’ve got examples? Just a thought.
May 5th, 2006 at 10:02 pmSumocat - exactly. I try to do that as much as possible, and VT doesn’t seem to be using any pictures or demonstrations at all to convince the students. Send them this way, VT!
May 5th, 2006 at 10:14 pm“…if someone could tell me what an Apple or Dell laptop with a 2.0 GHz processor, plenty of memory and a large hard disk cannot do, that a tablet can (besides the obvious features, which to me seem more like toys than real features), I would love to hear it.”
In my opinion, the only people that say this are the ones who have either no imagination or no experience with a tablet. I work at a pretty competitive Best Buy where we stock a great Gateway CX200x model and it takes little more than me starting my demo to get students to be calling parents on cell phones and asking for credit card information. Really, if people at this school looked at this with an open mind and looked at tablet advantages (’ya know, the ability to SEARCH handwritten notes, synchronize recorded lectures to pen strokes, organize multiple classes with noteflags, etc…), this would be a non-issue and an area of pride for the “Tech” school.
May 6th, 2006 at 12:10 amI’m a junior at VT who isn’t completely sure the tablet is the way to go. Tech already has all the infrastructure in place to use laptops in the classroom, so using a long battery life tablet shouldn’t be too much of a problem. Most engineering students like myself are worried because of the programs we are required to use. This Tablet requirement is only for engineering students at Tech, not for the large number of liberal arts students or any of the other science based schools, where integrated note taking could be best used. I remember my freshman year and students trying to start up both MATLAB and Autodesk Inventor ( required programs at VT ) and half the computers in the class would shut down. Even my computer, a 2.66 GHz desktop replacement had a hard time running these programs. And even so, we hardly ever had time to use are laptops in our Engineering Fundamentals courses. Students at Tech have been given no proof that the tablets will actually be able to stand up and perform when running these programs, though the dual core chips should help. The tablets should be very well used during the freshmen engineering classes, but after that, most teachers won’t bother with computer oriented classes. Instead, most students will use their laptops to browse the internet or use AIM. This being said, I’m encouraging my younger brother who is coming to Tech to get a tablet as well as a desktop. Why? The tablet is an interesting piece of technology and it’s note taking abilities are extraordinary. However, the desktop would be his backup if the tablet couldn’t run all the required software. I do not believe that the tablet PC should have been made a requirement for freshmen engineers, but for more of the LA students who are not required to run computing intense programs. This could have acted as a trial run and seen if the tablet could really stand up to what the COE needs.
May 6th, 2006 at 10:07 amThe Toshiba M400 Tracy mentioned is a dual core system fully capable of running any compute-intensive program you could throw at it. The days of assuming Tablet PCs are not a powerful as laptops are over. The graphics requirement on the VT site is not that much of a limiter with virtually every current Tablet PC model offering either dedicated graphics or integrated graphics that equal or exceed the VT requirement of 128 MB of shared graphics memory.
May 6th, 2006 at 11:00 am“The average engineer will use that laptop for the two intro courses and that’s it. As in any major, they will take it to class and sit in the back and chat on AIM. That’s the most use it gets after those intro courses.”
I think the problem here is lack of immagination. Even a regular laptop is useful to type up papers and calculate using spreadsheets and so forth. I’ve always wondered why people take non-tablet laptops to class anyway. It’s extremely easy to not pay attention, as this person points out. It’s also extremely difficult to take notes. Who can type that fast and accurately, never mind dealing with diagrams and formulae. I’ve been using my tablet for note-taking in my graduate classes for the past two years, and it’s so much better than paper and so much less trouble to take notes on than a regular laptop. (Incidently, it’s also very difficult to IM on, as I haven’t found an IM that supports ink.)
IMHO, those opposed to tablets for students just don’t see the benefits. I think the main thing here is to get students especially (and the profs as well) to use them - I have confidence that they will see the light! How many people have even seen a tablet? Whenever I pull mine out, there’s always several people that ask a question or make a comment about it. Most have never seen one. I was in Staples and asked the clerk if they had any tablets, and he didn’t even know what I was talking about. There is definitely some education and demonstration needed here. The more people use them, the more they’ll see the benefits.
I do sympathize with those who want to use Macs, but Apple has made a business decision to not serve this market. Until they do, I’m afraid everyone will be stuck with Windows. If the tablet really takes off as I’m hoping it will, other OEM’s such as Apple and Dell will have to join the party or get left behind.
August 16th, 2006 at 6:02 amThis discussion is one i am particularly close to. I am a current freshman at VT in the electrical engineering program. i run a fujitsu lifebook t4220 with a 2.2 GHz/2GB RAM. it’s a beautiful computer and runs very well. the size is perfect, its pretty durable, great for battery (i added the modular bay battery, worth it), and seems to run MatLab, LabVIEW, and Visual Studio all at the same time pretty well (after they boot). The computer is not the problem. The issue i have is the implementation. I used the tablet for its one note program a maximum of 6 times (i have the pages to prove it) in my first semester, and in only one class. this semester (my second), my two engineering classes both said something along the lines of “All students will need a laptop during lecture and lab. You may find the tablet convertible PC useful, but you will be able to complete all of the coursework with a regular laptop as well. The XP operating system is preferred; Vista is not compatible with some of the course projects.” This is disheartening. And it seems to be the same in most of the other disciplines (some still attempt to use one note for assignments). I dont know if it will change by next year and more profs will use the TPC functionality; but if not, i do not plan on buying another when this one is outdated in two years. I will go back to a cheaper and much better Lenovo T61 or a MacBook running OS X and windows XP. In other words, it’s a nice idea, but it has not hit its full stride yet. Therefore, for the price tag (mine was $2300 from the bookstore), it is cost inefficient.
March 10th, 2008 at 3:10 pmI will be attending vtech next year as a freshman in engineering. I’m really split between buying a tablet like they suggest or just spending the money on a nice laptop and buying a $100 wacom bamboo tablet. I’ve heard from several students the tablet is a waste of money, but i’m unsure. What if they change the curriculum in the future to incorporate the tablet more and i’m stuck with a laptop and cheap artists tablet pad thing.
April 22nd, 2008 at 1:02 pmIf you are thinking to get the XP operating system, you’d best not wait till 1 or 2 years hence! Microsoft will stop selling XP Pro in June, from what I have read.
Which gives me a delicious excuse to buy another computer that I don’t really need right now, before they are gone forever, you know. Not a frivolous or candystore purchase, not at all.
Oh, and I snapped up all the Office 2003 versions I could find on the internet before they were gone forever - could not deal with Word ‘07 - too tricky.
In the process, I think I picked up, by accident of course,(a supposedly reputable co in Las Vegas?), a very high quality counterfeit of Word. Matched it up w pics on MS website, and sure nuff. MS says they will replace it, but will they really… scares me. Can’t be without Word. The program does do funny things once in a while, like not capitalize first letters, I live with it meantime.
April 28th, 2008 at 4:47 pmAs a parent who will be writing the checks, I am angry about this Va Tech Tablet PC requirement, for a myriad of good reasons:
If these academics used common sense, they’d gear the program to need only a low end computer the first 2 years. Computers have rapidly come down the cost curve and most high school kids already own a computer that can more than meet their needs for the normal workload for the first couple years of college. Then, as they get past the tough first couple years, are more confident that they’ll be engineering majors, enter the more challenging last 2 or 3 years, then require the Tablet Purchase. At that point too, you’d have a better match of having bought the best technology at the point they will be using the technology the most. And, there would be a better match of accident coverage of this high cost machine with the remaining duration of the program.
So this VT Tablet requirement has had the opposite effect of what I think the school intended. I don’t think of the VT Program as being on the leading edge of technology. I think of this program as one being full of academics who simply can’t apply common sense. If you are a parent and agree, don’t sit there. COMPLAIN. And there’s no better place to start than with the Dean of the Engineering School.
July 7th, 2008 at 9:46 am