When every student has a laptop, why run computer labs?

jmke · 27th March 2009, 16:45

What's the point of running a university computer lab when all the students bring laptops anyway? That's a question that schools have been asking themselves as computer ownership rates among incoming freshmen routinely top 90 percent. Schools like the University of Virginia have concluded that the time has come to dismantle the community computer labs and put that money to more productive uses.

According to the school's Information Technology & Communication department, 3,117 freshmen enrolled in 2007, and 3,113 of them owned their own computer. Nearly all of the machines were laptops, with 72 percent running Windows and 26 percent running Mac OS X (six hardy souls ran Linux).

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/n...of-running.ars

27th March 2009, 17:00

How does Mac ownership per generation look like?

looking for graphs like this ones:

http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1133/dec...ed-online-news

27th March 2009, 18:35

Absurd... would like to know if that many students have laptops, then why is there always a waiting line to use the ~100 computer lab at my local Uni.

27th March 2009, 20:01

Lack of WiFi capacity? Students not carrying their laptops to the university?

27th March 2009, 22:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rutar

Lack of WiFi capacity? Students not carrying their laptops to the university?

Campus has excellent wifi coverage, even in the extended parking lots.

I think the Uni in question is an outlier, 90% of the students at this University do NOT have a laptop, nowhere near that number.

28th March 2009, 07:59

There are many reason why lab should stay:
1) software licensing is less complex (all managed by one person) and you don't have to force your students to buy software they'll only use for school purposes
2) Not everyone runs windows ...
3) wired lan is still beter as wifi (especialy at school where they cap us at 23kBps

)
4) Not everyone wants to bring their laptop to school everyday (people who have to drive 12km on their bicycle know that laptops are back killers)
5) security and management; lab computers can be restricted in the software that can run, things students can do, etc ... if you have to prefer 20 laptops without virusscanners and filled with warez over 1 safe, managed lab computer students have to fight for, well, I'd know the answer

27th March 2009, 16:45	#1
jmke Madshrimp Join Date: May 2002 Location: 7090/Belgium Posts: 79,022	When every student has a laptop, why run computer labs? What's the point of running a university computer lab when all the students bring laptops anyway? That's a question that schools have been asking themselves as computer ownership rates among incoming freshmen routinely top 90 percent. Schools like the University of Virginia have concluded that the time has come to dismantle the community computer labs and put that money to more productive uses. According to the school's Information Technology & Communication department, 3,117 freshmen enrolled in 2007, and 3,113 of them owned their own computer. Nearly all of the machines were laptops, with 72 percent running Windows and 26 percent running Mac OS X (six hardy souls ran Linux). http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/n...of-running.ars __________________

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27th March 2009, 17:00	#2
Rutar Posts: n/a	How does Mac ownership per generation look like? looking for graphs like this ones: http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1133/dec...ed-online-news

27th March 2009, 18:35	#3
Kougar Posts: n/a	Absurd... would like to know if that many students have laptops, then why is there always a waiting line to use the ~100 computer lab at my local Uni.

27th March 2009, 20:01	#4
Rutar Posts: n/a	Lack of WiFi capacity? Students not carrying their laptops to the university?

28th March 2009, 07:59	#6
wutske Posts: n/a	There are many reason why lab should stay: 1) software licensing is less complex (all managed by one person) and you don't have to force your students to buy software they'll only use for school purposes 2) Not everyone runs windows ... 3) wired lan is still beter as wifi (especialy at school where they cap us at 23kBps ) 4) Not everyone wants to bring their laptop to school everyday (people who have to drive 12km on their bicycle know that laptops are back killers) 5) security and management; lab computers can be restricted in the software that can run, things students can do, etc ... if you have to prefer 20 laptops without virusscanners and filled with warez over 1 safe, managed lab computer students have to fight for, well, I'd know the answer