Seton Hill University, a liberal-arts institution in Pennsylvania with more than 2,100 students, announced a program on Tuesday that offers an iPad to every full-time student.
Distribution will begin in the fall. Incoming freshmen will also receive a 13-inch MacBook laptop, which Seton Hill will replaced after two years; current sophomores, juniors, and seniors can opt into that program.
The iPad distribution marks the beginning of the university’s Griffin Technology Advantage program, which will also include a completely wireless campus, quadrupled bandwith, and faculty training in advanced technologies. Students will be charged an additional $500 per semester in fees for the new technology program, and the university says it has absorbed the cost of the iPads.
“The iPad will lighten the backpacks of Seton Hill University students,” said JoAnne W. Boyle, president of Seton Hill University, in an e-mail message to The Chronicle.
When Apple announced the debut of the iPad in January, some major publishers began hoping the new technology could boost electronic-textbook sales. Seton Hill says the iPad will let students create work and share it with other students and faculty members. The iPad will also let students download books to the iPad from the iBookstore.
“The iPad was chosen by Seton Hill because of its mobility and the ease with which faculty and students, in the future, will have immediate access to e-textbooks and comprehensive and integrated learning,” said Mary Ann Gawelek, provost and dean of the faculty at Seton Hill, in an e-mail message to The Chronicle.
Seton Hill isn’t the first institution to offer electronic devices to incoming students. George Fox University recently announced it would offer incoming freshmen a choice between the iPad and the Apple MacBook, which it already offers; cost is included in tuition. From 2004 to 2006, Duke University gave iPods to incoming freshmen and eventually to students taking courses that used the music. It was one of several universities to give away iPods since the device launched in 2001. Other institutions have offered iPhones or laptop computers (or sometimes both).
14 Responses to Seton Hill to Offer iPads to Full-Time Students
emschles - March 30, 2010 at 5:09 pm
This is an absolutely wonderful event. Not only will the ” … iPad lighten the backpacks of Seton Hill University students … it will increase the amount of money they will have in their wallet (see this cost analysis by Jason Perlow of ZDNet: http://i.zdnet.com/blogs/kindlenomics-zero.xls). But this creates another issue. How will students track the books and relate them to the specific class, faculty member, semester, curricula, etc. studentforce (www.studentforce.com) can store all eText links relavent to the student’s needs enabling them to access what they need when they need it without having to search on their devices.
clutch492 - March 30, 2010 at 5:18 pm
Seton Hall is in South Orange, New Jersey.Not Pennslyvannia
hekademia - March 30, 2010 at 5:29 pm
I’m not sure I understand the “issue” that the solution provider is raising and that his solution solves. Perhaps someone can elaborate upon it?
11890636 - March 30, 2010 at 6:02 pm
Seton Hill University is a “leading Catholic liberal arts university in Greensburg, PAhttp://www.setonhill.edu/Seton Hall, also a Catholic institution, is located in South Orange, NJhttp://www.shu.edu/
cliffwjenkins - March 30, 2010 at 6:07 pm
Proof you work!
emmadw - March 31, 2010 at 6:59 am
emschles said: “How will students track the books and relate them to the specific class, faculty member, semester, curricula, etc. ” …Don’t they have to already with paper books? Surely that’s part of learning how to learn – how to organise your own materials, and, indeed to see where a book that’s a set text for one unit is actually a useful supporting text for another.
goandychurch - March 31, 2010 at 10:23 am
I for one thing this should be a question of economics. The cost of managing multiple operating systems, browsers, applications and patches is effectively passed onto students. It is simply not itemized. I would be interested in seeing the school’s business case – it bet it adds up.http://ow.ly/1t6ZP
googookachoo - March 31, 2010 at 11:56 am
Actually, my sister told me yesterday that my niece will be attending Seton Hill this coming fall as a freshman. I’m very impressed and pleased to know she will benefit from this program.Great idea. Great program. I’ve emailed this link to my entire family of mostly Mac users.
mauricesoulchild - March 31, 2010 at 1:26 pm
While I am a strong advocate for educational technology (especially Mac) – Seton Hall’s plan (at least on the surface) appears very disingenuous and raises more questions than answers. For starters, it does not cost $4000 ($500 a semester) for an iPad (including all of the computer software that is needed to run it.) But lets assume that at max $1000 is the final cost of the iPad (which includes costs for campus software) and another $500 per student for technology training – what about the other $2500? Will students be able to use this money to purchase books at the iBookstore or would they have to pay for books in addition to the extra money that they are being charged? In the end, this appears like an opportunity for Seton Hall to increase funds by circumventing tuition increases.
libraralartsitguy - March 31, 2010 at 1:29 pm
Stanford handed out Palms to students, Duke handed out iPods. Lots of schools require laptops. Have these previous programs had any impact on campus? They are also giving students laptops. I wonder why they felt the need to do both.
mwillia27 - March 31, 2010 at 1:44 pm
#9: they are also giving out laptops…
terynjay - March 31, 2010 at 2:20 pm
I wonder what they’ll do for students with disabilities. For some, the laptops will have a clear advantage (as long as they don’t cost the students more).
arrive2__net - April 1, 2010 at 1:48 am
This will give the students a standardized, current, technology platform, which seems like a good idea … in that the college will be able to standardize its technology plans and interface around this common platform. At the same time it seems like it could be a little wasteful since many entering students already have equipment which will likely go out of use. I’m thinking that this degree of standardization seems a little institutional. Perhaps Seton Hill could make a better case for this idea than the article does. Presumably, all these devices will interface to a Seton Hill’s wireless network, which could raise some privacy issues. A virus or vulnerability of one system could occur across the entire network of identical systems, but on the other hand, solutions for one system could perhaps be applied to all identical systems. Clearly we are all likely to spend in future in technology interface, so we should get comfortable using it to deal with intellectual challenges … like college. This is an interesting technological development. Bernard SchusterArrive2.net
koonoo - April 1, 2010 at 12:41 pm
Something CRITICAL seems missing here:iPad’s keyboard is not fit for typing, hence, it’s a flashy device suitable for consuming.More Browsing = Less Tying = Less Produced! Students = learners = typing (writing, if lived in the past) a LOT a LOT.Like other neat gadgets from Apple iPad is probably an excellent toy for entertainment etc. But when school administrators roll it out for general purpose learning, hmm, I’m not sure if they have students’ best interest in mind…DonChunshen LiRoanoke, VAKnowledge NoteBook