As technology improves and the Internet becomes more accessible through wireless networking, the number of students who use laptop computers at Duke is increasing dramatically.
For a university that considered implementing a laptop requirement as recently as 2001, the shift indicates, not surprisingly, that students are keeping pace with constantly evolving technology.
"A couple of years ago, there was an evaluation of whether we should require laptops of students. The decision was not to require a laptop," said Tracy Futhey, vice president for information technology and chief information officer. "Interestingly enough, we now find the need to require a laptop is almost a non-issue--everybody's coming in with laptops."
Sales from the University's computer store reflect students' changing preferences. According to figures from the Office of Information Technology, laptop sales accounted for 87 percent of computer sales during the back-to-school period this fall, up from 63 percent in 2001. Total sales have also skyrocketed from 515 computers sold during the back-to-school season in 2001 to 758 in 2003.
While part of the shift can be attributed to students changing their preference in keeping with the latest advances in technology, Jim Rigney, senior manager of the computer store, said OIT, the computer store and the provost's office also worked to facilitate laptop ownership and use.
The program they devised, called the Duke Technology Advantage Program, offers students the opportunity to buy laptops and desktops with extensive service and support plans through the computer store. The program has both increased overall computer sales and made it easier for students to keep up with national trends that have been spurred by lower laptop prices, better technology and the spread of wireless Internet capabilities, Rigney said.
"When you start comparing computers, it gets very confusing because you have to really look at them feature for feature," Rigney said. "What we've tried to provide are laptops that have all the features that we need. Every machine comes with wireless, a DVD burner and enough RAM that they won't have to upgrade later."
Students' computer needs have not changed, but the appeal of laptops has increased with the spread of wireless Internet access, said Clarence Morgan, a manager at the computer store in the Bryan Center.
"Their needs are still the same as they have been in the past," he said. "The thing students want more than anything is the mobility that laptop computers give them."
Futhey said the move toward laptops has been what the University hoped for, and that the Technology Advantage Program served its purpose of helping students buy and maintain their personal computers.
"The University was smart in considering whether it was time to require laptops, but we made the right decision that if we made it easy to own and use laptops, we didn't have to require it," she said.
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