iPad U. – Drexel U. Library Adds Vending Machine to Dispense Laptops

Beginning in fall 2013, all incoming students will be required to purchase an iPad mini, which will come loaded with the student’s summer reading and core curriculum texts, created by Lynn faculty. Priced at $475, the iPad mini will cost half as much as students were paying for print versions of their course readers, and they will get to keep the device.

When the Commission on Presidential Debates selected Lynn University as the site for the third presidential debate, it probably didn’t realize that hosting the debate would force Lynn to upgrade its wireless infrastructure to accommodate the thousands of reporters who would swarm the campus – and that those upgrades would be significantly discounted because of the debate. This turned out to be just the push the university needed to launch a program it had been discussing for a while: moving its new core curriculum to the iPad.

"We thought we were a few years out, but realized after the debate that we could throw that switch. We’re set up now for a mobile environment in a way we never were before," said Lynn President Kevin Ross.

University administrators had been eyeing a move toward the iPad for some time. Since revamping its core curriculum, an 18-month process that started in 2006, Lynn has been looking for ways to integrate technology. The core curriculum, called the Dialogues of Learning, is highly prescriptive, ensuring similar experiences for all students, and is grounded in the liberal arts.

By
Alexandra Tilsley

Full Story:

Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/01/15/lynn-university-require-all-new-students-buy-ipads

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Drexel U. Library Adds Vending Machine to Dispense Laptops

The new vending machine in Drexel University’s main library doesn’t dispense soda or study-time snacks. In fact, those snacks should be kept away from what this machine delivers, to keep crumbs from getting in the keyboards.

This kiosk lends out 15-inch MacBooks free, with the swipe of a Drexel ID card.

By Jake New

Full Story: http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/drexel-u-library-adds-vending-machine-to-dispense-laptops/41575?cid=wc&utm_source=wc&utm_medium=en