Below is a list of questions we have either received or anticipated about the Tablet PC. If you cannot find the answer to your question here, please email the Director of Information Technology.
What if I want to buy a Mac or other platform?
Students bringing or purchasing laptops including the Apple Macbook Pro are still expected to have a Windows 7 Slate w/pen or convertible tablet pc available for class. Please see the College of Engineering Computer and Software Requirements Policy Statement for information about the consequences for deviating from the College requirement.
Why can't I buy an external USB drawing pad?
External drawing pads do not completely emulate using a pen on the screen. They require extra cognitive skills to use effectively which distract from the learning process. They also require significant eye-to-hand coordination. Student pilot studies indicated these devices were unsatisfactory substitutes for Tablet PCs. Please see the College of Engineering Computer and Software Requirements Policy Statement for information about the consequences for deviating from the College requirement.
How are we going to use the Tablet PC?
Your introductory engineering classes, ENGE1024 in the Fall Semester, and ENGE1104 or ENGE1114 in the Spring Semester will make extensive use of the tablet. Without a Tablet PC or slate, you may not be able to participate in class or submit assignments. In addition you can use your tablet in other classes to take notes and read e-textbooks. Handwriting ability on tablets also makes math equations and diagramming easy. Various classes across departments and levels may use the Tablet PC in class.
Will I just use this for one or two classes and then never need the Tablet PC functionality again?
No, many first and second year engineering professors will have specific applications for the Tablet PCs in their classes. You will learn its capabilities in the Engineering Education first year classes and discipline specific gateway courses during your second and third years. Unlike a "critical" textbook which ends up never being opened after the class is over, the Tablet PC functionality will continue to be useful throughout your academic career in engineering. The list of classes continues to grow, both in and out of the engineering curriculum as more faculty join the initiative.
What are the screen sizes for Tablet PCs and slates?
Currently, there are a wide variety of screen sizes available from 10" to 14". Student Technology Council members found the smaller screens less desirable than the additional weight associated with larger screen size devices.
Why did you not change the base-level requirements this year?
Based on input from our faculty, the Student Technology Council, and current students we decided to offer our students more flexibility and choice by not raising the standards. We also expanded the requirement to allow a greater choice in platform. Also, many vendors aren't planning to upgrade their platforms until Windows 8 is released later in the fall.
I have friends in college who have laptops. They say there's no reason to bring them to class. Why make me get a Tablet PC?
We are seeing a drastic shift in how engineering is being taught in the 21st Century as mobile computing technologies and human computer interactions get better defined in education. The Tablet PC is now offering professors and students ways to interact during and outside of class time that was not possible before. The limitations of laptops for note taking are what prevent students from taking their laptop to class, instead opting for the traditional paper notebook. The Tablet PC provides a more natural way to enter notes, and will provide more reasons, not less, to bring your computer to class.
Don't tablets cost more and offer less power than traditional laptops?
The gap has been closed. Many traditional laptops have a corresponding Tablet PC with the exact same specifications, but with the Tablet PC pen functionality costing an extra $200-$300 depending on vendor.
Isn't this an unprecedented move?
Unprecedented? Yes. Unsupported? No. We have been using Tablet PCs in several of our engineering classrooms for several years, but they were lab machines or loaner tablets owned by the College. To fully realize the benefit of this new technology, students must take ownership of the machines so they will use them to their full potential.
With the laptop requirement, wasn't it just used in the first two years? Is the same going to happen with the Tablets?
It's true that for some students their in-class use of the laptops waned after the classes were no longer specifically built around the computer. One of the main points behind the Tablet PC requirement is that it offers a lot more value to students because of its flexibility in the classroom. To get students to bring their computer to class more often, they must get more out of it from having it there. This is exactly the value-add the Tablet PC offers. We have also invested in a software package (DyKnow Vision) that is being adopted by faculty across the college and leverages Tablet PC technology throughout the curriculum.
I've heard other schools are recommending the tablet instead of requiring, why don't you do this?
We'd have to have two sections of every course. If a professor couldn't count on using the Tablet PC in his/her classroom, those without Tablet PCs could be left out, and those with Tablet PCs would feel like it was a waste if they didn't use them.
Why don't you just tell us what we need to use our computer for, and then let us decide?
Similar to the question above, if professors couldn't count on a certain level of technology available in their classrooms, then students with extra technology would be unable to make use of it. Students with less technology would be left at a disadvantage. Just like course prerequisites ensure a common level of knowledge among students, a computing requirement ensures a common level of technology.
What was the problem with laptops that caused you to want tablets?
There was no specific problem we wanted to address with the Tablet PCs. By continually raising the computing requirement each year we stay ahead of many challenges to the education process. Additionally, we are not just proactively avoiding technology issues, but we are continually on the lookout for new tools that allow the student to make the most of his/her career. The Tablet PC is one of these tools.
What is the educational value of tablets?
See this list of software that use Tablet PC functionality. By allowing students to work with software in a more natural way, the computer has less overhead involved, and students can get straight to learning.
Are there any tradeoffs between a Tablet PC and a regular laptop at all?
Yes, but they are minimal. By not getting a Tablet PC, you would save between $200 and $300, but all features available on regular laptops are also available on Tablet PCs, with exceptions for some of the very large wide screen laptops.
What benefit do slates have?
Slates are the next logical step for the tablet initiative. Now that they have begun to gain in power and offer Windows based operating systems, they offer most of the benefits of the Tablet PC’s that predated them. While they still lack the same amount of power of modern Tablet PC’s, they are becoming increasingly popular in the consumer market and therefore are becoming both more powerful and less expensive.
Why do I have to have a laptop if I buy a Slate?
Slate tablets, though they are improving quickly, are not yet as powerful as Tablet PCs. Because many of the programs engineering students must use have enormous hardware requirements, if a student just had a slate, they could be severely limited on what programs they could use. Therefore it was decided that Slate Tablets must be accompanied with laptops with equal power to the hardware requirements of a Tablet PC in order to prevent this from becoming an issue.
Are Tablet PCs as stable as laptops?
Absolutely! The Tablet PC hardware (except for the screen which allows pen input) is the same as standard laptops and no more or less reliable.