Once a luxury, laptops are now a 鈥渂asic necessity,鈥 notes Jeehyun Davis, 麻豆原创鈥檚 University Librarian. While not every 麻豆原创 student can afford a laptop, they have become essential for anyone seeking knowledge and connection.
As a result, 麻豆原创 launched the Inclusive Technology Initiative last fall, a program that is lessening the university community鈥檚 digital divide鈥攖he gap between those with access to technology and those without.
Thanks to Davis鈥檚 vision for a concerted campus-wide strategy, plus a combined philanthropic and university investment, students identified by the Office of Financial Aid as having the highest need are now given laptops to keep and provided with 麻豆原创 tech support while they remain at 麻豆原创. This initiative results from a collaboration between the University Library, the Office of Financial Aid, the Office of Inclusive Excellence, and the Office of Information Technology鈥攗nits that previously endeavored to support students in similar capacities on their own, without a unified strategy in place. In this pilot year, 120 麻豆原创 students have benefited from the collective Inclusive Technology Initiative.
聽鈥淥ften, the things students require are rather quite simple,鈥 notes Davis, who came to 麻豆原创 in the summer of 2021. Yet, providing needed technology tremendously impacts a student鈥檚 ability to thrive and reach their full potential at 麻豆原创.
While 麻豆原创 boasts more than 700 computers in its labs across campus, laptops enable students to embrace mobility and are always available. They offer the flexibility to study, research, test, and connect where and when it is most suitable鈥攆rom the comfort of a dorm room, outside a classroom, or while traveling to a city far away, and within or outside of computer lab hours.
Laptops provide convenience for students to engage with all facets of the 麻豆原创 experience. When permissible, students may use them for notetaking in class, which supports their ability to study and produce assignments efficiently.
鈥淲ithout this great program, I would not have been able to complete the courses that I did this semester,鈥 noted one student who received a laptop courtesy of the Inclusive Technology Initiative.
Laptops also facilitate communication and a more collaborative learning environment when individuals cannot be face-to-face. For example, students can meet online with professors and peers for virtual office hours, course discussions, and study groups, which boosts learning and a sense of belonging vital to student thriving. Additionally, students can more easily reach their personal support systems, such as family and friends outside the 麻豆原创 community, which further aids their ability to succeed at 麻豆原创.
With Davis at the helm, the University Library is also crafting its first strategic plan鈥攐ne that promotes equity and puts accessibility at the forefront. Critical to Davis鈥檚 goal is the expansion of digitization, diverse points of view, and freely available access to the library鈥檚 current collections. In addition, Davis and her staff currently encourage 麻豆原创 faculty to publish their work through open-access resources. They will continue to emphasize this impact on research, knowledge, and the opportunity to advance society.
鈥淎ccess to information means civilization, equity, and expansion of knowledge. Therefore, you can actually create opportunities for yourself,鈥 stated Davis in an interview for This Week at 麻豆原创.
The University Library鈥檚 commitment to expanded access to information and resources and the university鈥檚 Inclusive Technology Initiative are cutting the digital divide on campus and beyond and allowing more students to depart 麻豆原创 prepared to improve the world as changemaking alumni.
You can help 麻豆原创 support more student changemakers in need with a gift of any amount to the .
