Laptop Learning

On your first day, we’ll hand you a laptop computer. In two years, you’ll get an upgrade. In the fall of 1999, Southwestern College became the only college in Kansas and one of the few in the region to implement laptop learning into the curriculum.

Then in 2002, all of the public areas on campus went wireless—you can access the Internet from virtually anywhere you can carry your laptop on campus. Why is that important? For starters, you’ll graduate with the practical computer skills to land a top-notch job in a computer savvy world. But just as importantly, you’ll be able to connect to your professors, to research, and to other students just about any time, anywhere. It can improve the way you communicate, study, act, think, and learn.

What do I get?

You will be leasing a Dell Latitude D520 laptop. It will contain a 1.83GHz Core 2 Duo processor with 1 GB of DDR2-667 RAM, a 60GB SATA 7200 rpm hard drive, a CD-RW/DVD combo drive, and 14.1 XGA LCD display, with integrated network, wireless and sound cards.

Here’s the rundown:

• The laptop
• A carrying case customized with the SC logo and school colors
• Software including Windows XP with Internet Explorer 7, Microsoft Office 2003 (Word, Excel, Outlook etc.), FrontPage 2003, and Norton's Symantec Anti-virus software with automatic updates.
• Insurance - $500 deductible for theft and $250 deductible for student-generated, accidental breakage
• Warranty for hardware defects not attributed to damage
• Training on how to care for and use a laptop
• Help desk support