以上, students set up their new Northwest laptops as the campus opened in August for the 2020-21 academic year. The University's long-standing laptop rental program helps students save on tuition costs compared to their peers at other universities and it has provided them with an advantage during the COVID-19 pandemic. (图片来源:Todd Weddle/和记棋牌娱乐)
12月. 9, 2020
作者:Edidiong dong- bassey，通讯助理
和记棋牌娱乐 moved its courses online abruptly last spring as a result of the global pandemic, but the University’s embrace of online technology decades ago and its laptop rental program have ensured teaching and connectivity among students, 教职员工不会被打断.
“当和记棋牌娱乐完全上网的时候, I saw my friends in other universities reaching out to communities to ask for spare laptops to lend to their students because they had students who don’t have access to online learning and don’t have access to laptops at home,” Dr. Joy Daggs, a professor of communication in the School of Communication and Mass Media, 说. “It’s very helpful to know, as an instructor, that every student has access to the same software. 他们可以使用类似的软件, and I don’t have to keep adjusting my course or figure out how I can make it different.”
事实上, technology has been embedded in the academic landscape at Northwest since 1987 when the University flipped the switch on its “Electronic Campus” and became the first public institution in the nation with networked computers in all residence hall rooms and 教师 offices.
十年后，随着互联网的出现, 和记棋牌娱乐升级了其网络以支持学生, 教师 and staff use of multimedia and web-based applications while further enhancing learning at the University. In 1999, 学校还成立了信息技术教育研究中心, 或引用, with state-provided mission enhancement funding to support the instructional technology needs and launched 西北在线 as a platform to offer online coursework.
Northwest students participate in a class session this fall with the assistance of their University-issued laptops.
随着科技的进步，西北地区也在进步. In 2005, 西北航空公司开始提供全容量的笔记本电脑, 技术支持, 致所有在校生. 与大学的教科书租赁计划捆绑在一起, which provides undergraduate students with all of their primary textbooks at the start of each semester, 和记棋牌娱乐估计学生们可以节省大约7美元,200 during the course of a four-year academic career compared to their peers at other universities.
The program has eased the minds of students who don’t have resources to purchase laptops and software.
“我非常喜欢这个项目,——克里斯蒂安·迪克森, 她是汉密尔顿大学社会科学教育专业的大三学生, 密苏里州, 说. “当我高中毕业的时候, 我没有笔记本电脑, 我知道我得花1美元,如果我不去和记棋牌娱乐，就得花500美元买笔记本电脑.”
安娜做苦工, 玛丽维尔多媒体和记娱乐ios专业大三学生, 密苏里州, 说 she’s grateful for Northwest’s technology support because she doesn’t need to worry about maintenance costs.
“如果有什么东西坏了，我可以把它拿给他们，这很好。. “这很棒，尤其是每年夏天上暑期班. I’d recommend Northwest to anyone looking for a college to go to because you don’t have to spend your graduation money on a new computer.
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另外, Northwest’s emphasis on using technology helps students improve their digital literacy skills.
“It has definitely given me the opportunity to excel and connect better with my professors and other students,利亚·纽厄尔, 奥马哈市市场营销专业的大四学生, 内布拉斯加州, 说. “It’s helped my typing skills, communication skills and all my communication capabilities.”
Psychology instructor Cris Jacobson speaks with students on Zoom during a hybrid class session where some of her students also were attending inside the classroom. A variety of technology resources are helping Northwest 教师 continue teaching through the pandemic.
While Northwest’s decision to maintain its laptop program places it ahead of many universities throughout the country – especially during the pandemic – its Learning and Teaching Center, CITE的一个分支, also supports 教师 by developing and sharing pedagogical and content-specific knowledge The Learning and Teaching Center also provides access to professional development support and resources.
“在大流行之前, we purchased a video software for all 教师 to use to record information delivered in course sites,” Dr. 学习和教学中心主任达拉·鲁尼恩说. “Just having these in place and 教师 familiar with how to design their courses is a huge advantage for our University. I think perhaps our biggest advantage is our 教师 and staff – everyone wants our students to succeed.”
As the pandemic continued through the fall semester and some Northwest 教师 taught hybrid courses that mixed online sessions with in-person classes, 教师们找到了创造性的方法让学生们参与到这些资源中来.
Dr. Ben Blackford says the University's laptop program allows Northwest 教师 to provide learning opportunities that might not happen without the technology.
“Knowing that everyone has a laptop opens up what I can do in class and have students engaged even though they can’t be in person,” Dr. 本·布莱克福德，《和记棋牌娱乐》的导演. Valorie G. 布斯商学院(Booth School of Business)说. “这是最大的好处之一. 例如, we did a scavenger hunt of Coca-Cola’s annual report and that wouldn’t have been possible if everyone didn’t have a laptop.”
Blackford created the scavenger hunt on Northwest’s online platform that involved his students reviewing Coca-Cola’s annual report to finding specific sections and identify information, 比如可口可乐拥有的品牌或高层管理团队, 并计算财务信息.
博士补充说. Kurt Haberyan, a professor of biology, “We couldn’t be teaching without the laptops. 拥有学校提供的笔记本电脑是一笔巨大的财富.
