Bowdoin to Equip All Students with Apple Tools

Bowdoin College has announced it will provide every student with a suite of Apple technology as well as access to course-specific software in an initiative it's calling the Digital Excellence Commitment. The goal: to advance learning, inspire innovative teaching, and create digital equity across the student body in the use of tools essential for success in the twenty-first century," according to a press release.

Beginning in fall 2022, all current and future students will receive a 13-inch MacBook Pro, iPad mini and Apple Pencil, all paid for by the college. The rollout is an expansion of Bowdoin's summer 2020 iPad Initiative, which provided iPads to all students in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Among the benefits: Students will have consistent access to digital tools, dependable tech support, a shared learning experience and the ability to collaborate and innovate in a digital world, the college said. Students will have the option to pay $1 to keep their equipment when they graduate.

"During the pandemic we witnessed firsthand the power of a common technology platform for teaching and learning, along with the substantial and differential benefits that come with the combination of a MacBook Pro and an iPad with an Apple Pencil," explained Clayton Rose, president of the college, in a statement. "Our Digital Excellence Commitment allows us to level the playing field so that every student has the opportunity to fully benefit from the technology that plays an essential and growing role in the learning experience at Bowdoin. Our central mission is to deliver an exceptional liberal arts education along with the knowledge and skills students need to lead in our increasingly digital world."

About the Author

Rhea Kelly is editor in chief for Campus Technology, THE Journal, and Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • widescreen computer monitor displaying an AI-powered search engine interface with a search bar and futuristic icons

    Google, Microsoft Expand AI-Driven Search Capabilities

    Recent announcements from Google and Microsoft highlight a slough of AI capabilities for their search tools.

  • glowing shield with a lock symbol at its center, surrounded by stylized outlines of books, a graduation cap, and a laptop

    Why the Education Sector Needs to Get Better at Cyber Hygiene

    Despite the wealth of publicly available information about cyber attacks and the tactics used by malicious actors, many institutions appear unprepared to protect their students, faculty, and endowments from cyber threats.

  • illustration of a futuristic building labeled "AI & Innovation," featuring circuit board patterns and an AI brain motif, surrounded by geometric trees and a simplified sky

    Cal Poly Pomona Launches AI and Innovation Center

    In an effort to advance AI innovation, foster community engagement, and prepare students for careers in STEM fields and business, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona has teamed up with AI, cloud, and advisory services provider Avanade to launch a new Avanade AI & Innovation Center.

  • glowing brain, connected circuits, and abstract representations of a book and graduation cap on a light gray gradient background

    Snowflake Launches Program to Upskill 100,000 People in Data and AI

    Cloud data platform Snowflake is embarking on an effort to train and certify more than 100,000 users on its AI Data Cloud by 2027. The One Million Minds + One Platform program will provide Snowflake-delivered courses, training materials, and free access to Snowflake software, at no cost to learners.