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

  • handshake where one hand is human and the other is composed of glowing circuits

    Western Governors University Joins Open edX as a Mission-Aligned Organization

    Western Governors University is the first organization to join the Open edX project as a "mission-aligned organization" (MAO), a new category of institution-level partnership supporting development of the Open edX open source online learning platform.

  • glowing crystal ball with a simplified university building inside, surrounded by seamlessly blended holographic symbols of binary code, a bar graph, database icons, and a cloud, against a gradient blue and white background with softly merging circuit patterns

    3 Areas Where AI Will Impact Higher Ed Most in 2025

    What should colleges and universities expect from the evolving landscape of artificial intelligence in the coming year? Here's what the experts told us.

  • illustration of a football stadium with helmet on the left and laptop with ed tech icons on the right

    The 2025 NFL Draft and Ed Tech Selection: A Strategic Parallel

    In the fast-evolving landscape of collegiate football, the NFL, and higher education, one might not immediately draw connections between the 2025 NFL Draft and the selection of proper educational technology for a college campus. However, upon closer examination, both processes share striking similarities: a rigorous assessment of needs, long-term strategic impact, talent or tool evaluation, financial considerations, and adaptability to a dynamic future.

  • Stylized illustration showing cybersecurity elements like shields, padlocks, and secure cloud icons on a neutral, minimalist digital background

    Microsoft Announces Security Advancements

    Microsoft has announced major security advancements across its product portfolio and practices. The work is part of its Secure Future Initiative (SFI), a multiyear cybersecurity transformation the company calls the largest engineering project in company history.