SOUTH ORANGE, NJ – September 15, 2011: Seton Hall University announced today it is the first higher education institution in the U.S. to use Lenovo’sThinkPad Tablet PC, with more than 400 tablets now circulating amongst students and faculty in the Sciences, Honors and School of Business Leadership Programs. The University is making the 10.1-inch, Android 3.1 tablets a central part of its Mobile Computing Program as well as an essential teaching device.
Seton Hall students will use a variety of the ThinkPad Tablet’s pre-loaded applications. Documents to Go allows them to view and edit Microsoft Office documents and synchronize their latest papers with their desktops via USB or Bluetooth. In addition, the University is developing its own customized chemistry science application that aims to expand the classroom experience by delivering more interactive experiment processes for students.
“We believe the tablet will be instrumental in changing how students learn and influencing teacher-student interactions in and out of class,” said Michael Schmedlen, director of worldwide education, Lenovo. “With the ThinkPad Tablet, Seton Hall and other education institutions can take advantage of an incredible piece of hardware to complete assignments, consume multimedia content and collaborate with peers, all in a device that’s standardized and IT-friendly.”
ThinkPad Tablet and Laptop are University’s New Power Couple
Seton Hall continually pushes the envelope on technology leadership, so the ThinkPad Tablet deployment complements this commitment. Each year, the award-winning Mobile Computing Program outfits its incoming freshmen class with new Lenovo ThinkPad laptops to use in their classes. Now with tablets, the program enlarges students’ technology footprints with new ways to explore subject matter beyond the typical textbook, pen and notepad.
“We see tablets as the next wave of technology to implement to support teaching methods and learning outcomes,” said Stephen G. Landry, chief information officer, Seton Hall University. “The Lenovo ThinkPad Tablets are reliable companions to our ThinkPad laptops. We know this technology combination will appeal to our students for a long time to come.”
Hello to New Breed of Science Experiments
Say goodbye to the old days documenting data by hand with pen and paper. On the new Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet, students will use a soon-to-be released customized Android application developed by the University’s IT department to guide them through lab safety and instructional content. Students will complete the lab, and then create and submit their final reports for review through their Lenovo tablet. During the lab, students will write digitally using the digitizer pen to complete math and science equations. The days of the pencil may soon be erased forever!
Tablets Can Do What?
Students and faculty will explore how applications like Blackboard Mobile Learn, CourseSmart, DropBox and Wolfram Alpha deliver new ways to learn and teach. Seton Hall’s IT department will conduct three different surveys over the course of the semester to capture metrics on tablet usage to identify new levels of creative flexibility and positive learning experiences like increased faculty-student engagement and use of digital materials. The ongoing user assessment will allow the University and its peers in the higher education community to evaluate use cases and establish and share best practices on an ongoing basis.
Seton Hall University Joins Lenovo’s Global Education Research Initiative
The University’s tech prowess and commitment to leveraging new tools for classroom learning make it a perfect fit for Lenovo’s Global Education Research Initiative (ERI). Through this initiative, Lenovo seeks to gain insight into technology’s impact on the learning environment. Utilizing quantitative and qualitative research, the initiative seeks to measure the effect of technology on the learning experience from grade one through the university level.
About Seton Hall University
For more than 150 years, Seton Hall University has been a catalyst for leadership, developing the whole student, mind, heart and spirit. Seton Hall combines the resources of a large university with the personal attention of a small liberal arts college. Its attractive suburban campus is only 14 miles by train, bus or car to New York City, with the wealth of employment, internship, cultural and entertainment opportunities the city offers. Seton Hall is a Catholic university that embraces students of all races and religions, challenging each other to better the world through integrity, compassion, and a commitment to serving others. For more information, visit: www.shu.edu.
About Lenovo
Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a $US21 billion personal technology company serving customers in more than 160 countries, and the world’s third-largest PC vendor. Dedicated to building exceptionally engineered PCs and mobile internet devices, Lenovo’s business is built on product innovation, a highly-efficient global supply chain and strong strategic execution. Formed by Lenovo Group’s acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the company develops, manufactures and markets reliable, high-quality, secure and easy-to-use technology products and services. Its product lines include legendary Think-branded commercial PCs and Idea-branded consumer PCs, as well as servers, workstations, and a family of mobile internet devices, including tablets and smart phones. Lenovo has major research centers in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information see www.lenovo.com.
