Message From ENT Chair, Professor Cooney
Dear entering Engineering Technology students,
Can you imagine doing your science or math homework without a calculator? Doing all those
calculations by hand (or slide rule)? Believe it or not, students used to do that!
In the 2010‐2011 academic year, the department of Engineering Technology at IUPUI is going to make a big step forward in how you receive your technology education: We are going to start using laptops in the classroom. During the fall 2010 semester we will recommend that all students in TECH 10400 and TECH 10500 bring a laptop, meeting our department’s specifications, to every class meeting. In TECH 10400, the laptops will be used to complete CAD work during class & lab times. In TECH 10500, the laptops will be used for a variety of activities during lecture and lab. During the spring, 2011 semester, laptops will be required for TECH 10400 and 10500. As this cohort of students move through the curriculum, more courses will rely on laptops – the same way current students rely on a calculator.
I realize that purchasing a laptop will be an expense – but it is an investment in your education that you will use in a variety of ways. When I was a freshman, I was in the first class required to purchase a calculator. My dad (an engineer) was furious. There was nothing a calculator could do that couldn’t be done on paper or with a slide rule. Why should I have to spend hundreds of dollars (back then) on a gadget? But, I spent my hard earned money on my TI calculator – and my homework went much faster and I did much better on tests. It was a very, very good investment. (Oh, and a few years later, my dad got one, too!)
Having all students bring a laptop to class will transform how classes are taught. I’m looking forward to the new ways I can teach and help you learn. And, I promise not to allow any ENT faculty to do this.
Elaine Cooney, ENT department chair
