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Franklin & Marshall has long provided a computational environment designed to encourage the integration of "computing across the curriculum." The College's approach to computing is consistent with the mission of liberal education -- the computer, and technology in general, is simply a tool that students employ as they learn how to learn. Viewed in this way, it matters little exactly which hardware and software is used. The College makes every effort to design and implement services (e.g., email, campus portal, course management system, file servers) that hold true to this statement. The Committee on Academic Technology believes that we can use information technology most effectively by limiting the numbers and kinds of hardware and software we must support.
The faculty of the College, through the Committee on Academic Technology, recommends personal ownership of a Macintosh computer and a standard suite of application software (e.g., Word, Excel, Powerpoint). The Committee is confident with this recommendation because we have a proven track record in providing a superb set of support services to our students who elect to follow our suggestion.
Consequently, the College provides support for the Macintosh platform. The Committee recognizes that not all individuals will choose to follow our recommendations. The College provides limited formal support (e.g., connecting to the network, using our servers, installing application and virus protection software) to other platforms (currently Windows XP) by appointment through the Help Desk.
If a student should choose to use a Windows or other type of personal computer, he or she will have access to our campus network in order to use the World Wide Web, Blackboard course management system, myDiplomat campus portal, e-mail, eDisk, the wireless network and download standard applications and virus protection software.
Students may be asked to use special purpose applications (e.g., Mathematica, SPSS, DataDesk, GIS) for academic assignments. The College provides public access computers in departmental labs and clusters for this purpose. The Faculty member provides support for these curriculum specific applications.
Committee on Academic Technology
Last Updated: March, 2004
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