I saw that U-K's board just approved nearly two million dollars for their Smart Campus iPad program. Does this mean students are going to get free iPads, or is this just for faculty and staff?

The board approved the lease and purchase of equipment to support the next phase of the initiative, which includes providing approximately seventy-five hundred iPad kits, consisting of an iPad Air, Apple Pencil and keyboard, to students. So yeah, this is definitely about students getting iPads. The program started back in twenty nineteen and provides all incoming degree-seeking, first-time students with an iPad Air, keyboard, and Apple Pencil.

That's a pretty big investment. Are we talking about just freshmen, or does it go beyond that?

More than twelve thousand U-K-issued iPads are currently on campus being used by freshmen, sophomores, faculty and staff. So it started with incoming freshmen but has expanded to include sophomores and some faculty and staff too. The idea is that students can take advantage of evolving technology to shape their own campus experience, whether they're storyboarding complex projects, launching startups or building financial literacy through U-K Invests.

What's the thinking behind giving out all these iPads?

It's an initiative aimed at improving learning, graduation rates, and leveling the technological playing field for students. Heath Price from the university mentioned that providing iPads to students in twenty nineteen helped level the playing field at a critical moment. The university isn't just handing out tech for the sake of it. They want to close the digital divide and help students who might not have had access to these tools before college.

Makes sense. And with seventy-five hundred more iPads coming, sounds like they're doubling down on the approach.

Exactly. They've seen enough success with retention and student outcomes that they're expanding the program even more. It's become a pretty significant part of how U-K thinks about preparing students for their careers after graduation.

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