Seton Hall University Distributes the Multi-Mode PC to Students as Part of Mobile Computing Program: Back to School with a Lenovo ThinkPad Helix Students will Use the Convertible Device for Lab and Field Work
Seton Hall University and Lenovo today announced students have arrived on campus with a Lenovo ThinkPad Helix. The University has circulated more than 2,000 ThinkPad Helix devices to all incoming undergraduate freshmen and returning juniors as part of its Mobile Computing Program. The ThinkPad Helix is a premium hybrid convertible device – a PC and a tablet in one. Students can use it as a fully functioning laptop when they need a standard keyboard for content creation, “rip and flip” the tablet 180°and snap it back into the base for giving presentations, or fully detach the tablet for use in science labs or field work.
Equipped with Windows 8, the ThinkPad Helix functions first as a high performance Ultrabook. It has a full-size keyboard and a new five button clickpad that boasts 20 percent more surface area than traditional ThinkPad clickpads. When detached from its base, the tablet becomes the thinnest Intel® 3rd generation Core™ tablet with vPro, and has an on-board pen for easy navigation and interaction. The device’s 10 hour battery life redefines expectations for mobile computing by bringing together innovative technology and engineering that essentially eliminates the need to carry both a laptop and tablet.
Every incoming undergraduate freshman received a ThinkPad Helix during summer orientation and used the device for online activities to help them engage with their new classmates and campus. Returning juniors also received a Helix, and have the option to keep the device when they graduate.
First Impressions
Elizabeth Burke, a freshman business major, has been using the ThinkPad Helix for two months and is impressed with the dual modes – which will conveniently allow her to use the device in the classroom, library and dorm room. She also likes the Windows 8 platform – the center button makes jumping between programs and apps easy and fast. One of Elizabeth’s favorite features is the onboard pen. “The pen is great for highlighting and taking notes in the device while I’m reading,” said Burke. “It allows me to be as active a reader as I am with my regular textbooks.”
Rising senior Drew Holden served on the selection committee that selected the ThinkPad Helix. He is a proponent of the device due to its ease of use, flexibility as a laptop and tablet, and its light weight. “Another big selling point is the battery life,” said Holden. “I’m in the classroom two days of the week for eight hours each day, and the battery life is attractive because I can charge the device at night and use it all day without having to worry about it dying.”
Seton Hall expects the ThinkPad Helix to be particularly useful for students in programs with hands-on lab and field work:
Students wearing gloves in science lab can use pen input and not worry about getting chemicals on the touch screen. They can also use the pen to handwrite, rather than type, science and math equations.
The ThinkPad Helix can give nursing students greater exposure to mock charting during practical education. Due to patient privacy rules, students are unable to handle patients’ medical charts, but they can bring their tablet and use the on-board pen to write their observations.
Education majors will also use the ThinkPad Helix during their practical visits to capture their observations in the classroom by pen, photo, video or audio recording.
“Seton Hall has been a 1:1 computing campus since 1998. Our students are vocal about their requirement of Microsoft Office, so we wanted to choose a device for the program this year that would fully capitalize on the benefits of Windows 8,” said Paul Fisher, associate chief information officer, Seton Hall. “The ThinkPad Helix gives our students the flexibility to meet all academic demands on the Windows 8 interface with either the pen or 10-point touch inputs in laptop and tablet form factor.”
“The ThinkPad Helix is an ideal device for enhancing student learning experiences in higher education,” said Sam Morris, worldwide education segment executive, Lenovo. “Students will complete assignments and gain practical experiences in and out of the classroom using the Helix with its portability, extended battery life and multiple use modes. We are confident this technology adoption will result in learning outcomes that will later serve as a model for other higher education institutions.”
Faculty Engagement
Seton Hall faculty each receive a refreshed device on a cycle of every three years, meaning about 150 will receive a ThinkPad Helix this year. Fisher anticipates faculty will use the device to write notes on the tablet and project onto a whiteboard during class. This will allow faculty to face students and remain engaged throughout class, rather than turn their back to write on the board. Faculty can also save the notes and send to students after class, so students can spend their time in the classroom actively listening and interacting instead copying every note on the board.
“The new Lenovo Helix provides faculty with enormous flexibility when infusing information technology into our learning environments,” said John H. Shannon, professor, Stillman School of Business at Seton Hall. “It allows me to move seamlessly between the tablet and laptop mode in any situation. The hybrid design of the Helix increases my ability to respond to the learning needs of my students.”
IT Team Dream
This is the first time in eight years that the majority of Seton Hall’s student body will receive the same device, streamlining IT support. These Windows 8 OS devices will seamlessly integrate with the existing IT environment, as the University’s IT department has been supporting Windows for years. Their familiarity with the platform allows them to keep data on the tablets as secure as on the laptops. Seton Hall is also a Microsoft Office 365 customer, so student email, file storage, collaboration, IM, telepresence and video conferencing are all in one cloud and available to everyone. “Students and faculty can communicate and collaborate at all times with easy integration into email and the office productivity suite,” said Fisher.
About Seton Hall University
One of the country’s leading Catholic universities, Seton Hall University has been a catalyst for leadership — developing students in mind, heart and spirit — since 1856. Home to nearly 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students and offering more than 80 rigorous majors, Seton Hall’s academic excellence has been singled out for distinction by The Princeton Review, US News & World Report and Bloomberg Businessweek. In recent years, dozens of Seton Hall students have been chosen for highly selective national and international awards, including Rhodes, Boren, Pickering and Udall scholarships. Since 2009, 13 Seton Hall students have been awarded Fulbrights, and others have been Truman finalists and Critical Language Scholars. Seton Hall, which embraces students of all religions, prepares its graduates to be exemplary servant leaders and caring global citizens. Its attractive main campus is located in suburban South Orange, New Jersey, and is only 14 miles by train, bus or car to New York City, offering a wealth of employment, internship, cultural and entertainment opportunities. The university’s nationally recognized School of Law is prominently located in downtown Newark. For more information, visit www.shu.edu.
About Lenovo
Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a US$34 billion personal technology company – the largest PC maker in the world and an emerging PC Plus leader – serving customers in more than 160 countries. Dedicated to 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, a global Fortune 500 company, has major research centers in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information see www.lenovo.com.
