Josh Nehs –

Starting in the upcoming 2019 fall semester at University of Wisconsin–Stout, freshmen are going to receive their laptops in June before the start of classes. In the past, students would retrieve their laptops after they moved in.

Kelly Hoyland, the director at the learning & client technology services said, “Our campus was looking for a way to better engage with the new freshmen students between registration and orientation. The eStout laptop is a great tool for students to use to stay connected to campus even if they aren’t here in person.”

According to Hoyland, issuing student laptops during registration will help new students become comfortable with their laptops before coming to campus.

With many students needing to install programs and personalize settings, students now have the ability to get this done before the start of classes. Kelly Hoyland said, “[Freshmen] have enough to learn as they get to campus in the fall, without having to worry about getting their laptop setup how they want.”

In regards to this change, undecided freshmen, Jay Vang, answered some questions about his first semester at UW–Stout.

When speaking of his time moving onto campus and getting used to the laptops, Vang said, “At first it was a little difficult, but as time went by, when professors or technical staff helped teach us how to use it, it became easier. Having the laptop helped me a lot by having one in hand to check grades, financial aid and any other important information.”

When speaking on whether or not Vang thinks this new policy will help freshmen, he said, “I believe that it will ease the change because they will become more familiar with the technology beforehand. It’ll give a little background what to do and of what will be expected.”

The change is set to happen with the start of the upcoming fall 2019 semester for freshmen students. “We think this change will improve the new student experience for our incoming freshmen, “Kelly Hoyland said. “We are excited to see how this change works for new freshmen.”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *