Winona State University

SUMMARY

GATEWAY SOLUTION:Winona State University chose to standardize on Gateway notebook and desktop PCs through a seven-year agreement.• 4,000 Gateway® M275 Notebook-to-Tablet

PCs were handed out to incoming freshmen and current students eligible for a technology refresh, as well as to faculty and staff.

• 2,600 other Gateway® desktop and notebook PCs have been implemented throughout the campus in the past.

RETURN ON INVESTMENT:The University was able to hand out 4,000 systems in the first year of a seven-year notebook program. By providing PCs to each student, faculty and staff member, the University has been able to add classroom space by eliminating over 75 percent of its computer labs. Today, everyone on campus has 24/7 access to the Internet, documents and files from almost any building on campus.

CHALLENGE:The University wanted to implement a program that would put a Tablet PC in the hands of every student and faculty member. It needed a technology provider that offered a flexible PC solution, high-touch service and an affordable price. As the systems integrator for the program, the University needed a team player that would work with other vendors, helping the University keep costs at a minimum.

BACKGROUND:Winona State University, located in Minnesota, enrolls over 8,000 students and is divided into five distinct colleges. Its mission is to provide a high-quality, affordable education to undergraduate and graduate students.

“ The M275 isn’t just a neat piece of technology. It’s a learning tool for our students — it truly enhances the learning process at Winona State University.”

– Joe Whetstone, Vice President of Information Technology, Winona State University

An Education in FlexibilityGATEWAY NOTEBOOK-TO-TABLET PCs ENHANCE LEARNING VIRTUALLY ANYWHERE ON CAMPUS AT WINONA STATE UNIVERSITY

B AC K G RO U N D

Winona State University, with an enrollment of over 8,000 students, was

established as the first teacher-training institute west of the Mississippi. Today,

the University is divided into five distinct colleges, offering a comprehensive

base of liberal studies, as well as specialized professional, technological and

occupational degrees.

E D U C AT I O N C H A L L E N G E

Winona State University’s mission is to provide an affordable, high-quality

education to undergraduate and graduate students. The University wanted to

keep enrollment rates up, maintain the affordability of the institution, combine

advanced curricula with the latest technology and help its students become

comfortable with technology they would be using in their future careers.

Gateway recommends Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional.

E D U C AT I O N C H A L L E N G E

To uphold its mission by encouraging faculty to incorporate technology into their

curricula, Winona State University created a notebook program in which every

student and teacher would have a PC to use in and out of the classroom. The

objectives of the program included serving the students better and taking back

classroom space by eliminating a majority of the computer labs on campus.

Students would now be able to access the Internet, write papers and communicate

with faculty and other students anywhere on campus without needing to wait in

line for a computer. The University would save valuable dollars by being able to add

classes without having to build.

In the initial stages of the program, the University allowed students to either

purchase a specific notebook model from the school or to buy their own PC. With

multiple platforms in a single classroom, professors began spending more time

handling IT issues than teaching. Enhancing their curriculum through technology was

more of a challenge than benefit. Faculty also felt that the open notebooks created

a barrier between themselves and the students. The continuous clicking of keys as

students took notes during class created yet another distraction for the professors

and students.

G AT E WAY S O L U T I O N

In early 2004, the University decided to standardize with a single Tablet PC

provider. Standardizing would allow the faculty to teach instead of spending time

on IT issues and using a Tablet PC would eliminate the barrier created by notebook

screens and the continuous clicking of the keyboards.

The institution began a Request for Proposal (RFP) process, outlining a

standardized Tablet PC initiative that would allow Winona State University to be

the system integrator. This included the freedom to sign each vendor independently

and allow its IT staff to handle repairs in-house with a certified IT team. The ability

for vendors to work together and handle repairs in-house saves the University

valuable time and money. Several major technology suppliers responded to the

RFP, however, Gateway’s solution offered the most flexibility.

“They didn’t approach it as, ‘Here’s a solution. I hope you can make it work.’

Instead, the Gateway representatives asked us what we needed and did everything

they could to make sure it would work for us. Gateway just had more of a

team approach to our needs and that was the largest benefit of choosing them,”

explained Joe Whetstone, Vice President of IT at Winona State University.

As part of a seven-year deal, the University standardized on the Gateway M275

Notebook-to-Tablet PCs, some featuring the Intel® Pentium® M Processor and Intel

Centrino Mobile Technology.* Gateway provided a standard configuration, allowing

the University to create a custom hard disk image. From there, Gateway copied the

image onto the rest of the PCs, making sure the computers were ready to go out

of the box.

Each incoming freshman received an M275 at registration. Juniors reaching their

two-year refresh period and all faculty and staff of Winona State University also

received an M275 — adding up to over 4,000 systems in the first year alone.

According to Whetstone, the students involved in the decision-making process

chose the M275 because it offers a 14.1-inch XGA TFT display, allowing students

to write notes with a digital pen and view full documents. As for the faculty,

Whetstone said that the ability to lay the PC flat, to resemble a traditional paper

notebook and use a digital pen, eliminated the barriers that traditional notebooks

created. Now, students can jot down notes and keep them organized by class.

Following class, they can take the PC home and type term papers by converting

the Tablet into a traditional notebook.

A majority of the faculty at the University chose

to implement the new M275 PCs into their work in

the summer of 2004. Whetstone said that many of

the professors asking to refresh with the M275 were

people who hadn’t previously chosen to incorporate

technology into the classroom. Now those professors

are saying, “The students can take notes, draw

chemical equations and other images during class.

They couldn’t do that in previous years.”

R E T U R N O N I N V E S T M E N T

Although the agreement is still in early stages, Whetstone says he is very excited

about the reaction thus far. “The students and faculty have had no problems

adapting to the M275. We handed them out in June, along with a support number.

Over the summer, we did not receive any calls — that says something about the

quality and ease-of-use of the machines.”

As for the faculty, Whetstone said, “I’ve been in a few meetings with faculty who

use the PC and am amazed at how quickly they have adapted to the system.”

Today, the University has eliminated over 75 percent of the computer labs on

campus and plans to close even more. In their place, USB stations have been set

up, allowing students to plug into scanners, printers or Zip® drives.

Whetstone summarized, “This notebook initiative with Gateway is truly a

program, not just a computer. We

use the M275 PCs to increase

learning in and out of the

classroom. Gateway has done

everything they can to help us

lower costs and provide more

value for our students.”

“ When we receive the M275 PCs from Gateway, we can just hand them out. The systems are ready to go when the students open the box.”

– Joe Whetstone, Vice President of Information Technology, Winona State University

Gateway recommends Microsoft® Windows® XP Professional.

*Performance may vary. See www.intel.com for additional information. ©2005 Gateway, Inc. All rights reserved. Trademakrs used herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of Gateway, Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other brands and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Intel, Intel Inside, Centrino and Pentium are trademarks or registered trademarks of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. Not responsible for typographical errors. V205 Ad Code: 125885

800-211-4952 www.gateway.com/edu/casestudy2

Gateway® M275 PCs feature Intel® Centrino™

Mobile Technology*