Fresno State welcomed nearly 30,000 students back to campus this week and hundreds of undergraduates left with new technology meant to help them succeed over the next few years.
For the second year in a row, Fresno State offered incoming freshman and transfer students an iPad Air and Apple Smart Keyboard to use throughout the duration of their time as a Bulldog.
“I honestly don’t know how college would have been like without my iPad,” Fresno State sophomore Dani Gomez said. “I use it every day, every class, every time I go… it’s like my second hand.”
Gomez, a Tulare native, was among Fresno State’s incoming freshmen last year to receive free technology. She had been thinking about purchasing an iPad prior to college and was delighted when she learned about the program.
She described using the device while in class and taking more organized notes, which, in turn, has positively impacted her studies and grades. Gomez said she even sometimes uses the device to practice one of her many passions, like drawing.
The technology is available thanks to Fresno State’s DISCOVERe program. The program launched more than five years ago and has adapted over the last few years in order to fit students’ needs.
“In 2014, DISCOVERe launched and the goal then was basically to provide as much mobile technology to students as possible,” said Joseph Ross, an associate biology professor. . “The other component, which was really intentional and important, was to train the faculty how to use the devices in the classroom.”
Fresno State has more than 6,100 undergraduate students — 3,620 freshmen and 2,500 transfer students — who are considered eligible for the free technology.
So far, DISCOVERe staff have distributed 857 devices this semester, with nearly 1,000 appointments scheduled in the coming weeks.
Since its inception, more than 15,000 students have used the program. Currently, more than 400 faculty have been trained and 5,000 students and staff are using the Apple devices.
Throughout the year, student workers from all majors staff the hub, offering IT help to students and staff, as well as the general public.
Fresno State also offers DISCOVERe classes, where students and teachers use the free technology throughout the semester. Classes include business communication, introduction to dance, as well as elementary statistics to name a few.
To view a full list of this year’s DISCOVERe classes, click here.
The program, or something similar to it, may expand to other California State University campuses and its students as well.
Krishan Malhotra, Cal State Student Association president, visited Fresno State’s campus Thursday, checking out what the college offers students. The CSU Stanislaus student looked at Fresno State’s food pantry and clothing closet, as well as the school’s library.
“Part of the reason why I’m here is to kind of see what other campuses can take from,” Malhotra said. “We want everyone on a level playing field.”
The iPads and keyboards are loaned at no cost and do not impact potential financial aid packages.
Students eventually return the devices once they graduate. Depending on the device’s condition – and what new technology has become available since the initial loan – determines whether or not the device is retired or refurbished.
“Closing the digital divide is a critical component of our students’ success,” said Fresno State President Jiménez-Sandoval. “With all of the new, exciting, and at times overwhelming things a first-year Bulldog has to worry about, affording and accessing high-quality technology will not be one of them.”
Lauren Jennings covers education and news for the Visalia Times-Delta/Tulare Advance-Register. Follow her on Twitter @lolojennings. Get alerts and keep up on all things Tulare County for as little as $1 a month. Subscribe today.
