Why NWU requires laptop access for admission this year
The North-West University (NWU) requires all incoming first-year students to have access to laptops or personal computers from this year.
Louis Jacobs, NWU spokesperson, said, “a technology requirement for first-year admission to an academic programme at the NWU will be added to the yearbooks of all faculties. This means being in possession of a laptop, or an equivalent device, to allow students to participate in learning and assessment activities, will be compulsory and an admission requirement for all first-time entrants to all qualifications and programmes, as from 2021”.
Jacobs said this decision follows the challenges of 2020 and the impact the Covid-19 lockdown had on the university in trying to accommodate students away from campus. According to Jacobs, “the university had to buy more than 3 500 laptops, which were then handed out to students on a loan basis”. Jacobs said this came at a cost of just under R20 million, which meant students could not simply be given laptops for free, saying “even though the demand was a lot higher, there were financial implications that we had to take into account”.
Franciska Bothma, Executive Adviser to the NWU Deputy Vice-Chancellor, said that due to various struggles they experienced with the loan programme, such as difficulty in contacting students, courier problems, and non-collection, the laptop programme ended on 22 November.
Bothma said the reason for the decision to require computer access for first-year students from 2021 onwards, was largely due to the aforementioned challenges, but said the NWU also expects the first semester of 2021 to be online. Bothma said, “we realised that the university has always been moving in the direction of a more blended learning approach where students need to have access to platforms where they can study online, and get electronic services and electronic books online”.
According to Bothma the NWU is not attempting to restrict prospective students’ access to university, “we’re trying to tell students this is the way the university is going. We need you to have access to a laptop to be able to complete certain activities at certain points in time to complete the academic year”. She said many other universities have gone a similar route, and the NWU needs to keep up with a changing learning environment.
Professor Mpho Chaka, Deputy Dean of Teaching and Learning for the Potchefstroom Faculty of Humanities, said the change will be beneficial not only to the university but to students as well, considering the issues they faced during distance learning under the national lockdown last year.
According to Chaka, specialist programmes such as graphic design have both theoretical and practical requirements, for which students must have access to a suitable computer to complete their work.
Professor Flip Schutte, Director for Undergraduate Studies in Law at the Potchefstroom campus, said computer access is no longer optional for students: “It is just as essential as a textbook, a tool that they can no longer do without and that they will use every day in the future”.
Schutte said blended learning has been the NWU’s goal for some time, and said students will spend less time in class and more time in front of the computer and can expect more online assessments in the future. “This is the trend worldwide and is backed by the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution where computer technology is being used to perform more and more tasks. Lawyers will also need to know more about technology in the future in order to properly advise their clients,” said Schutte.
Marco le Roux, Director of the Centre for Engineering Education at the Potchefstroom campus, said the Engineering Faculty has had an easier time in adapting to at-home online learning, as computer access has been mandatory for the past five years. Le Roux said modern job requirements already necessitate computer usage. “Engineers work on computers almost exclusively. All design and problem-solving calculations are done on computers, as are simulations.”
What to look for when buying a laptop
The different faculties of the NWU advised the university’s IT department on the specific requirements needed for each course. The document, shared with threestreamsmedia journalists by Geraldine Gerhardi (53), IT communication officer at the Potchefstroom Campus, explains what to look for when choosing a laptop.
The document contains five categories of laptops the NWU advises students to buy, varying from entry-level, to high-end laptops with specialised hardware and software. According to Gerhardi students will be fine if they buy laptops such as those indicated on the list.
Source: IT Department
Each faculty advised on the specifications needed in a computer or laptop to ensure that students and their sponsors make informed choices when buying.
We considered these specifications, hunted around on Takealot and came up with 5 the following suggested buys for students commencing their studies in 2021:
Source: Takealot
What to avoid when buying a laptop:
- Promotional and less reputable brands that might impact the support the laptop/computer offers.
- 32-bit CPU’s have very limited performance, only buy 64-bit capable devices.
- Internal storage with less than 120GB storage.
- Laptops with less than one-year warranties, preferably try to get three year warranties.
Consider the following:
- Consider including a locking kit to lower the chances of the unit being stolen.
- Most laptops come standard with a webcam and mic, a webcam slider helps to ensure privacy.
- Some laptops might be eligible for purchase by using a lay-by or credit option.
- Student software discounts. Microsoft Windows, for example, has student discounts. Gerhardi adds that, “Van Schaiks on the Bult also has a few deals for student laptops”.
- When hunting down specials remember to think of support and warranty returns as couriers and time without your device will hamper your studies, rather buy from local or reputable sources.