Ohio State ends iPad program, new diverse school board members reflect on first semester
Good morning, Columbus!
It is officially one of my favorite times of the year: graduation season.
I'm a sucker for pomp and circumstance, and I love what graduations symbolize. Emotional endings, for better or worse. A fresh start. And, hopefully, some fond memories.
We have a few more weeks before Greater Columbus high school graduations begin, but college commencement season is in full swing. Congratulations to all the new Ohio University, University of Cincinnati and Otterbein University students who became alumni this past weekend!
Ohio State University, Capital University and Ohio Dominican University will host graduation ceremonies this coming weekend, and Columbus State Community College and Denison University will celebrate their grads the following week.
Review Session: Ohio State students had an eventful last two days of spring semester. Afternoon classes were cancelled on Monday following a water main break near campus, and the university announced Tuesday that it is changing its Digital Flagship technology program, most notably ending iPad distribution for students.
Digital Flagship, a collaboration between Ohio State and Apple, started in 2017 under former President Michael V. Drake with the intention to creating equitable access to technology among undergraduate students and to prepare them for a modern digital workplace. It was described then by the Dispatch as "the tech company’s most-aggressive collaboration with any university to date."
When the COVID-19 pandemic pushed thousands of students and instructors online all at once, the need to adapt technology needs accelerated more than university leaders anticipated, Executive Vice President and Provost Melissa L. Gilliam said in a universitywide email.
The program's centerpiece was its iPad distribution program, which provided each incoming freshman and transfer student with a new iPad Pro.
Now, Gilliam said Ohio State will take a "device-agnostic approach" by the beginning of fall semester, which means new students won't receive an iPad. Instead, the Office of Technology and Digital Innovation will provide loaner devices to students who need them.
Rumors had been swirling for months among students and instructors alike about the program's future, with no clear answer from Ohio State leadership.
When Digital Flagship began five years ago, the university encouraged instructors to integrate iPads into their courses, using them in class and developing their syllabi around the technology.
After learning the iPads may go away, some instructors raised concerns with university leaders. "It is all but impossible for us to go back to the past paper-based environment at this point," one document from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry objecting the change read.
The program was wildly popular among students, 94% of who said in a 2020 study that the iPads were a valuable tool for their Ohio State education.
Gilliam said there are positive changes to the program, like expanded access to Adobe Creative Cloud and "virtual desktop services," and the university's partnership with Apple will remain strong despite the change.
Extra Credit:
Michael Lee talked to several new suburban school board members of color what their first semester in office was like. One new official said: "These students were so excited about having representation at the top of our district by someone who looked like them."
Ohio State sports psychologists say athletes are saving lives and changing the narrative around mental health in athletics the more they share about their own struggles.
Hilliard Schools is spending $3.8 million to expand the district's preschool program — which will allow 64 more students to enroll starting next school year at the facility that integrates students with disabilities with their peers.
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Take care,
Sheridan Hendrix
Email: shendrix@dispatch.com
Twitter: @sheridan120
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: OSU ends iPad program, diverse school board members reflect on first semester
