COLUMBIA, S.C. (courtesy allenuniversity.edu) — Allen University, in collaboration with Apple, will complete a dramatic transition to a fully functional Apple Campus in the spring semester of 2022. Faculty, staff, and administrators began receiving iMacs and/or iPad Airs in the summer of 2021. After spring registration, all students in good standing will receive MacBook Airs with Apple’s M1 chip.
This initiative “is further evidence of Allen’s commitment to provide students with tools and experiences that facilitate achieving all that they can imagine whether to excel on career paths or pursue graduate studies,” said Dr. Ernest McNealey, Allen University president. “Becoming an Apple Campus was informed in part by the multi-sensory learning and capabilities Apple products provide, as well as the view that such a path creates possibilities not generally available across the breadth of a typical campus,” McNealey continued.
Apple Professional Learning Specialists will provide assistance in quickly learning the hardware and software so everyone can get the most out of the technology, according to Dr. Eric Gamble, Allen University vice president for information technology and Planning.
“Allen wants to provide an immersive environment where students get exposure and experiences that can propel the use of technology beyond the status of ‘just a tool.’ We want them to be so deeply engrossed with their thematic cares that their curiosity and creativity is amplified with MacBook Air” Gamble concluded.
Through immersion in creating and consuming content, students and faculty are expected to develop levels of synergy that will significantly change learning within traditional instructional settings. The university sees this as being particularly important as it begins a new program of preparing teachers for public school systems.
“To be an effective teacher of English and Communications, you need to be engulfed in the areas people use to communicate,” said Dr. Kevin Trumpeter, Allen dean of Arts and Humanities. “It’s helpful to have access to the technological capacity to teach in the ways people are communicating today. Programs like GarageBand or iMovie can very well compliment or replace traditional essay assignments in English classrooms. This level of access will help teachers perform in a more effective and professional manner.”
“At Apple, we believe that technology can enhance and extend teaching and learning, all while fostering creativity and collaboration skills,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of education and enterprise marketing. “By providing all students, faculty and administrators access to Apple products, Allen University is creating an environment that will enable students to achieve powerful new levels of innovation and community building.”
Allen guarantees a learning experience that is active, inspiring, collaborative, and relevant — specifically designed to give students permission to push the boundaries of creative expression.
