Top-up fees present a unique opportunity to provide all students with laptops for only ?200-?250 a year ("Top-ups are non-negotiable", THES , September 12). The savings involved in cutting the number of public access clusters could be redirected to student support and basic software.
Research in public and private US universities shows that providing all students with a laptop enhances retention, improves grades and does not deter poor students.
When laptops are personally owned, they become important tools for learning, communication, research and productivity.
As they are used across campuses, study will occur in more places and collaboration between students in groupwork will increase.
Tom Franklin
Franklin Consulting