Thursday, June 29, 2006

Laptop locha

Is it fair for an MBA institute to insist that a student buys a laptop before joining the course? Anupam Pathak thinks not. After securing admission in XISS Ranchi, Anupam learnt that he would have to pay Rs 50,000 extra for a laptop in order to join the course.

According to a TOI report , the Xavier Institute, in its website, has cited rules of the All India Council for Technical Institutions (AICTE) for introducing this clause.

Aggrieved parents of successful students have approached the AICTE seeking relief as they claim the council has not prescribed any such clause.

One of the parents, Pramod Pathak, who happens to be HOD, management studies, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, said the XISS management was forcing students to buy laptops in order to give up its responsibility of providing the necessary infrastructure.

He said his son, Anupam Pathak, was denied admission by the management of XISS as he refused to buy the laptop computer from the institute. "This is sheer high-handedness and in order to teach them a lesson I have lodged a complaint with AICTE." Pathak said.


But XISS is not alone...

At NMIMS, laptops are compulsory. The institute offers 3 options to students who wish to buy through the instiitute.

Christ college of Management in Bangalore clearly states that 'every MBA student has to acquire a laptop computer and other necessary textbooks and study materials'.

In fact way back in 2004 XLRI and S P Jain made it compulsory to buy a laptop.

I'm sure there are many others...

Now I am unclear what is the issue - that students must buy a laptop, or that students must buy a laptop from XISS.

Generally if the college places a bulk order students get a better price. But students should be allowed to get their own, so that no one can crib about being over-charged or not getting a desired config.

Asking for the laptop separately from the fee is a good practice. It is more transparent than quoting X lakhs as fees and advertising 'free laptop'.

The question is this: should mandatory laptops be seen as:

a) A cheap way for institutes to wriggle out of providing a computer lab facility on a 1: 1 ratio basis?

b) Or, should it be seen as a smart way for an institute to deal with a space/ resource crunch?


Secondly, do laptops facilitate learning - or do they hamper it? Some professors at Harvard Law School recently pulled the plug on wifi access and laptops in their classrooms. Same goes with Harvard Business School. Elizabeth Warren, one of the profs who nixes laptops says they interfere with class discussions and student participation.

What do you guys think?

And is Anupam's objection justified? XISS does claim to have a state-of-the-art computer lab... If a particular student does not wish to buy a laptop should he/ she be allowed to exercise a say in the matter?

Since I graduated long before the laptop era (heck, we had green monochrome monitors and Busybee PCs back then!) I would like to know what exactly is a laptop used for during class. My guess would be:
a) To take notes (but for that you could also use paper)
b) To use certain tools etc w.r.t. classwork (a plain calculator might do just as well)
c) To make presentations (you can always bring the file on a CD)
d) To research stuff online (although that could wait until after class I would think!)
e) Just, we're addicted to it. Well find a use for it!

And I'm pretty sure if I were in a boring lecture and had a laptop with wifi access, I'd be busy checking my email... Do you?

30 comments:

  1. Having already gone through the first year of an MBA program, I must say that it is quite unnecessary to have a laptop, although it does add to the 'glamour' quotient.

    Laptops are not at all required during our classes for taking down notes (in most cases, the faculty discourages us from having a laptop open as he/she feels that the student isn't paying attention). Yes, the laptop might be a help during presentations, but these can certainly be transferred to the class computer through either the intranet mail facility or floppy/CD/pen-drive. As for online research, most of it is done in the hostels and there's no reason why one should have a laptop instead of a PC. Although our institute is still not wi-fi enabled, I'm certain that laptops will not be allowed once it is since most students would utilise the facility to browse stuff online during boring lectures!!

    However, the laptops are a great help during the summer training (it was in my case). And I presume, having a laptop would be an added help once you step out into the real world. I guess it would be better to be already armed with one rather than go hunting for a good deal when you've just landed yourself a job.

    In all fairness, although laptops are not necessary for an MBA education, the student should be given an option whether he would prefer to buy a PC for his hostel room or shell out the extra money for a laptop.

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  2. Laptop in a B-Skool Shd not be mandatory but then one needs a computer in the hostel anyway for working..buying a laptop instead adds an element of mobility and bulk buying certainly helps...a bulk order at scmhrd, Pune got a price of 42K last year for HP Nx 6120, also lot of help during summers when one can carry one's own data base to the company or work on field on it..also group assignments are facilitated by this great device..its no more a glamou, its a convenience...

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  3. We use it for forecasting,business decision modeling in our Class. The laptops are not allowed duringt the classroom session as it is a distractor but otherwise,most of the assignments are done on the laptop.The class schedules,announcements are done of the class portal.It is a necessity for us.In the business world,managers would work on excel sheets. So, I believe laptops are necessary.

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  4. Yes, if I were in a boring lecture and had a wifi laptop, I'd check my mails... but then, if I had a pen and paper, I'd be just doodling. But coming back to the topic, NO, laptops should NOT be made mandatory in any educational institutions. There could be students who can afford the most high end laptops... but what about the people who cannot even afford a locally assembled desktop? It is not fair to make that kind of distinction in a classroom.

    Laptops can help in research. But so can a desktop in a lab provided by the B-school. Laptops can help in carring lots of data. You can always burn it on a CD. (P.S. There are still people who find it very convenient to carry huge binders of properly indexed print outs and scribbled notes)

    Last but not the least, has our country reached there yet where a laptop for every student becomes a necessity??

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  5. Agree to the fact that students shouldnt be forced to buy a laptop through the college..being an MBA fresh out of a b school I understand the importance of a computer and also the convenience of a laptop comapared to a desktop, but there was even a guy who went through the 2 years without owning either of those. so the decision should be of the student finally. And another clarification- having joined XLRI in 2004, i know that we werent forced to buy a laptop through the college. Lots of my batchmates had desktops along with the one who used the college compter centre.

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  6. Agree to the fact that students shouldnt be forced to buy a laptop through the college..being an MBA fresh out of a b school I understand the importance of a computer and also the convenience of a laptop comapared to a desktop, but there was even a guy who went through the 2 years without owning either of those. so the decision should be of the student finally. And another clarification- having joined XLRI in 2004, i know that we werent forced to buy a laptop through the college. Lots of my batchmates had desktops along with the one who used the college compter centre.

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  7. Laptops in a classroom are of great use, and if the campus is wi-fi, laptops are a necessity. Soon after our campus went on wi-fi, guys slept lesser in the class and were more attentive....in playing CS, AOE...watching movies, preparing for the forthcoming intercollege competition and what not.
    Approximately 40% of the day which was earlier wasted in the classes was put to better use :D
    Jokes apart,
    In Anupam's case I realize that the colleges are trying to implement best management practices by outsorcing the buying and maintainence of the IT infrastructure.
    But how right or wrong is it, only a financial proper financial analyis from colege's and the student's perspective could provide the answer because ideally as a manager, this option should be a win-win situation for both. But for that I think we sincerely lack data.

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  8. I come from a generation, not too long ago(definitely not hte ones with a white beard!), that went through iim without a desktop or even a dream of it, so I laugh when I hear laptops are 'mandatory'! We had good comp labs and the institute made sure there were enough systems; we never had a problem. Infact, my sister refused to go to iima, and one of the reasons was that the institute was forcing her to get her own computer!(ok, she's not weird, she had other reasons too!)

    I believe that when an institute charges an astronomical fee, they have an obligation to provide the required facilities, and forcing students to buy laptops is just reneging on this!

    I agree with the posts here that it would be useful during summer internship...but hey, I'd like a body massage after every day of summer internship too...can my institute please do anything about it?!!
    And as regards having to take notes during classes, well, nothing tells me that the course has gotten any tougher than the days when people had to do projects without google! So c'mon, gimme a break. Get your laptop if you want to, but don't force me to!!

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  9. luckily some sane(minus Dr.Anbumani Ramadoss) people exist in the medical academia, else they would have made it compulsory for the student doctors to bring(find) own dead bodies or patients.

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  10. laptops shd be made only an option but not a complusary thing to carry with, here in MS we guys also do carry laptops to classes sometimes, but how constructive work do we do on them is ofcourse a question. we log in to the messanger if the lecture starts to sound boring and there are other 1000 ways to pass time on the internet. Laptops seem to be a need only in the classes when the prof is demonstrating something and he wants the students to go along with him. But for such classes we have a room where every seat equips a PC n those are used. Since laptop is used mostly but not mandatory, we also do have computer labs with 1:1 ratio.several b-schools which have adequate funds can follow the same procedure instead of pestering the students to buy a laptop.

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  11. When all the families in my colony were buying cars in 1999, I thought it was just for the glamor factor. Now, whenever I'm in Bombay I can't think of going anywhere without my Santro. When all my friends first started getting cellphones in 2001, again, I thought it was just another expense and that I had gotten along fine without it for so many years. But now, I feel handicapped without it.

    The only point I am trying to make, very incoherently I admit, is that all these external accessories are a value add. Are they absolutely crucial for life to move on? Obviously not! Can they be abused (distractions in class, signing on to MSN and chatting away to glory), absolutely. But the real question is not of abuse, but whether they can add value. And I think, yes.

    The school where I puruse my undergrad has a similar rule. All students must have laptops. Now, the students are free to buy their own laptop, or buy it from the school, but they have to have a laptop, that satisfies certain minimum requirements. And in the past three years it has been an amazing resource. Homework questions in several classes are posted and the solutions are submitted online, resources are made available, and you will not believe how empowering it is to have google at your fingertips, wherever you are. The entire campus is wireless (buildings, fields, parks etc.), so I can chose to sit down and do my work wherever I want to. Now, at 2 AM when you're in your room working on something, or if you're sitting somewhere (outside of your comp. lab / dorm room), or you're at the bus stop and you want to know when the next bus is coming and suddenly you need to use the internet or even just some software on a computer as a resource, would you rather run down to the lab or have it handy in your backpack.

    I don't know to what extent a laptop is relevant for an MBA program, (online research, Excel and Word are the only things I can think of), but in engineering, with the plethora of CAD, SPICE and modelling tools, it has proven to be quite useful. It's a HUGE convinience. Anyone who doesn't have it, will testify that they don't need it and can achieve success without it. I completely agree with that camp. Those who have it (moi) will attest to its convinience and state that their productivity has definitely improved because of it.

    Now, if a school dictates that the student must ONLY buy the laptop from the school, then I agree, "daal main kuch kaala hain". But if the school believes that their students will be benefitted by this additional accessory and that it choses to model its curriculum around the fact that students possess this resource, then they are free to do so. I can't complain because I got mine as a part of my scholarship. But still, how can you justify statements like - some students are too poor to afford it? If you have the self-confidence and faith that you will get a decent job after graduation, then just take a loan.

    No top tier school will apologize for it's policies or fees. Yes, if they can, they will try and help those who come from a weaker economic background, with scholarships, subsidized loans etc.

    But having been in the same system and having had a laptop for the past three years, I say, it's a valuable tool to have. That's all.

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  12. hey im a b-school student and i had to purchase a laptop when i started my MBA course
    Personally i tink its a great help...for our studies...it helps us share notes from colleges and teachers without having to xerox them!! and that is great....just copy,paste or pass it thru bluetooth...done!!!
    it is also a great tool for me as a writer...because i can absolutes start writing abt whatever i want...when ever i want(yup even in lectures)

    I think laptops are a definate time saver...

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  13. As a faculty at a business school, I think that students should have access to a computer which can be either a laptop or desktop at their roooms. Infact when i lecture, i do not allow students to use laptops. The necessity for computers warrants because of the tough schedule that is put to the students by us. They have to work at night on assignments and presentations which requires that they own the system. Since most of the colleges have online databases, students can access reading materials while they are in the hostel.
    Another issue is that if all students have laptops then the computer lab at the college becomes useless ( AICTE have strict rule that colleges must have a computer lab). So that may be the reason why some colleges insist on students having the laptops. If put to productive use, laptops are an asset to management students, how many use them for productive use is another question.

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  14. well I opted for a desktop and do sometimes regret not having a laptop but a laptop is definitely not indispensible. They can be useful in classes and like all other technologies are easily abused. Dumping them on people without an alternative is totally unfair.

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  15. I have taken a few courses that had computer requirements and during these boring lectures guess who wound up lookin at e mail and stuff?Laptops and boring lectures make bad bed fellows.

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  16. The issue is certainly not about the utility of the laptop. It goes much beyond it.
    It could be anything from shirking of responsibilty by the institute to profiteering at the expense of the students to plain denial of the right to choose (for the student). It is good that the matter has come under the media scanner.

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  17. Kind of curious, will the government pay for the laptops of quota candidates or the bill will be passed on to the general candidates?

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  18. A computer was mandatory when I had signed up for an mba program about five years back. The institute had provided the minimum specs - you could buy it on your own or through them. Since 185 machines were purchased at one go, I think it we may have gotten some discounts. Also, all the comps came loaded with the same stuff inside. There were of course a few who had their own machines.

    Laptops weren't essential then - I wonder if they are now. After all, a classroom is for interaction with the faculty and classmates, not for staring down into an LCD display. I would say a regular comp serves pretty fine for all of the work. I haven't seen anyone taking down notes on a laptop ever, no one tried it out at school and haven't seen em at work - don't know how many people can type faster than they can use a pen, at least I don't know of anyone. A notepad & pen are significantly lighter and easier to use than MS Word. For regular comp work too, I find a desktop PC easier to use because it hasn't been designed for saving space. For the same specs, a laptop will be much more expensive than a desktop too. The only advantage a laptop brings is mobility - you can work on your comp even when you are not in your room. I don't know if that's a good thing though - do we need to lug our work around wherever we go - to the canteen, to a movie, to the loo, in the sack... where does it stop? Mostly it is people who travel a whole lot (out of town types) that use laptops. I don't know how many of the students would qualify for that, at least while they are in college.

    It is silly of the institute to insist on laptops - regular PCs are better I think. It could have something to do with trying to build up an image though - I mean lots of smartly dressed students in jackets and ties carrying around laptops conveys a different image from a t-shirt, jeans, books college.

    I don't think an institute is shirking from anything by making students buy their own comps - you are going for a good education, you ought to pay for it too. Instead of asking students to buy their own comps, the college may well charge higher fees. I would personally see a computer as more of stationary/case material/books etc, albeit a bit more expensive.

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  19. I think laptop might help students in doing some stuff in finance, statistics and IT courses in an MBA. But these things can be done with a calaculator though they might consume more time.

    But for presentations you can always have a CD, Floppy or pendrive to carry it.

    But the buying of laptops from the intitute is anyways doesn't makes sense. It should be left on the student to arrange for themself.

    But one thing is true the laptops are a necessary evil for an MBA ad one would need to buy one in future so why not during an MBA.

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  20. Comparing Laptops with desktops is as good as comparing mobile phones with fixed line telephones.

    Mobility being the order of the day is definitely an added advantage, but then mobility is not indispensable.

    Making a laptop compulsory for securing admission to MBA institute and further buying it from the institute is definitey unfair to the candidates.

    If the institutes feel its need so strongly then they can use their own laptops to be provided to the students year year after in rotation as companies provide to their employees with a nominal usage fee.

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  21. the laptop sure is a thing of distraction, but so r cell-phones.. R they being banned??... The laptop, in addition 2 all its utilities, gives a very proffesional look 2 the studs, and instills a sense of responsibility in us...

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  22. Its wrong to say that colleges with limited facilities ask students to buy laptops. Sure, a few of them do this, but laptops are part of the modern day research tools.

    To say that increasing costs by making laptops mandatory is an unfair policy is purely a socialistic outlook, where everything should be fair to everyone. If only rich students can afford to go to that particular college, then so be it. In the long run, the place itself will suffer if it has rich brats with no brains in them - campus placements will be poor and smart rich students will avoid the place. Its prestige will fall.

    If a place does anything, it does so out of its own choice. Private colleges are not there to fulfil moral obligations. They are supposed to make a profit. However, since their long term profit depends on more students and good campus placements, they need to also have good faculties and good facilities, thereby fulfilling every student's needs as well. Thats how things run.

    For the poorer students, you will have the government institutes and the lower costed private ones - and they also need to be good to survive in the long term. As long as we have plenty of choices, everything works out for everyone. Lets not complain about fairness. Competition itself is an unfair practise, pitting people against each other. Should we do away with that?

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  23. I agree with the general opinion....laptops should not be mandatory. Infact if the student managers learn resource management 1 machine per student is not required.

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  24. Anonymous7:02 PM

    Hi I have a post up , sort of in response to your questions. and In response to your last question.. messenger is what I'd be doing ;)
    http://blogita.blogspot.com/2006/07/my-portable-cutie.html

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  25. Laptop? really? WHY????? I mean.. like u said, whoever said that learning was dependant upon laptops? How much of that laptop is used for studies anyway? Umm.. let me guess:
    Time on studies: Time in insti:: laptop used constructively: Laptop used time.

    Is it the institute's responsibility to ensure that the students have net access? Well, yes and no.

    I saw this trend in the Qutab Institutional Area (Delhi) last year. All students of B Schools in that area went around carryng laptops, and I was hajar amused because.. we never even thought about it! I don't know if the professors have now made the courses more difficult.

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  26. Laptop/Computer is normally used as tool required to speed up yr learning (which can include taking notes, presentations ets) unless you are in some comp sci course. But for MBA course its not a necessity, i would think.

    In India's context, its still a luxury because not everyone can afford it, so if an institution makes this as a precondition than its bit out of this world. Its fine to follow what is happening in West, but West is too resourceful courtesy of amass wealth, but we can't, so to me it looks like saving money on infrastructure.

    Having said that i think if institution thinks its required as part of curriculum than they should provide it (its part of infrastructure and services provided by institution) because it can act as means of getting the most recent information available, which can be used by students.

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  27. The statement "In fact way back in 2004 XLRI and S P Jain made it compulsory to buy a laptop." is factually incorrect...

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  28. I think from an infrastructural point of view it makes lot of sense to do away with maintaining state-of-art computer lab by institutes.

    This has largely been necessitated in the shift from main frame computing to PC based operations for most of the work. This is not to say that main frame computers have no place.

    Moreover, the pace with which Personal Computing is changing it is an unnecessary burden on the institute to keep changing things.

    Students who enter, with a laptop, can always use it further in their carrier or at home.

    At IITK long back (1999) they started putting Ethernet ports in each and every hostel room with the intention that students can buy their own PC (desktop or laptop).

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  29. Hi
    1)XLRI-laptops are not compulsary, I know XLers without laptops.
    2)I would like to disagree to Shubham Roy(my super senior at SIBM, Pune) on a couple of points-

    * A laptop is not a luxury, if the insti is wifi enabled,so it is anyday better to have a laptop and surf/use it for SPSS/Excel/ppt than going to the lab. Ya, about "misuse", it happens and ought to happen. Everybody orkuts /yahoo now and then. And that is your call, if you want to just yahoo and orkut, well you can do that. But if a student is really interested in what is being discussed in class, such a thing would not happen.There are subjects like QMM(Quantitaive Methods in Marketing), where it is better to have a laptop ..


    * And, when almost the whole junta goes in for a bulk deal where there is a clear discount over Market Operating Price, better go for it. That is what has been happening in my insti
    * In case of SIBM, its optional and the choice of brand config is done after various manufacturers pitch for theirs.
    * During summers, point taken that one can't take the laptop to field, but for all the analysis that only SPSS and excel can do (and understand), to do it at our convenience, a laptop is neccesary.

    Regards
    Nikhil Narayanan
    MBA II Marketing SIBM, Pune

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  30. Well, Laptop/Computer will always be helpful but instead of asking a student to buy a laptop, it is better if the institute provides it during the course period. It will be an asset for the institute and can be replaced every 4-5 years. That is what the software companies do.
    Comparing with the US Business Schools, Value of 1000 USD in US much less as compared to 45k INR in India :)

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