Changing the engineering undergraduate experience by appropriate use of computer technology

Over the last few years, the price of personal computers has dropped while performance has increased. This has made it practical for college students to own computers that heretofore had been provided by the institution. As a result, there is now a national trend toward moving computers out of labs and into the hands and rooms of students. Several schools in the USA have instituted personal computer ownership policies over the years and the number is increasing each year. The College of Engineering at Mississippi State University (MSU) is currently one of the schools that uses computers in the laboratory environment but is moving to become one of the schools that requires computer ownership. This paper describes conclusions resulting from an evaluation of implementing a personal computer initiative at MSU.