Requiring students to have computers: questions for consideration

For the past several years a dialogue has been taking place in the offices, lounges, and meeting rooms of medical schools about whether medical students should be required to bring or purchase computers when they enter school. Microcomputers offer educators a unique opportunity to provide students with access to computer-assisted instruction, asynchronous communication, and extensive knowledge bases. However, there is still no evidence attesting to the effectiveness of computers as teaching or learning tools in medical education. The author raises questions that schools need to consider before requiring students to own computers: What kind of computer best suits their needs? What might impede using computers to teach? And who is currently requiring computers? In addressing the last question, the author presents information about 15 North American schools that currently require their students to have computers, reporting each school's software and hardware requirements; how each expects students to use the computers; and who covers the cost of the computers (the students or the school). Finally, he argues that major institutional commitment is needed for computers to be successfully integrated into any medical school curriculum.