Freshmen students attending the University of St. Thomas (UST) in Houston will be receiving tablet/laptops in the fall to help with their education.

UST is committed to helping their students’ educational experience be affordable and is furnishing all freshmen with a Microsoft Surface Go2, which converts from a Windows laptop computer to a writing tablet and then to an e-reader. The resource will be helpful for a number of reasons and most timely as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. James M. Monaghan, associate vice president of Academic Affairs and director of Online Education, noted that the challenges many students have been met with from studying at home can be circumvented with the help of these new pieces of technology.

“From our student surveys, a large percentage of students shared computers with multiple family members and some did not have access to a computer at all,” Monaghan said in a release recently issued on the university's website. “Many have difficulty accessing the Internet. In order to facilitate the most effective use of the online resources and classes provided by UST, this initiative will ensure that all freshmen have the tools that they need to access their classes.”

Additional support will come in the form of Chromebooks for students who need help because of the COVID-19 virus.

The Microsoft Surface was chosen due to its size and versatility. Weighing under two pounds, the Surface also can hold a battery charge for up to 10 hours, making it useful for studying or reading e-textbooks.

UST plans to pre-load the Surfaces with the Blackboard learning management system, Zoom videoconferencing, and the Microsoft Office suite. The university will also ensure that students have access to e-textbooks at little-to-no cost.

“Despite the challenges of the pandemic, the university is responding to students' needs and providing innovative 21st century solutions to ensure that the quality of a UST education is unsurpassed,” Monaghan said in the release.