University of Minnesota Crookston - Technology

Technology

Technology is deeply integrated in teaching and learning throughout the institution. The Crookston campus gained national attention in 1993 when it became the first university in the United States to issue laptop computers to every full-time student and faculty member, something it continues to do as part of the campus culture and student experience. Students pay a technology fee each semester to help fund the initiative as well as related technology maintenance and upgrades. In return each student is issued a powerful laptop computer with standardized, preinstalled software. As the original “Laptop U” with more than 17 years of leadership in technology integration, the U of M, Crookston also helps students develop day-to-day technology skills in an environment richly immersed in technology and related applications. Employers consistently report that the U of M, Crookston graduates they hire are extremely well prepared for the demands of today’s technological workplace.

The U of M, Crookston was also the first campus in the University of Minnesota system to offer degrees online.

In fall of 2010 the U of M, Crookston's Math, Science, and Technology Department began construction of an immersive visualization and informatics lab. Funded with federal stimulus dollars, the project features an immersive visualization room, which allows users to experience visual data in a 3-D format, as well as a separate informatics room with various large screens on which data is projected in various ways for analysis. The lab is intended to supplement the student experience for those enrolled in the software engineering degree program.