User Case Study: Maple used at US Naval Academy for pilot laptop program

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Maple Used at the US Naval Academy For Pilot Laptop Program Trend in higher education away from desktop PCs toward more portable computing

May 19/00 Annapolis, MD- For years, "back to school" on many campuses meant buying desktop PCs for hundreds of incoming students. Now some administrators are finding it better to give students notebook PCs to add to their stack of paper notebooks. The renowned US Naval Academy, the undergraduate college for the Navy that prepares young men and women to become professional officers in the US Navy and Marine Corps, is launching a laptop pilot program this fall using Maple for four of its "plebe" (freshman) classes.

Maple on the laptop will be used by the plebes as a comprehensive analytical tool for many of their technical courses. The academic program at the Naval Academy includes courses in engineering, science and mathematics. Michael Chamberlain, chair of the mathematics department, comments "We initially chose Maple because it was (and continues to be) an excellent undergraduate teaching tool as well as a robust faculty research tool."

In addition to the laptop program, the Naval Academy is entering its' 5th year of providing Maple to the 1,200 plebes as part of their core learning tools. Maple is used as part of the curriculum in both Calculus II and III as well as for Differential Equations. The academic program at the Naval Academy includes courses in engineering, science, and mathematics. The Academy gives midshipmen a broad-based foundation, preparing them for most career fields in the Navy or Marine Corps.

The Naval Academy seeks highly motivated, well-rounded applicants who excel not only academically, but also in athletics, leadership, and service. Classes are small, generally ranging in size from 10 to 22 students.

The use of Maple has made a valuable contribution to the quality academic program offered at the Naval Academy. For further information on The Naval Academy: http://www.nadn.navy.mil/