First year students at the University of East London won’t need to worry about lugging heavy books to and from lectures - they’ve been given a free tablet pre-loaded with textbooks instead.
The 4,000 freshers have been handed a brand new Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0, customised to their individual academic needs and with links to a range of university resources.
Professor John Joughin, vice-chanceller at UEL, said: “The University of East London places a strong emphasis on helping students to get the most out of the time that they spend with us.
“Our support for equality of opportunity is one of UEL’s defining values, and providing our entire first-year intake with Samsung tablets - pre-loaded with core textbooks and links to virtual learning resources -ensures there is a level playing field for all of our students.”
The devices, which are expected to be used by students for the duration of their studies, have been funded by the university’s Progress Bursary programme.
One of the students to receive a tablet was psychology undergraduate Therese Fjeldheim, from Norway.
She said: “I didn’t know I would be receiving the tablet until I read about it online last week. I’m very excited to get it and looking forward to seeing what it can do.”
Fellow student Sambino Albino, who has come from Italy to study anthropology, added: “It’s great. I really didn’t expect to be receiving a tablet. From where I come from, they’re still using textbooks.”
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