Ever got caught out checking Facebook in lectures? Well students on one course are being told they must to have iPads to do their degree. The International Business course has become the first in the UK to introduce compulsory iPads.

Programme Director Nicolas Forsans told Leeds Student that while he understood that a number of courses had trialled introducing tablets, Leeds was the first to make them compulsory. The iPads were purchased at a reduced rate of £375, with students being asked to pay £175. The Business School also subsidised the iPads by £200 each. As part of the initiative the schoolhas agreed to provide further online books and resources, which cost an extra £200 per student. With just over 120 students on the course it will set the school back about £50,000.

Dr Forsans, who came up with the idea, expressed his excitement about the move: “The integration of iPads into our programme will enable us to adopt innovative teaching and assessment strategies which will further enhance the employability of our students”

Though some students have welcomed the initiative, those on other courses have not been so pleased. Mihnea Bataraga, a First Year Communications and Media student told Leeds Student: “This really is not fair – we all pay the same fees so why shouldn’t people on other courses get one?”

The success of the iPads will be evaluated at the end of the year by staff and students. If the reviews are positive, the department hopes to use iPads next year and eventually across the business school.

Words: Natalie Tuck