A case study into the need for university computer laboratories

Computer laboratories remain an integral tool for students at university however with the hight cost to provide and maintain these resources questions arise over the need for such facilities. This paper investigated the computer resources that students have access to outside their university environment at Charles Sturt University. Although the level of ownership is very high there remains a cohort of students who totally rely on the computer laboratories for their academic needs. Cost was identified as the main factor that inhibited these students from purchasing their own laptop or from having their own internet access. The university is considering alternate arrangements to support these students by providing subsidies and access to computer software and the internet.However academic staff also need to be consulted in any decision to change the provision of computer laboratories at CSU. The research identified a perception by the academic staff that such computer laboratories are essential for the academic activities that they carry out at the university.