On January 6th, 2023, students of the Digital Media and IT (DMIT) program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) received an email from the Program Chair about a significant change called the "Bring Your Own Device" program.

The Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) program states that in the fall of 2023, all current lab computers will be removed. All DMIT students, new and continuing, will be required to purchase a suitable laptop for use at NAIT in the fall of 2023.

How does this impact the students?

On NAIT's website, their Domestic Students Tuition and Fees breakdown states that students pay on average $8,940 CAD/year for tuition and school fees. For international students, that cost increases to $26,340-$36,040 CAD/year. By implementing the BYOD program, NAIT is asking their current and future students to tack on an additional $1,500-$3,500 CAD for purchasing their own personal laptop. 

Here are the hardware requirements needed for System Administration:

• Windows 10 64bit or newer
• Intel 8th Gen, core i7 or greater
• 32 GB of Ram or greater
• 512GB SSD (1TB recommended)
• Onboard video or greater
• 1920x1080 Display
• Wi-Fi 5 or Wi-Fi 6
• 720p Webcam or greater with microphone
• 1TB or greater External Hard Drive

With a simple google search, based on these system requirements, a new HP laptop with the MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS sells for $3,329.00 USD. That is $4,546.57 CAD, which you may notice, is $1,000 above what they claim is the maximum students will have to spend on laptops.

Currently, students in this program have Desktop PC's provided by the college which meets all minimum requirements, they also have two monitors to work with. We are able to work on all assignments, labs, quizzes, and most importantly our capstone projects in the classrooms at the school. By taking these away, students' loss of resources cannot be described as anything less than monumental.

Why does this matter to me?

If we allow organizations like NAIT to implement policies and programs like this, other faculties can and will follow in their footsteps. Colleges and Universities can cut costs of their resources that they provide while they keep tuition prices the same. Students looking to apply to programs like this will feel less inclined to apply to a program that costs twice as much in tuition as other programs at NAIT. Current students will feel more stress and pressure than ever to find, purchase and use these devices that NAIT is suggesting we buy.