Microsoft Surface Pro 4 with Adobe Creative Cloud

Project title: Microsoft Surface Pro 4 with Adobe Creative Cloud.

Project lead's name: Jessica Wray

Email: wrayja@miamioh.edu

Phone: (513) 529-1621

Affiliation: LIB

Other project team members: Stacy Brinkman, Sean Poppe

Brief description of project: We seek to acquire five (5) Microsoft Surface Pro 4 tablets, complete with Adobe Creative Cloud licenses. Surface Pros serve as an all-in-one tablet and provide flexibility for students who want to use design programs but do not want to be tethered to a desktop.

Grad Student Oriented?: Yes

If yes, please explain: MFA Experience Design and M Arch (Masters of Architecture) programs rely heavily on integrating work with new technologies; acquiring Surface Pro 4s would align with graduate needs for access to new technology, offer options to streamline thesis work, and provide high-end design software in a simple, easy-to-manage tablet device.

Describe the problem you are attempting to solve and your approach for solving that problem: We currently have three (3) Surface Pros as part of a pilot initiative in Wertz. These tablets have been very popular among students, however we are limited in supplying an adequate number of machines to meet student demands. They have been checked out a total of 167 times over the first six months of the 2015/16 school year.

The criteria state that technology fee projects should benefit students in innovative and/or significant ways. How would you describe the innovation and/or the significance of your project?: Laptops and iPads are two of the most frequently circulated items in the library system, largely due to their portable format. Unfortunately, neither device offers the combined experience of a laptop, tablet and design tool. The Surface Pro 4 would be able to harness these technologies into one unit, allowing students access to innovative and meaningful technology that supports their work.

How will you assess the project?: Assessments will be measured by usage statistics, tracking the number of times the items are checked out through our circulation module - Sierra.

Have you applied for and/or received Tech Fee awards in past years? Did you submit a final report? If funded, what results did you achieve?: Yes. Wertz Art and Architecture Library successfully piloted three (3) Surface Pros as part of a Tech Fee award from last year. Based on student usage and interest, we would like to expand this initiative to obtain additional Surface Pros to complement our pilot collection.

What happens to the project in year 2 and beyond? Will there be any ongoing costs such as software or hardware maintenance, supplies, staffing, etc? How these will be funded?: The Systems Department within the library will assume responsibility for maintaining and supporting the Surface Pro 4s and the requested applications.

Software: Adobe Creative Suite (3-yr license) (5), $4,500

Hardware: Surface Pro 4 (5), $8,495; Surface Pro Type Cover (5), $650; Surface Pen (5), $300

Total Budget: $13,945