Beginning early this summer, the Odessa College Learning Resources Center will bring technology to students, which will allow them to check out hot spots and Samsung Galaxy Chromebooks so they have the technology to do their schoolwork remotely from home.
Through a partnership with the Ector County Library, the LRC will receive 20 hot spots and 20 Chromebooks for OC students to use. Executive Director of Student Learning Resources at OC, Mireya Jacuinde, said that Ector County Library staff would provide training to LRC staff members on May 17. Shortly after that time, at the beginning of the MayMester or the Summer 1 session, students could start checking out the equipment.
“We have had computers for our students to check out in the past, but the equipment had to stay on campus so they could be connected to the internet. This new partnership with the Ector County Library allows our students to check out a hot spot and a Chromebook, giving them reliable digital connectivity and broadband and the benefit of working on their school work at home,” Jacuinde added.
To check out the hot spots and the Chromebooks, the students will need to sign an agreement, and they will be held financially responsible for any damage to or non-return of the equipment.
Students will be able to check out the hot spots and the Chromebooks for four-week periods, and they will be able to renew if they still need to use the equipment.
“Our students have asked for this type of student support to help with their studies, and now we can provide it to them, thanks to the Ector County Library for the equipment and to T-Mobile for providing the wireless connectivity,” Jacuinde said. “This is all possible because the Ector County Library received a large grant from the Federal Communications Commission, as a part of its Emergency Connectivity Fund for eligible schools and libraries to provide devices and broadband access — and the library was willing to partner with us to benefit our students.”
