ABSTRACT
Prior to the creation and implementation of the Palm Initiative during the 2001/2 academic year, the University of South Dakota had limited experience with handheld computing. Although faculty and staff had experimented with handheld technology on an individual basis, there was no specific institutional knowledge to draw upon. However, significant institutional experience did exist in terms of technology-enhanced pedagogy, infrastructure, and support staff. In creating the Palm Initiative, the central administration assumed that this general expertise would readily translate to handheld computing. Therefore, in the spring of 2001, the decision was made to require each of the 1,000 incoming freshmen and 100 firstyear law students who would enter the university that fall to purchase (at a subsidized cost of US$125) a Palm m500 handheld valued at US$300. The university’s 50 first-year medical students purchased Palm m505 handhelds, which had colour rather than monochrome screens. The university received a volume discount on the handhelds, with the difference between purchase price and subsidized price made up by the USD Foundation.
