Equipment Loans and Support
Having the right equipment and support is important for teaching confidently. The University provides a variety of equipment and hardware support through various campus providers.
Laptop and desktop support
Individual departments and units provide support for laptop and desktop computers. Please contact your local IT support staff or your department supervisor for assistance with:
- Troubleshooting an issue with your computer or network
- Getting accessories such as a mouse, keyboard, or external monitor
- Setting up your workspace and furniture
The Environmental Health & Safety office's ergonomics reimbursement fund can assist your department in covering the cost of approved ergonomics equipment and furniture.
Media equipment loans for online teaching
While for many instructors the camera and microphone on your computer will be the easiest media tools for online teaching, sometimes a media equipment upgrade can improve audio and video quality, and make it easier to present certain kinds of content.
- Self-evaluate what equipment you might need. Do you need to be able to write by hand? Do you mind sitting down while you teach, or is it important for you to be able to walk around? Spend a bit of time working through the presented scenarios and thinking through what you need.
- Get in touch with your local IT. They will know what is available to your department and can connect you with Stanford's equipment loans. (If you don't know your local IT, move on to step 3.)
- Arrange a Stanford Center for Professional Development (SCPD) consultation and media equipment loan. Email capturesupport@lists.stanford.edu to set up a consultation and borrow equipment. Equipment is loaned on a first-come, first-served basis, and includes web cameras, microphones, document cameras, and tripods.
iPads for digital handwriting
The iPad and Apple Pencil are great solutions to replicating teaching methods that rely on natural handwriting and drawing. An iPad is helpful in many situations common to online teaching, including annotating slide presentations, solving problem sets on a Zoom whiteboard, hand-writing feedback on student assignments in Canvas, and pre-recording videos using a whiteboard.
The Center for Teaching and Learning has iPads and Apple Pencils to loan to faculty, teaching staff, TAs, and student employees for use in instruction. Visit the iPads for Teaching program page for more information.
Learn more
- iPads for Teaching and Learning, Center for Teaching and Learning (2020).
- UIT Support Services, University Information Technology (2020).
- Ergonomics Reimbursement Fund, Environmental Health & Safety (2020).