I don't think that the issue of forcing students to buy laptops when they come into the school is a bad thing. People here are arguing that it would weed out people who cannot afford them, this is wrong.

College already weeds out people who can't afford it, except those who are incredibly bright and can obtain a significant scholarship(sp?), and until college is fully funded by the state, it will have to stay that way. I am aware of several schools that require the purchase of a laptop, and at all of those, if someone cannot afford one, they will be assisted in purchasing one. Laptops are also an immense boon to studying, allowing students to use electronic resources anywhere they need to. If a school does not require (with an assistance program) laptops, then there will be people who will miss out on these beneficial tools, and who will not be given an equal chance to learn.

As for using open internet testing, there are many methods for flagrant abuse, so unless network traffic is monitored, it probably isn't a good idea. But I do think that it would be good if each student were given a lab computer with the resources needed on the test, it would be a great idea, since open notes/book tests are very aggravating in that you have to dig through lots of useless material to find what you want. If the resources were provided in electronic, indexed form, you could search them to find what you need immediatly.