The iPad cohort of 2013: A multiple stakeholder view of the planning, design and implementation of a first year curriculum integrating tablets (original) (raw)

Using a Tablet PC to facilitate the engagement and success of students

Never has higher education been more important. As a result of Government initiatives implemented to increase student engagement in learning, universities are striving to increase their mature-aged and low socio-economic student numbers. As these students are often the most vulnerable to dropping out, it is vital that they are provided with the necessary guidance and support required for a successful learning journey. The Mathematics Learning Centre (MLC) at CQUniversity Australia is utilising technology to not only enhance the delivery of bridging mathematics courses but to also provide the necessary support for students once they enter their undergraduate degrees. The Tablet PC is being used to create instructional videos to support and engage external (distance) bridging mathematics students; and to create short videos to help external undergraduate students with the mathematical content in their courses.

Tablets in the Classroom? Effective or a Distractive Engagement

Today, social changes have made education inevitable and has been made possible at any time and place to the learner. The change in generation, challenges young and mature learners to cope up with the rapid developments and new technologies evolving from time to time. Change is difficult: it either leads to distraction or engagement. New Learning Management Systems (LMS) evolve, making it highly essential for teachers and learners to integrate mobile technology into their learning. Convenience, flexibility, engagement, interactivity and mobility are major factors that make learning more attractive to a learner. Though a wireless device in the classroom could threaten to distract student attention, on the positive side it also enhances student engagement. Research shows that mobile computing devices like the iPad are finding their way into classrooms in growing numbers. With schools of higher education permitting learners to be digitally active within the campus, the distribution of mobile technology " has an impact on teaching, learning and the connections between formal and informal learning, work and leisure ". This study summarises previous research and proposes a clear pathway into future research and planning for a New Trend Learning Environment (NTLE) for portable devices. Implementing such a solution is practically viable and should increase engagement and retention rates of learners of the 21st century and beyond. A framework is proposed to develop and implement a Multi-Media Learning System (MMLS) for portable devices to teach tertiary students in the school of Business and IT at WelTec.

Keep taking the tablets? Assessing the use of tablet devices in learning and teaching activities in the Further Education sector

This article summarises the methodology and outcomes of an interventionist/ action research project to assess the benefits, and potential pitfalls, of the use of mobile devices in learning and teaching activities in a Further Education environment. A bank of 15 tablet devices were purchased and prepared for classroom use. Staff members were approached to scope potential activities and uses for the tablet devices. Three departments took part in the research activity: the Language School, Social and Vocational Studies and the Hairdressing department. Use of the tablets was varied in nature and included: use of multimedia tools, use of apps, creation and use of a bespoke app, multimedia manipulation and sharing, and creation of an online e-portfolio. Staff and student feedback was gathered during and after the project, and project authors were present during classroom activities for observation and recording purposes. Overall feedback was very positive, but there were issues with tablet use and administration. One of the major issues was the onerous nature of the security setup, and app administration.

Mainstreaming tablet classrooms: Engaging first year learners

School of Australian Indigenous …, 2006

Young students entering university in the first decade of the twenty first century bring with them a very different set of expectations, skills and attitudes to new technologies than those of previous generations. Born after the computer became a desktop tool, brought up on TV channel surfing and rapid fire video clips, and using mobile phone technology to connect to all who are important in their lives, these students are used to a wired, connected world.

TABLET COMPUTERS IN THE UNIVERSITY CLASSROOM OF 2012: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES Technology in Practice Strand

2020

Educational institutions at all levels and locations face constant pressures to incorporate the latest technology into their offerings for students and teachers. Many K-12 school districts in the U.S. have embraced SMART boards, tablet computers, and "bring your own device" (BYOD) implementations so that precollege students are now accustomed to technology-rich learning environments. U.S. higher education, in general, has been slower to adopt computer use as part of the in-class learning experience. Anecdotally, it appears that technology has taken hold in project-focused or problem solving-oriented small classes rather than in large lecture classes. In order to better understand the use of tablet computers in a large urban research institution, Boston University's classes that use tablet devices were observed and the faculty members who taught the classes were interviewed. Tablet computers were used in a number of small (fewer than 60 students) engineering, medicine,...

Examining the Potential for Tablet Use in a Higher Education Context

2013

Tablet devices are rapidly being adopted by consumers and organiza- tions, but few universities have embraced them so far, since the feasibility of tablet use in higher education is still unclear. As an exploratory study, we exam- ined the potential for tablet use in universities regarding three use cases that cover typical scholastic tasks. The study is based on focus group interviews and a longitudinal test user group study conducted over five months at a North American university. The analysis, grounded in the task-technology fit frame- work for mobile information systems, shows that tablets are a useful addition to laptops for the consumption of learning materials as well as for collaborative and social activities, but need further improvements to be useful for the produc- tion of content. We will conduct a confirmatory follow-up study in the form of a pilot rollout in a German higher education institution to confirm - or rebut - our initial findings.

iPads on Practicum: Perspective of a Student-Teacher

The Arbutus Review, 2013

Educators are embracing technology as a key to transforming learning for the 21st century. As the 21st century learning movement emphasizes the development of skills that are seen as uniquely relevant to the modern world, in the educational community, many are looking to technology, such as tablets, as a tool to modernizing classrooms. This research presents a case study of a participatory action research project, where participants provide input into the research process, examining the experiences of a secondary education level student-teacher implementing iPads during practicum. For two weeks, the student teacher integrated a set of 22 iPads into a grade ten Media Literacy unit. Qualitative data from the teacher’s daily blog and a post-practicum interview revealed six main themes in two categories: Teacher Impacts (Planning and Curricular Design, Delivery, Practicum Experience) and Student Impacts (Classroom, Learning Outcomes, Learning Experience). While generalizations to other ...

Student observations: Introducing iPads into university classrooms

Education and Information Technologies, 2015

This paper explores the growing trend of using mobile technology in university classrooms, exploring the use of tablets in particular, to identify learning benefits faced by students. Students, acting on their efficacy beliefs, make decisions regarding technology's influence in improving their education. We construct a theoretical model in which internal and external factors affect a student's self-efficacy which in turn affects the extent of adoption of a device for educational purposes. Through qualitative survey responses of university students who were given an Apple iPad to keep for the duration of a university course we find high levels of self-efficacy leading to positive views of the technology's learning enhancement capabilities. Student observations on the practicality of the technology, off-topic use and its effects, communication, content, and perceived market advantage of using a tablet are also explored.

iPad: a new classroom technology? A report from two pilot studies

2011

In this paper we discuss two pilot studies involving the use of iPads for active reading in a teaching/learning situation. This is part of a broader study of how introducing tablet PCs may transform the work and learning practices of learners. One of the pilot studies was conducted in a graduate level course, involving 40 university students. The other study involved 26 fourth grade elementary schoolchildren. The results concerning acceptance of the technology were vastly different in the two studies. We find the comparison to be very interesting in several aspects, most notably on the issue of ownership and perceived usefulness. We hope that our experience with these pilot studies may be of use and interest for a wider community. Our research method is based on ethnography (in-class observations), enriched by workshops, questionnaires, group and individual interviews involving students, faculty and, in the case of elementary schoolchildren, families. The data from interviews has been consolidated and mapped out into an affinity diagram. The resulting diagram shows clearly issues that should be further addressed, as well as areas where changes in study-related work practices may occur. This paper offers some reflections on differences and similarities observed in the two study situations.