Impact of Lecturing with the Tablet PC on Students of Different Learning Styles
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| Audience/Grade: | College Freshman-Graduate |
| Discipline(s): |
All Science and Engineering Engineering Education Research General Engineering, Engineering Science Tablet PCs |
| Special Topic(s): | |
| Learning Resource Type: |
Reference - Educational Research Paper |
| Media Type: |
Audio |
| Author(s): |
Micah Stickel |
| Description: | Abstract - Using the tablet PC as a lecturing device offers the instructor a new set of tools upon which their teaching can be based. Since the general student body consists of many different types of learning styles, these new tools can provide a means to reach a wider range of students than the traditional blackboard-based lectures. However, as a first step towards assessing the effectiveness of the tablet PC as a teaching tool, it is important to determine if it is well received by students of all learning styles. It is the purpose of this paper to report on the impact of the tablet PC on the students in four different courses, which were given over a period of three semesters. This impact was measured through a survey which was completed by the students at the end of each term. Overall, the students in all courses (a total sample size of 280) were quite positive about the use of the tablet, with 56% of the students stating that ¡°The technology of the tablet¡greatly improves my learning experience.¡± It was found that there were no statistically significant differences in how the students of different learning styles responded to the use of the tablet PC. In fact, all learning style groups reacted quite positively to its introduction into the classroom. However, some results indicate that a large group of students have a preference towards a more active classroom. This shows that if the tablet PC is to be an effective means of teaching, its advantages must be leveraged to facilitate an active-learning environment. Citation: ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference, Session M2G, October 18-21, 2009, San Antonio, TX. |
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| Related Resources | |
| Keywords: | Tablet PC learning styles technology in the classroom student perceptions |
| Usage Tip | |
| Related ABET Criteria: |
Course Retention |
| Intervention(s): |
Active learning Learning styles Lecture (active) Multimedia Use of Educational Technologies Use of Specific Teaching & Learning Techniques |
| Use of Resource: |
CONCLUSIONS: It is clear that the tablet PC offers many advantages over the traditional blackboard approach to improve the overall learning experience of the students. It enables the instructor to engage the students more thoroughly through the use of added multimedia content. Indeed, the survey results presented here for a large sample of students (280 students) demonstrate how students greatly appreciate the added visual aids, with 90% of the students indicating that they were ¡°helpful¡±. As well, the vast majority (81%) of the students clearly stated that they found the TPC-based lectures more enjoyable than the blackboard-based lectures. These results demonstrate that, in general, the TPC has a very positive impact on the students. |
| Difficulty: |
Easy |
| Interactivity Level: |
Very low |
| Version Info | |
| Publication Date: | October 2009 |
| Platform/Format: |
WWW |
| Cost: |
Free |
| Download URL: | http://fie-conference.org/fie2009/papers/1506.pdf |
| Metadata: |
IEEE LOM Record |
| Collection: |
NEEDS
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