Promoting Faculty Adoption of Tablet PCs in Upper Level Engineering Courses

Abstract

The University of Louisville's J.B. Speed School of Engineering began a student Tablet PC initiative four years ago. As a result of this initiative, Speed School of Engineering classrooms now have a one to one Tablet PC deployment. Leveraging this environment to improve the teaching and learning in the classroom is the long-term goal of this and many other Tablet PC programs. Many challenges to achieving this goal exist, including: faculty adoption, infrastructure support, and student competency. Faculty members in the Department of Engineering Fundamentals have been early adopters and pioneers in using Tablet PCs in the classroom. Adoption of Tablet PC usage in upper level courses and in other departments has been mixed and slower to develop than in the entry level courses taught by the Department of Engineering Fundamentals. A similar trend has also been the case in other schools with Tablet PC programs. Some preliminary research and anecdotal evidence indicates that simple introductory seminars are not sufficient to provide faculty with knowledge and resources to effectively use Tablet PCs in the classroom. The authors, both members of the Department of Engineering Fundamentals, developed both a two hour introductory seminar for faculty on use of Tablet PCs, and a follow up summer workshop entitled: "Tablet Faculty Learning Community" (TFLC). Learning communities can be an effective means of promoting faculty development, and the TFLC was based on the authors' experiences in a different University Faculty Learning Community. The goal for both the seminar and TFLC were simple: provide faculty with technical and pedagogical information, and then offer support for their attempts to incorporate Tablet PCs into the classroom teaching. A major innovation developed for the seminar, and used in the workshop, was a multiple projector approach to help faculty see each of the following: (a) the instructor's Tablet PC screen with controls, (b) the classroom projected content, and (c) a sample student Tablet PC screen. As part of the TFLC, faculty participants were required to develop material for one of their courses using a Tablet PC and then present the material to the other TFLC participants in a practice classroom setting. There were only five participants in the TFLC, including two faculty members who had not previously utilized Tablet PCs in the classroom. Participants reported the practice setting was very effective. One participant used Tablet PCs in the classroom on a limited basis during the fall semester, and another participant has expressed serious interest in using them in future classes. Another participant is not using a tablet PC during this current semester. Approaches and techniques used in the seminar and in the TFLC are described in greater detail, as well as survey results from the TFLC participants.

The Role of Slate Enabled Technology in Collaboration

“…Due to the note sharing capabilities of the tablet PC, students reported that their confidence in understanding the course material increased 5 . The tablet PC is often used as a replacement for a whiteboard or overhead projector due to its natural handwriting and annotation capabilities using the stylus 6 .…”