PEARL: Pioneering Education - An Advanced Resource for Learning

1. School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences PEARL: Pioneering Education - An Advanced Resource for Learning Dr Henny Mills, Dr. Roger Bird, Graham Patterson and Dr. Stuart Edwards

2. PEARL Project Overview • Aims: • Use of tablet for obtaining lecture and practical handouts • Take notes in lecture and practicals • Improve accessibility to University Virtual Learning Environments • Improve student learning experience • Use instead of any paper handouts (100 sheets per week per students) • Trial Details: 1 Year trial (AY2011/12) • Use tablet instead of any handouts in lectures and practicals

3. Trial tablet devices • Apple iPad: • Needs to be synced to laptop or computer • Use iTunes • Motorola Xoom (Android) • 3 Acer Iconia (Android)

4. Trial tablet findings • Student findings and comments • Easy to use for students • Good for overall student experience • Found helpful for revision and more... • Dual screen use • Allows to search document for words etc. • Lighter to carry than paper • All notes and handouts organised • Handouts available all the time • Constant access to email and ness

5. Student experience in lectures + Can be helpful to access lecture notes + Availability of previous lecture notes (cross-reference) (students prefer to listen) + tablet good for practicals as slides can be seen in colour etc. + check previous practical notes + helpful for fieldtrips, taking notes and pictures and access to notes + some students record lecture and allow to timestamp notes with voice • Problem is speed of lecture and taking notes on tablets • Take notes for diagrams and equations difficult • Can be difficult to take sufficient notes in given times • Some students stopped using them in lectures

6. Chosen Tablet for AY2012/13 • Toshiba AT300: • Android™ 4.0, Ice • Firmware version - Cream Sandwich • NVIDIA® Tegra™ T30SL quad core processor. • 25.7cm (10.1’’) capacitive LCD • 8.95mm thin and 590g • ~10 hours battery life • Size SD, Micro-HDMI and Micro-USB 16 GB SSD • Pre-loaded apps: Paid and installed by CEG

7. Student introduction to PEARL • 3 inductions sessions (120 Students): • Handout tablet and set it up (Wifi, Email, Calender, H: drive) • Edit a document and take notes • Drop in session • Students have to sign agreement

8. Current status of PEARL • Problems: Timetable • Wi-Fi reliability and strength • Student forget tablets • Taking notes is slow progress – looking at ways to improve • Working with ISS • Use of Turning point/responseware

9. Do you like the use of tablets for teaching in digital format? • Yes • No • Don’t mind

10. The tablets are generally easy to use • True • False • Most times

11. The tablet is useful for • Access Email • Access Ness • Follow lectures • Take notes • Revision • Have all handouts with me • General student experience • Practicals • Access lecture notes

12. I used the tablets for taking notes in lectures • Yes • Sometimes • No, I don’t know how • No, it is too complicated • No, I never take notes

13. My difficulties with the tablet are • No Wi-Fi in halls • Wi-Fi in lecture rooms • Taking notes • Accessibility to BB • Accessibility to timetable • Downloading handouts • File structure • Keyboard • Understanding how it works