PEARL: Pioneering Education - An Advanced Resource for Learning

Dr Henny Mills, Dr. Roger Bird, Graham Patterson and Dr. Stuart Edwards

School of Civil Engineering and Geosciences

PEARL Project Overview

1. 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)

2. Trial Details: 1 Year trial (AY2011/12)• Use tablet instead of any handouts in lectures and practicals

Trial tablet devices

• Apple iPad:• Needs to be synced to laptop or computer• Use iTunes

• Motorola Xoom (Android)

• 3 Acer Iconia (Android)

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

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

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

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

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

Do you like the use of tablets for teaching in digital format?

A. Yes

B. No

C.Don’t mind

YesNo

Don’t mind

54%

31%

15%

The tablets are generally easy to use

A. True

B. False

C.Most times

True

False

Most

times

53%

44%

2%

The tablet is useful for

1. Access Email

2. Access Ness

3. Follow lectures

4. Take notes

5. Revision

6. Have all handouts with me

7. General student experience

8. Practicals

9. Access lecture notes

Access

Email

Access

Ness

Follo

w lectu

res

Take notes

Revision

Have all handouts

with m

e

General st

udent exp

erience

Practica

ls

Access

lecture

notes

37%

5%

14%

6%

20%

0%

6%

10%

1%

I used the tablets for taking notes in lectures

1. Yes

2. Sometimes

3. No, I don’t know how

4. No, it is too complicated

5. No, I never take notes

Yes

Sometimes

No, I don’t k

now how

No, it is

too co

mplicated

No, I never t

ake notes

18%13%

18%

48%

5%

My difficulties with the tablet are

1. No Wi-Fi in halls

2. Wi-Fi in lecture rooms

3. Taking notes

4. Accessibility to BB

5. Accessibility to timetable

6. Downloading handouts

7. File structure

8. Keyboard

9. Understanding how it works

No Wi-F

i in halls

Wi-F

i in le

cture

rooms

Taking notes

Accessi

bility t

o BB

Accessi

bility t

o timetable

Downloading handouts

File st

ructu

re

Keyboard

Understanding h

ow it work

s

19%

16%

19%

5%

3%

11%

9%

6%

13%