Impact Of Instructors’ Use Of The Tablet Pc On Student Learning And Classroom Attendance
- Conference
- Location
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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Publication Date
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June 22, 2008
- Start Date
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June 22, 2008
- End Date
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June 25, 2008
- ISSN
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2153-5965
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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Educational Research and Methods
- Page Count
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15
- Page Numbers
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13.690.1 - 13.690.15
- DOI
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10.18260/1-2--3404
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/3404
- Download Count
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494
Paper Authors
Kyu Yon Lim Pennsylvania State University
Kyu Yon Lim is a PhD candidate majoring in Instructional Systems with emphasis of instructional design with emerging technology. Her research interests relate to technology integration, generative learning, and problem-based learning. She can be contacted at kylim@psu.edu.
Roxanne Toto Pennsylvania State University, University Park
Dr. Roxanne Toto is an Instructional Designer and e-Learning Support Specialist for the Leonhard Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Education at the Pennsylvania State University where she teaches faculty, teaching assistants, and staff to integrate technology into the teaching and learning process. Her research interests include how learning occurs, instructional design for emerging technologies, and the assessment of learning in technological environments. Dr. Toto holds an M.S. degree from Philadelphia University in Instructional Design and Technology as well as a Ph.D. from the Pennsylvania State University in Instructional Systems. She can be contacted at rtoto@psu.edu.
Hien Nguyen Pennsylvania State University
Hien Nguyen is a doctoral student in Instructional Systems at Penn State University. She is also a research assistant at the Leonhard Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Education and at the College of Information Sciences and Technology at Penn State. Her research interests include the use of digital ink technologies in education, problem based learning, group cognition, learning communities, and cross-cultural collaborative learning. Hien can be reached at htn126@psu.edu.
Sarah Zappe Pennsylvania State University
Sarah E. Zappe is Research Associate and Director of Assessment and Instructional Support for the Leonhard Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Education at Pennsylvania State University. Her expertise and research interests relate to the use of think-aloud methodologies to elicit cognitive processes and strategies in assessment and related tasks. In her position, Dr. Zappe is responsible for supporting curricular assessment and developing instructional support programs for faculty and teaching assistants in the College of Engineering. She can be contacted at ser163@psu.edu.
Thomas Litzinger Pennsylvania State University
Tom Litzinger is currently Director of the Leonhard Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Education and a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Penn State, where he has been on the faculty since 1985. His work in engineering education involves curricular reform, teaching and learning innovations, faculty development, and assessment. He teaches and conducts research in the areas of combustion and thermal sciences. He can be contacted at tal2@psu.edu.
Mark Wharton Pennsylvania State University
Mark J. Wharton is an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering at Penn State. He teaches
undergraduate courses in Electronics Electronics I, II, and III) and Senior Project Design, the EE
capstone design course. He received his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Penn State and his
M.S. from the University of Colorado in Boulder. Prior to working at Penn State, Mark spent over
30 years in industry as an Electronic Design Engineer. He can be contacted by phone at 814-865-2091 or by email at MarkWharton@psu.edu.
John Cimbala Pennsylvania State University
Abstract
NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract
Impact of Instructors’ Use of the Tablet PC on Student Learning and Classroom Attendance
Abstract
This paper reports on a study examining the effects of posting annotated instructor notes generated with Tablet PCs in two 300-level engineering classrooms at a large land-grant university in the United States. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of sharing instructor notes on students’ attendance, note-taking behaviors, and learning. In Course A, the instructor posted detailed pre-notes in lieu of a textbook at the beginning of the semester and then posted annotated notes immediately after each class. In Course B, the instructor posted rough outline notes as pre-notes before each class, but posted the annotated notes under two three-week long alternating time conditions. In the first condition the instructor did not post the annotated notes until several days prior to assessment. In the second condition the instructor posted annotated notes after class. The authors applied both qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate the research questions. The research findings reveal that classroom attendance decreased gradually in both courses as the semester progressed, regardless of the difference in note-posting strategy. The results also indicate that student perceptions of annotated note posting vary widely. On one hand, students see annotated notes as a learning aid for studying and self- checking, while others see annotated notes as a reason to not come to class. Practical implications and future research are described.
Background
The advantages of Tablet PC as an instructional tool are numerous. The Tablet PC has the potential to combine the advantages of traditional presentation methods such as chalkboards, overhead projectors and PowerPoint presentations while mitigating their limitations[1]. The Tablet PC has several educational applications including; the ability to support active learning in the classroom, as a lecture aid in classroom, and as a student-centered learning tool[2]. Tablet PCs embody a technology that affords for the capture and recording of natural handwriting as “digital ink.” Digital ink in many ways presents a natural extension of thought processes, allowing us to write as we think in a documented spontaneous natural form. Digital ink provides an electronic capture of writing, drawing, collaboration, and annotating. Digital ink enables instructors to prepare, actively teach, and accurately document classroom activities which can be used for later retrieval, dissemination, and review. These captured digital notes are a distinct advantage of incorporating Tablet PCs into the classroom. Writing digitally permits the instructor to prepare a line of thought for a lecture while affording the opportunity for interaction, construction, and spontaneity during class. But the ability to capture an iterative process that includes the instructor’s original systematic structured content while incorporating instructor and student comments and interactions has the potential to strengthen the teaching and learning process.
In 2005, the College of Engineering at a large land-grant university launched an initiative to provide teaching faculty with Tablet PCs to use in the classroom. Since its inception,
Lim, K. Y., & Toto, R., & Nguyen, H., & Zappe, S., & Litzinger, T., & Wharton, M., & Cimbala, J. (2008, June), Impact Of Instructors’ Use Of The Tablet Pc On Student Learning And Classroom Attendance Paper presented at 2008 Annual Conference & Exposition, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. 10.18260/1-2--3404
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