Faculty Ipad Pilot Program

Faculty iPad Pilot Program Phase 1: Initial Evaluation (Spring 2011)

Faculty Name: Stefanie Chambers Department: Political Science

Project Title: The Urban iPad Experiment

Evaluation Period: February 2011 – June 1, 2011

Based on your experience in this initial phase of the faculty iPad pilot program, please provide responses to the following questions:

1. What were your initial classroom and/or research goals in working with the tablet device?

I was primarily interested in using the iPad to determine whether it would help my students with their community learning projects. In my course there were 5 groups of students working with different community partners. I decided that the group working with Hartford Food System would use the iPad for their GIS mapping project with the organization. This was the ideal situation given that the students were working with Dave Tatem to execute the project. In addition the work with Dave, the students took detailed notes during their meetings with the partner and I was able to monitor their collective notes on the device. They also found it easy to share. Even with these benefits, I’m not sure this technology significantly improves the learning goals associated with my CLI course components.

Because this group did not conduct interviews, the recording device was not used as I initially expected. In addition, because my classroom did not have the technology to use the iPad to control the faculty workstation, I was unable to explore that part of the device.

2. Were you successful in achieving these goals? Did you modify your objectives as you began to use the device?

I think I succeeded in testing whether the iPad can be helpful in a CLI course. Although it was useful, it wasn’t necessary. In an ideal environment, I would have given all 5 groups a device to determine whether different types of CLI projects make better use of the technology. My students really enjoyed using the device. Here are some of the quotes from the report I asked the students to prepare:

“It was pretty useful because we used it a lot to insert information into spreadsheets.”

“We had a lot of conference calls and it proved to be a lot more efficient to take notes on the iPad.”

“The iPad provided flexibility because in our meetings with the partner we were able to pull up information to show our progress. This was extremely helpful because the partner did not have a computer in the conference room and liked to check on our mapping project when we met in that room.”

3. What applications did you find to be useful? Were you able to use any of these applications in the classroom or laboratory? Describe what worked well and what did not work out as anticipated.

As noted above, I was unable to test the remote control function of the device in my classroom due to the technology limitations of Seabury N128. Although Dave Tatem was willing to work with me to explore options in that room, sharing the device with my students complicated the situation. I would be interested in testing an iPad in a smaller seminar room in the future to determine whether it could improve the classroom environment, but I now realize that I’d need my own device to explore that function.

I found it mildly annoying that MS Word is not an option on the iPad. My students took notes on the device and shared them with me, but this program was merely adequate.

4. What technical problems/pitfalls did you encounter? The technological incompatibility in my classroom.

5. Based on this early evaluation, what do you foresee as the future of tablet devices in the classroom or laboratory setting? Advantages? Limitations? Would you use the device again?

Overall, I think the iPad can be useful, but it’s not essential for a CLI course. The voice recording feature could be even more useful, but I’m unable to judge at this point. I am interested in using this device again in my CLI course to explore the use of the voice recording feature for community interviews. In the fall I will be teaching the course again and would like to give the device a second try with a group conducting interviews. With only one machine during the spring semester, I really had to think carefully about which group of 5 students would make the best use of the iPad. The mapping group was the best choice in the end, but I was unable to test the recording feature.

I would also like to test it in a smaller seminar room where the remote control with the iPad is an option.

The Urban iPad Experiment: ITEC iPad Pilot Program Proposal

Stefanie Chambers, Political Science

This spring I am teaching my Urban Politics course. The course includes a community learning component. Teams of 4-5 students will work with four community partners to create and implement a new program for the partner. Student teams will work closely with their individual partner on projects such as: new literacy center, a new newspaper for the homeless, presentations in the Hartford Public Schools on student based budgeting, and a new program on nutrition for senior citizens in Hartford. I propose using the iPad with one student team. This team will use the device for note taking during their various group meetings, for group presentations, and other written assignments. I will also download the digital voice recorder application to enable students to record certain information (interviews and other events). My goal is to determine whether using a small, mobile, and easily transferable piece of equipment improves student collaboration and learning. I intend to loan the device to students for short periods and monitor their work closely. I am particularly interested in determining whether this device makes managing a CLI component more efficient. Should this device prove effective, I am very interested in adopting several for future CLI courses. I am also interested in using the iPad during class sessions for its remote presentation control. If successful, this could enable a more intimate seminar experience because I will be free to sit with the students and control classroom technology free from the instructor control station at the front of the room.