The USQ Tablet PC Project

1
The USQ Tablet PC Project

• Birgit Loch
• Department of Mathematics Computing
• and Division of ICT
• University of Southern Queensland
• Birgit.Loch_at_usq.edu.au
• http//www.sci.usq.edu.au/staff/lochb

2
Overview

• USQ context
• Journey from one to many tablet PCs
• What we do with tablet PCs
• New Camtasia software for lecture recording
• Alternatives to tablet PCs
• Examples
• What about the students?
• Preliminary outcomes

3
USQ context

• Regional university, located in Toowoomba 130km
  west of Brisbane. 2 smaller campuses
• 27,000 students ¾ study in distance mode
• High percentage of low SES, mature age and part
  time students
• High emphasis on ICTs and online delivery

4
Journey from one to many tablet PCs

• 2005 1 (maths)
• LT Grant 2006 7 (maths, stats, LT support3
  for semester loan)
• LT Fellowship S1 2009 additional 50 (all 5
  Faculties, Library, LT support)
• Extension of LT Fellowship into 2010student
  tablet PCs

5
USQ Senior LT Fellowship in 2009

• 50,000 100 teaching relief for 1 semester for
  fellow Tablet PCs software
• plus 120,000 All Deans, CTO, VC, Toshiba (in
  kind)
• Establishment of ICT policies and preferred model
• Recruitment targeted individuals and volunteers
• Training and ongoing support
• Community of Practice of Tablet PC users
• Research into impact of Tablet PCs on teaching
  learning
• Strategic direction Tablet PC University

6
Evaluation

• Feedback
• Via email from face to face informal meetings
  via the community site, eg forum posts regular
  reflections
• Four staff surveys
• Interviews
• Student evaluations, student access of material,
  recordings

7
Some Challenges

• ICT support, technical issues
• Uptake of new technology in time poor environment
• One person driving the trial what if
• They leave the university
• Drown under workload at end of teaching free
  semester
• Decide to focus on different projects
• sustainable approach distributive leadership,
  champions, super users (LTPF project)

8
What we do with tablet PCs

• Writing in lectures
• To replace need for whiteboard. Keeps record.
  Distance students can see what was written in
  class.
• Recording lectures
• To provide a near on campus experience to
  distance students. Caters for more learning
  styles. To help students catch up on missed
  class. Repeat play back benefits international
  students. Mobile learning.

http//tinyurl.com/austms
9
What we do with tablet PCs

• Marking assignments
• Electronic submission encouraged at USQ. Faster
  feedback if marked and returned electronically.
• Recording snippets
• Concepts identified as difficult are explained in
  short recordings. Added to study material.
  Responses to forum questions, emails.

10
What we do with tablet PCs

• Recording individual student consultations in
  mathematics/statistics support
• Allows students to play back later. Reinforces
  understanding.
• Going wireless!
• Handing the tablet PC to students. Encourages
  shy students or those without English as first
  language to contribute.

11
What we do with tablet PCs

• Running synchronous tutorials
• Web conferencing Elluminate Live, MSN Messenger

12
New Camtasia software for lecture recording

• Beta trial in 2008
• Faculty trial in S1 2009
• Roll out across USQ in S2 2009
• For ALL computers that can connect to the USQ
  server

13
Alternatives to tablet PCs

• Pen-enabled screens (LTPF Project)
• Reducesneed fortablet PCsin class

14
Alternatives to tablet PCs

• Digital note pens

15
Alternatives to tablet PCs

• Ebook readers
• Faculty of Business trial

16
Thermodynamics Andrew Wandell

• To be presented at AaeE conference in Adelaide

17
Biodiversity Conservation Andy Le Brocque
18
Programming Michael de Raadt
19
Finance Peter Phillips
20
Statistics, Christine McDonald

21
The Library Kaye England/ Ranald Simpson
22
Mathematics Trevor Langlands/ Birgit Loch
23
Mathematics Birgit Loch
24
Nursing maths Linda Galligan
25
Nursing maths Birgit Loch
26
What about the students?

• S1 2010 (VCs strategic funds, Fellowship)
• Multi-Touch net books

27
Preliminary outcomes Tablet PCs in S1 2009,
general survey
Faculty/Division responses Successful users courses Tablet PCs
Education 3 2 2 3
Business 6 5 7 5 ( 2)
Arts 2 1 4 2 1
Sciences 11 10 12 2 5 ( 8)
Engineering Surveying 6 4 7 4 2 (2)
Library 4 3 3 1
total 32 25 35 17 8 (12)

• 18 new fellowship tablet PCs (1 spare)
• 8 new additional purchases
• 12 existing tablet PCs
• Approx 5,500 students taught with tablet PC in S1

Bold fellowship x additional new ( x)
existing
28
The difference in perception of the need for a
Tablet PC in various disciplines

• Additional purchases in/after S1
• EngineeringSurveying, Sciences, Business
• No additional purchases
• Education, Arts
• Same training and support for all users
• Reasons Sharing practice? Level of computer
  confidence? Quantitative nature of discipline?
  Facultys political situation?

29
Has your teaching approach (pedagogy) changed

• More collaborative
• Students are now more involved in contributing
• Freed from dot-point slides
• Yes. I appreciate how much students prefer having
  you write
• It has helped achieve my goal to close the 'soft'
  information gap between on and off campus
  students
• Have based our class plans around the
  socio-cultural method of peer-learning
• I have become more visual in the way that I teach
• Not yet. No time to incorporate significant
  changes

30
What was your students attitude to your use of
the tablet technology?

• VERY POSITIVE, excited, impressed by the use of
  this newer technology
• They loved it
• Mostly positive but again marred by the fact that
  I had a lot of technical difficulties
• I asked and a couple responded to say they
  thought the handwritten comments were helpful but
  I suspect they would have found typewritten
  comments just as helpful.

31
Have you obtained unexpected results

• I thought the Tablet PC would be useful for
  working through quantitative work. I did not
  expect the more dynamic environment that it can
  help to generate and I did not expect it would be
  so useful for even the qualitative parts of the
  course.
• Yes, whilst we thought the Tablet PC would
  increase student learning we were surprised by
  how much the Tablet PC increased our own
  engagement with technology.
• In terms of how the use has invigorated my
  teaching. For the first time in years I have
  felt excited about my teaching and that is
  reflected in how I interact with students. So
  then they get excited