According to students surveyed by the iPP:
- 72 percent of students understood the purpose of the iPads
- 67 believed that the tool would assist them in their future careers
- 63 percent agreed that the iPads played an important role in critical thinking and collaboration in the classroom
- 58 percent agreed the iPad is a tool for student learning
- 57 percent said it enhances participation
- 56 percent said it increases student engagement
- 52 percent said they wanted to take another class that uses mobile tech
- 36 percent said they felt the iPad was distracting in class
“We see this latter finding as related to the need for more training as some faculty in the project noted initial difficulties in helping students use the technology in the classroom,” muse the authors. “It should also be noted that there were a consistent 15 to 26 percent of students that self-reported that they did not benefit from the iPP. This negative finding might be explained partially by the rural and non-traditional nature of the student body at the university.”
One faculty member also emphasized during a learning community meeting that “students had some concerns about the use of technology and social media in the classroom, including ethical concerns about labor practices and concerns about social media use in general.”
The authors conclude by saying the next step will be to use controlled experiments with pre- and post-testes comparing student experiences in an iPP course with student experiences in a non-iPP course.
For more individual case studies, further explanation of pedagogical challenges, and more student perception data, read the full report, “The iPad Pilot Project: A faculty driven effort to use mobile technology in the reinvention of the liberal arts.”
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