Introducing Tablet PCs: Initial Results From the Classroom

Tablet PCs ("TPC's) are drawing interest as a potential tool for improving teaching and learning in engineering education. Several schools have obtained the machines and are looking at effective uses. An initiative at Penn State involves thirty-one engineering faculty from eleven different disciplines. All of these faculties are trying out TPCs in their courses, and have agreed to do so for the next year and one-half. This paper reports on the initial stage of the project, in which the research question focuses on how engineering undergraduates perceive the effectiveness of the TPC as a teaching and learning tool. Over 100 students in three courses responded to an online survey related to specific uses of the TPC in their class. Responses from the students were overwhelmingly positive. This research is significant due to the increasing availability of TPCs, the lack of empirical evidence related to their effectiveness, and their potential for improving teaching and learning