Paving the way for institution wide integration of Tablet PC Technologies

Supporting early adopters in Science and Engineering

Abstract

The implementation of a new technology into an institution can be challenging when faced with limited support and restricted procurement procedures. Academics in the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Curtin University have been using tablet PC technology for several years to transform passive presentations into media rich, collaborative and engaging learning experiences. Recent advancements in tablet PC technology have stimulated new interest in tablet technology but also raises the question of how a university responds to the support and procurement of such new technology. In addition, what professional development is required to ensure that staff are comfortable and competent when teaching effectively with these devices. This paper presents the experiences and findings from a Community of Practice at Curtin University that embarked on evaluating and implementing three models of tablet PC at the university. The Community also engaged in a number of different professional workshops that demonstrated various strategies and fostered communication around current practice. The outcomes presented in this paper indicate the need to support academics using tablet PC’s in a responsive way rather, rather than being prescriptive on tools available through service agreements. The collaborative approach to investigating an educational technology situation used in this project could be seen as a model applicable to other contexts that involve many stakeholders across an institution.