Two Pepperdine faculty members presented research titled “To iPad or Not to iPad: A Qualitative Study to Learn More About the iPad’s Potential to Impact Learning Across Varying Disciplines” at the annual EDUCAUSE conference in Washington D.C Monday Feb. 14.
The findings were the result of part one of a three-term study that began this fall involving approximately 160 Pepperdine undergraduate students. The purpose of the study was to investigate how students would utilize the iPad in a classroom and how the device would impact student learning.
When Apple first introduced the iPad to the market in April it caused speculation about the gadget’s educational advantages compared to other electronic devices such as laptops.
The idea of the iPad experiment at Pepperdine belongs to Timothy Chester vice provost for academic administration and chief information officer who piloted the initial research. He supports a scientific approach to the application of iPads on campus.
According to the Pepperdine’s IT website “the research initiative is being conducted by Information Technology in line with the desire to use technology to purposefully enhance teaching and learning at Pepperdine University. This initiative also coincides with the division’s goal to provide ‘anytime anywhere’ technological services to the campus community.”
Dana Hoover assistant chief information officer for communications and planning who presented the research in Washington on Monday described the inaugural fall 2010 term as way to understand the uses of the iPad in a classroom setting.
“While personal computing technology has been readily available for some time in the classroom the iPad is new. To best understand the effect that the iPad may have on learning it was necessary to first understand how it is used in the classroom Hoover said. Establishing the culture of use for iPads was done during the fall term via pre- and post-term surveys focus groups and classroom observations.”
“In the fall we worked with four faculty but only three faculty taught an iPad and non-iPad section which was required for the study added Hoover. The fourth class started with two sections but shortly before the beginning of the term they were collapsed into one class.”
One of the iPad’s significant benefits small group collaboration is evident from studying this device in a classroom setting. According to the study students who worked with iPads tended to cooperate more while doing some assignments because laptops were difficult to share.
“It is much easier to share information when you are working with an iPad Chester said, describing that students with laptops preferred to work individually. Research is still in progress and that’s what we found out so far. We will have a more detailed description of results once we get data from this semester. “
Dr. Susan Helm an associate professor of nutritional science in the Natural Science Division has her students use such applications as FoodTracker Pro Calorie Tracker Metabolic Syndrome and EatRight Daily Food Log to enhance the curriculum. For Math 214 the iPad simplifies work through the use of applications like Graphic Calculator. Law students are also using the Penultimate Keynote and Quickoffice Connect applications on the iPad.
Using the collected data from the fall Hoover plans to shape the long-term development of the project.
“In spring 2011 the iPad research team will use the results of the fall term to correct flaws in data collection and assessment and then in fall 2011 the team will conduct the most formal part of the research process: collecting the right data to determine the effectiveness of the iPad in enhancing teaching and learning Chester said.
Before the termination of the study in the spring of 2012, project leader Chester hopes to see an enhancement in Pepperdine’s scientific process.
There are still many things to work on Chester said. For example we are working on improving our ways of data collection and analysis.”