Using Wireless Tablet Personal Computers To Extend Engineering Technology Classrooms And Enhance Learning
- Conference
- Location
-
Chicago, Illinois
- Publication Date
-
June 18, 2006
- Start Date
-
June 18, 2006
- End Date
-
June 21, 2006
- ISSN
-
2153-5965
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
-
Computers in Education
- Page Count
-
5
- Page Numbers
-
11.1417.1 - 11.1417.5
- DOI
-
10.18260/1-2--416
- Permanent URL
-
https://strategy.asee.org/416
- Download Count
-
340
Paper Authors
Lisa Jones Southwest Tennessee Community College
Lisa G. Jones is currently Assistant Professor in Electrical Engineering Technology at Southwest Tennessee Community College in Memphis, Tennessee. She joined Southwest in 2002 after 20 years of working as a design engineer and project manager in the electronics industry including Bell Labs, AT&T, Truevision, and Thomson Consumer Electronics. Ms. Jones earned her BSEE degree from Memphis State University in 1980 and her MSEE degree from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1981.
James M. Northern Southwest Tennessee Community College
James M. Northern, P.E., is currently Program Coordinator of Electrical Engineering Technology at Southwest Tennessee Community College. He graduated from Memphis State University with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering in 1970. He also has a B.S. in Psychology and a M.S. in Technical Education from Memphis State University. Mr. Northern worked as an engineer and senior engineer at Allan & Hoshall for 8 years in the area of rural power system analysis and has been teaching at Southwest for 25 years in the areas of instrumentation and electrical engineering technology.
Abstract
NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract
Using Wireless Tablet Personal Computers to Extend Engineering Technology Classrooms and Enhance Learning
Introduction
The Engineering Technology Department is using wireless tablet PCs to expand its just-in-time education initiative, dual credit program with high schools, and its one year technical certificate programs. The department is using the wireless tablets and classroom management software to enhance classroom technology on various under-served off-campus locations. By incorporating them into its courses, the department is able to create distance education courses and improve teaching methods. To take advantage of the power of the tablet PCs, classroom presentations are converted to PowerPoint presentations and more problem-based case studies that support critical thinking, interactive learning, and team/peer instruction are added. The Engineering Technology curriculum has many problem-based courses and laboratory exercises that can be used to support active and collaborative learning while using the wireless tablet PC.
The wireless capability of the tablets allows for the quick conversion of a regular classroom to a computer lab. All that is required is the wireless tablets and an access point connected to the Internet if Internet access is desired. The instructor can use the tablet PC and projector to make presentations. Using the pen input, the instructor can easily annotate PowerPoint slides during the presentation and can create and solve new problems in real time. The tablet PC and projector eliminate the need for a blackboard. Having the flexibility to teach courses with minimal facilities allows the Engineering Technology Department to move its classrooms to appropriate off-campus sites near the students.
Rationale
Historically the Engineering Technology programs have been available only at the main technology campus. Students knew what field they were interested in, were very mature, working, and advancing their careers. To attract more students, the Engineering Technology Department has developed a just-in-time initiative. The department is offering a seamless education that starts with a technical certificate and progresses to an associate’s degree and beyond. The department is developing the capability to offer the certificate programs at locations throughout the local area, including the urban campus. As the course offerings expand, the student population consists of a broader range of students with multiple commitments and a wider range of socioeconomic circumstances. To keep these students interested, the department is incorporating new technology and teaching methods.
The new technology and teaching methods also support the Engineering Technology Department’s commitment to accreditation and employers. Its graduates must be able to apply creativity to the solution of problems and effectively communicate their solutions orally and in writing. Using the tablet PC and adding more problem solving exercises and presentations to the courses help develop those skills. Figure 1 shows students collaboratively working on a problem. Figure 2 shows one of the student’s classroom presentations. Wireless tablet PCs are a
Jones, L., & Northern, J. M. (2006, June), Using Wireless Tablet Personal Computers To Extend Engineering Technology Classrooms And Enhance Learning Paper presented at 2006 Annual Conference & Exposition, Chicago, Illinois. 10.18260/1-2--416
ASEE holds the copyright on this document. It may be read by the public free of charge. Authors may archive their work on personal websites or in institutional repositories with the following citation: © 2006 American Society for Engineering Education. Other scholars may excerpt or quote from these materials with the same citation. When excerpting or quoting from Conference Proceedings, authors should, in addition to noting the ASEE copyright, list all the original authors and their institutions and name the host city of the conference. - Last updated April 1, 2015