LTERC SEMINAR SERIES PRESENTS

Tablet PCs in combination with learning management systems have allowed a smooth transition to a paperless course environment that facilitates improved accreditation and archiving and also allows for easy production of video resources and assessment feedback. The workshop will show the development of teaching and leaning resources using the Tablet PC and also the use of the Tablet PC in the marking and management of assessment. The development involves the use of Camtasia Studio, PDF Annotator, Windows Journal and Flash software.

Brief description of activities:

1. Investigation into the effective development of video base resource
The use of a tablet PC and screen capture utilities such as Camtasia Studio allows recording the interactivity on the tablet screen complete with audio. This process can now be completed with relative ease and is particularly useful for distance students and largely adopted by internal students that cannot attend or have missed classes.

2. Marking of assessment (with feedback) to improve student outcomes
Tablet PC’s play a large role in the paperless course. They are used to mark and send feedback to students electronically through the LMS system. They are used to create and record lecture notes. Without a Tablet marking and providing electronic feedback on the students’ own assignment requires marking students’ work, scanning this work, creating a document and sending the document to students. Again the tablets remove all of the work from this process. This increase in efficiency is mainly gained from the use of Tablet PC’s and LMS software

3. Accreditation and preparation
One fairly large task is to be able to provide examples of the good, the bad and the ugly student work. This becomes innately important when the accreditations panel audits an institution for accreditation purposes as they focus on examples of student work and the course materials such as learning outcomes etc. We have some completely paperless courses where all teaching resources, assessments, course profiles and student work is submitted, all though an LMS system. The information is stored electronically and at the end of each semester academics compress the whole course complete with student submissions, assignment feedback sent to students and course resources onto a single disc (DVD).

Antony Dekkers is currently Senior Lecturer with Academic Learning Services Unit at CQUniversity Australia and has had seventeen years’ experience in delivering tertiary mathematics. He is also part of team developing mathematics material used within the unit. His role includes delivery and development mathematics courses in the STEPS program, assisting undergraduate students with the mathematics component of their study program and small group learning support sessions in a range of mathematics topics. Current research interests include the development and delivery of online based resources for teaching within the tertiary system using the Tabletpc.

Dr Prue Howard has a Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering, A Masters Degree in Engineering, and a Doctorate in Transdisciplinary Studies. She came to academia after four years as an engineer and designer in industry. Her initial research/consulting area was in dynamics and failure analysis, but the opportunity to become involved in Engineering Education research quickly changed her direction. An early grant from what was then known as CAUT showed how integration of content, and a context based approach to teaching could motivate and enthuse students. She has recently finalised an ALTC funded project as lead investigator to develop a model for assessing students as individuals who do their learning in team based environments.