The University of Dayton recognizes that the Tablet PC is a very powerful educational tool. All first-year and transfer students that entered the University of Dayton School of Engineering in the fall of 2006 were given the opportunity to purchase a Gateway Tablet PC through the student computer initiative program. Although the Tablet PC was an option (not a requirement), from several notebook models, 85% of the incoming students selected the Tablet PC. Incoming engineering students will be mandated to purchase a Gateway Tablet PC beginning in the fall of 2007. The broad Tablet PC adoption in engineering coincides with a grant the Department of Engineering Technology and LTC/UDit attained from Hewlett Packard to investigate how students can best collaborate and learn in a community with Tablet PCs in a distance learning class. The grant spans the 2006-2007 academic school year.

Check out the evaluation results from two surveys conducted in December 2006 concerning the impact of Tablet PCs on student learning.

During the fall 2006 semester Professor Edmonson integrated Tablet PCs and presentation software into his IET 317 course. An evaluation was conducted in order to learn what elements need work as well as what areas students find beneficial to their learning.

At the conclusion of the fall 2006 semester a survey was distributed via email to the 277 students who purchased the Gateway Tablet PC model of which 85 completed surveys were returned. The Learning Teaching Center and UDit is interested in understanding how students use their tablets, when they're being used, and what they're being used for. The overall goal is to investigate the results and develop a plan to improve the University of Dayton's use of Tablet PCs in the classroom in order to provide students with the best possible learning environment.

• Tablet PC Evaluation Results - IET 317: (pdf)
• Tablet PC Evaluation Results -First Year Students: (pdf)

During the spring 2007 semester, the LTC offered a four part workshop series concerning education applications of the Tablet PC titled: "Tablet PC's - The Perfect Computer for Academics?" The session resources are posted below.