Every Student use of iPads: A Vade Mecum for Students' Active Learning

Abstract

The iPad has evolved into a very capable computer with high processor power, enhanced screen resolution, and good battery life. However, this capability is still largely untapped in higher education by students or staff where there is still reliance on a Victorian higher educational system; that is, content delivery by lectures and assessment by examination. Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are, mostly, a modernisation of such content delivery. However, active learning , coupled with increased availability of cloud services and iPads/smartphones, provides opportunities for students to use practical mobile devices anywhere. Such ubiquity allows tutors to promote active learning in any location, even in the lecture theatre. We examine some of the practicalities and pedagogy behind this trend and suggest ways in which students’ educational experiences are enhanced via active learning with iPads, whether cloud linked or not. Involved, active learning promotes digital information and literacy skills into the curriculum as well as integrates knowledge bases via an Internet of Everything. Moreover, employability skills can be incorporated into the learning experiences and the personalisation of iPads can accommodate the needs of students with mobility and specific difficulties. Tutors seem reluctant to use iPads in educational environments. We expect this to diminish as students become empowered to use smart-cloud technologies to promote their educational needs. The iPad and its kin can be thought of as a vade mecum, enhancing everyone’s learning in a fourth dimension and can fit into modern pedagogies.