Personalized Instruction at the FB Using Wireless PDAs

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Personalized Instruction at the FB Using Wireless
PDAs

• Experience Report
• and Outlook
• Christian Wagner
• Director of First Year Teaching and Learning, FB

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Overview
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Aligning the First Year Experience with Our Goals
FB Mission
Skill Set of BBA Graduates
Challenges of Transition
CityUs Ideal Graduate

• First Year Experience
• Personalized Instruction
• Rich Learning Experiences
• Integrative Learning
• Dedicated Instructors
• Ethics Oriented Education

Constructive Alignment
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Objectives and Initiatives(Illustrative Examples)
Rich Learning Experiences
Dedicated Instructors
Personalized Instruction
Ethics Oriented Education
Integrative Learning
Supplemental Instruction Scheme
Embedded Ethics Education
Teaching Team Coordination
E- Organization
E-learning Inventory
Interactive Learning with PDAs
Ethics Resources Website
Teaching Awards
Instructor Sharing Sessions
Adventure Camp
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Wireless PDAs in the Classroom

• Wireless Pocket PCs with Internet access for all
  students (pilot IS Department, now all 800
  first year students in FB).
• Student-instructor interaction in large classes
  (gt100 students)
• Students use wireless PCs for question answering,
  feedback during lectures.
• Value for co-curricular activities students can
  browse the web, download instructional materials.

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PDA Use - Learning Model

• Help students learn by asking questions.
• Effective interaction between teachers and
  students (knowing the students and monitoring
  their performance)
• Instant personalized feedback.
• Keep students motivated.
• Give students a chance to think and participate
  in classes.

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Problems in Large Conventional Lectures
Few students are willing to participate actively
(no questions, few answers to questions).
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Previous Solution Personal Response System
Specifications Technology Infra-Red Range 30
Feet Max. no of concurrent units 60 One-way
communication
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Modified Solution Wireless PDAs (Pocket PC w/
WiFi)
Specifications Technology Wireless LAN Range
Within WLAN Range (More than 100 Feet) Max. no
of concurrent units 255 (or more)
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Wireless PDAs in the Classroom
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Lectures with Interactivity
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Improved Learning Environment

• Instructors are able to
• ask questions in various formats e.g. MC,
  True/False, and open-ended.
• view students answers immediately, at individual
  and group levels.
• give students instant feedback.
• record results (and attendance).
• Students are motivated to
• answer questions anonymously (without fear).
• raise questions without identity disclosure.
• view instructors feedback immediately.
• view their learning performance.

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Instructor Feedback
http//fbpdadev.cityu.edu.hk/tiki-survey_stats_sur
vey.php?surveyId1
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Initiative Implementation
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Initiative Implementation
Initiative Creation (individual instructor)
Common practice for entire FB First and Second
Year (Fall 2005)
Support through Infra-structure
Initial solution PRS (Fall 2003), academically
useful, but implementation infeasible
Repeat and Improve
PDA pilot implementation, IS Department only,
Fall 2004, with support from FB
Institutionalize
Roll-out to rest of FB for use in First Year core
courses (Spring 2005)
Individual Adoption
Departmental Adoption/FB Pilot
Adoption across FB
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Critical Success Factors
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Some Obstacles

• Using 200 PDAs in parallel (access point
  limitations).
• Battery life (24 hrs) and implications.
• Transfer of possession of 800 PDAs with
  individual identification.
• Training and familiarization.
• Classroom support.
• From one-time effort to on-going routine!
• Students losing their PDAs (lt1).

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Resource Requirements and Results Exemplified
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PDA Initiative Resource Requirements

• Wireless PDA purchase HK2,250 per unit, paid by
  FB.
• Annual insurance premium HK300, paid by
  students.
• 1 FT technical staff member (planning,
  evaluation, training, maintenance), 1 PT
  technical staff (application development)
• Fractional time from all faculty members, (e.g.,
  training, testing, in-class exercise development)

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PDA Use Early Findings

• Students using PDAs enjoyed
• practicing what they learnt in the lecture,
• testing their understanding about the subject
  matter and
• assessing their knowledge about the subject
  matter.
• Students using PDAs during QA sessions agree
  that they
• compare their understanding of the subject matter
  with other students in the class,
• learn from other students in class and
• consider the ideas of other students in class.

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More PDA Use Findings

• Students strongly agreed that
• their role in the class changed from passive
  listeners to active learners,
• the class focused on the students learning,
• the class attention shifted from the instructor
  and his knowledge to the students knowledge and
  understanding.
• Students with PDAs were more satisfied in
  participating in the QA exercise.

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Road Ahead for FB
Best technology that 2,500 can buy
900 notebook mini?
900 Pocket PC VGA (iPAQ/Dell)
800 Pocket PC iPAQ 3417
150 Pocket PC iPAQ 4150
lt HK2,000
900 Pocket PC (iPAQ/Dell)
ltHK1,500?
Mobile phones with web browser
Personal response capability at lowest price
point
2005 (1,000)
2006 (1,900)
2007 (2,800)
2004 (150)
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Implications (Scenario independent) - 1

• 3,000 wireless LAN (WLAN) users by 2007, many
  concurrently.
• Massively parallel WLAN use (200 in a single
  class room), single access point.
• Need for mobile e-portal / Blackboard.

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Implications (Scenario independent) - 2

• E-mail / messaging to anyplace / anytime in the
  wireless space.
• VoIP possible! (SIP and Skype work already)
• Just-in-time delivery of class materials, quizzes
• Learning via front channel and back channel.

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Front and Back Channel
FRONT Instructor controlled
BACK Student feedback
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Conclusions
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Summary and Conclusions

• Three-year initiative whose ultimate impact yet
  to be determined.
• Results so far are encouraging (adoption, use,
  satisfaction, learning).
• Potential for predominantly wireless
  student/instructional computing (anyplace,
  just-in-time).
• Potential for new ways of teaching and learning
  (front/back channel).