The Role of Slate Enabled Technology in Collaboration

The use of instructional technologies in the higher education classroom is growing at a rapid pace. More recently, there has been interest in the use of slate enabled devices, such as tablet PCs and iPads, and their impact on engagement and learning. There is also instructional technology software, such as DyKnow Vision, that is designed to facilitate collaborative learning. This paper describes the case study of an engineering course offered during a Summer Bridge Program (i.e., STEP) at a Research I university that was undertaken to examine the role of slate enabled technologies in collaboration between and among course instructors and students. Our results reveal that the degree to which students and faculty used the tablet when collaborating was critically influenced by the instructional software. Due to a tight coupling between instructor-modeled behavior and student behavior, the adoption of the slate technology by the instructor affected the degree to which the students used the technology. In addition, the seating configuration of the students, when working in groups, also affected their collaborative learning experience and engagement.