Tablet PC as an innovative instructional technology in Electronic Engineering Technology (EET) course delivery (non-refereed)

The effectiveness of instruction in engineering technology courses remains a big challenge for educators at all institutions. Through the support of HP Higher Education Teaching Initiative grant, the authors in Electronic Engineering Technology (EET) program at Florida Agriculture and Mechanical University had the change to implement a teaching methodology using innovative instructional technology. The main objective of this project is to integrate the use of wireless/mobile technology in classroom instruction to improve teaching and learning. A wireless LAN composed of 20 Tablet PCs donated by HP was setup. Ubiquitous Presenter software was installed in each of these computers as a platform to deliver some of the EET courses. Ubiquitous Presenter offers the structure and detail of pre-prepared slides along with the flexibility of on-the-fly inking, leaving instructors free to pursue tangents, correct mistakes, and provide step-by-step in-class examples. Slide minimization and whiteboard features provide instructors with any extra space needed. Students can synchronize with presentation via a web browser and watch it real-time, or remain unsynchronized and move between the slides at their leisure. All of the progressive inking is saved on the web, so students can return later and step through the lecture for review. Combined with the Pen Functionality provided by the Tablet PC, formed a vital and powerful platform for course delivery purpose.