The document summarizes a study evaluating the use of iPads by first-year medical students at the University of Leicester. Surveys found that students were initially satisfied with using iPads to access course materials and annotate PDFs, and their satisfaction increased over the term as they adapted to the digital format. Introducing iPads successfully replaced printed materials and course packs. Students reported that iPads provided easy access to materials and enabled spontaneous studying. The university plans to further develop interactive ebooks and use iPads as a catalyst for innovative teaching practices.

1. www.le.ac.uk
Evaluating the use of iPads with
first-year Medics
Learning & Teaching
Conference
8 July, 2014
Mark Hamilton, Gráinne Conole, and Terese Bird
School of Medicine and
Institute of Learning Innovation
University of Leicester

2. What will we talk about?
• Student-led
• What has happened
• Why we are pleased it has happened
• What’s next
• You can do it too!

3. Why?
• Clinical medicine is
rapidly adopting
technology
• Proactive/reactive
• Quickly respond to
change
• Provide students with
up to date digital tools
http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/10914011.Hospitals_to_replace
_bedside_charts_with_iPads/

4. Vision
• For changes to be ground
up/student led
• Practical/sustainable
• Open up teaching and learning
opportunities
• Catalyst other advances/changes Student’s handwritten note

5. What we did
• Began autumn 2013
• Full-size iPad given to every first year
• Workbooks no longer printed; instead, PDFs on LMS
• Told students to buy Notability (PDF annotation app)
• Told students to bring iPads to all class sessions
• Qualitative & quantitative surveys

6. Survey beginning of term
It was easy to initially
set up the iPad
Strongly
agree 67.4%
Agree 28.9%
Neither
agree nor
disagree
3.6%
Column1
Strongly
agree
55.4%
Agree
37.3%
Neither
agree nor
disagree
7.2%
It was easy to download
material from Blackboard
LMS to the iPad

7. Survey beginning of term
Overall, I am satisfied with using the iPad to enhance
my learning in this course.
Column1
Strongly agree
40%
Agree 42.2%
Neither agree nor
disagree 7.2%
Disagree 8.4%
Strongly disagree
1.2%
Unanswered 1.2%

8. Comparison of survey 1 and survey 2
I am satisfied with the learning experience of reading
the assigned material on the iPad
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Survey 1
Survey 2

9. Comparison of survey 1 and survey 2
I am satisfied with Notability as a way to read and
annotate the learning material
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Survey 1
Survey 2

10. Student quotes
• “At first I was a little apprehensive as I was used to paper
format. However once I started using the iPad I had adjusted to
the style of learning.... I now find it easy to use a combination of
the iPad and written notes... The iPad is extremely useful when
trying to access specific material. It also saves carrying lots of
documents!”
• “I have found that I am more likely to do spontaneous revision
by having all my work so readily accessible on the iPad.”
• “I think the iPads have been a good way to learn. It makes
studying possible in more locations.”
• “The iPad is fantastic to use during groupwork, …in fact, I'm not
entirely sure how previous years managed these sessions
without it!”

11. How they learn

12. Findings
• Introducing iPads has been successful
– Replaced paper
– Achieved with almost no specialised support
– High student satisfaction
• Student-led innovation
– Devising self tests
– Creative group work
– Mindmaps
– Drawing

13. What’s next?
• Interactive ebooks
– Video
– Audio
– Quizzes
– Offline viewing
– Annotate-able
• Catalyst for staff innovation
– Webinar tutorials
– Interactive lectures
• Looking at assessment