1) The document summarizes a project at Plymouth College of Art that provided 7 students with mobile devices for a year to evaluate their use in an educational context across different disciplines like games design, costume design, and illustration. 2) The students found the devices convenient and useful for tasks like taking notes, photos, and carrying their portfolio electronically, but their views differed depending on their discipline. 3) The project achieved some student-led changes like staff considering new ways of teaching with technology, but it also faced challenges of being a small scale project and sustaining changes after key people left the college.

1. JISC Change Agents’ Network
Networking Event 17-18 March 2015
Elaine Garcia1,3 & Kerry Dungay2,3
Plymouth University1, University of St Mark & St John2
(formerly at Plymouth College of Art3)
Smoke and Mirrors:
Achieving the Magic of Student led change
through the HEA Student Mobile Tablet Project

2. BACKGROUND / CONTEXT

3. Background:
Internal Drivers
• Pockets of use of mobile devices within institution – driven by
Technologically aware staff
• Mobile devices bought as pools – available for short term
External Drivers
• Large scale adoption occurring within other institutions – success?
Other Considerations
• Cost of large scale adoption and replacement prohibitive
• BYOD strategy – student existing ownership of devices
• Increasingly expensive IT infrastructure costs
• Mobility of students and seeking to see increased online learning
• 4G Project results (JANET/EE)

4. Project:
HEA Changing the Learning Landscape Project – The Mobile Device Student Partner
Project
Aim:
Evaluate the use of mobile devices within an educational & art and design context
Process:
• 7 students given a mobile device for 1 year
• Range of devices: Ipad mini, Nexus 7, Kindle Fire, Kobo Arc
• Range of disciplines: Games Design, Costume, Illustration, Photography
• Students required to provide feedback once a month and complete a
presentation at end of the year
• If all aspects completed successfully students could then retain the device
• Visits undertaken to other Institutions who have implemented institution wide
mobile devices to students

5. WHAT WAS ACHIEVED

6. Mixed Results:
Workflow – Using Camera, making notes, using calendar, using multiple email
accounts, blogging on the go
Convenience / Ease of Use – Easy to carry, no boot up, mobile, second device
Becoming Paperless – Online sketchbook, no need to print resources, carry
portfolio electronically
Main Apps Used – Social, Productivity, Design / Drawing, Games, Video,
Books, Shopping, Entertainment
In visits there was some innovative practice amongst staff with an interest in
technology but largely the devices replicated offline behaviour unless
students drove practice

7. Disciplines
• Games Design
– Kindles and Nexus7
– Students wouldn’t recommend for courses that use computers
– Would find a graphics tablet more useful
• Photography
– Useful for productivity
– Useful for scanning and taking photographs
– Useful for being able to display portfolio / looks professional
• Illustration
– Ipad Mini and Kobo Arc
– Made certain tasks easier
– Useful for productivity
– Useful for scanning and taking photographs
– Pretty much does the same as laptop but more convenient
– Should be used as an incentive to work hard
• Costume Design
– Useful for productivity
– Useful for collaboration
– Useful for scanning and taking photographs
– Would be useful for students on the course
– Useful for being able to display portfolio / looks professional
PerceivedUsefulnessofMobileDevice
HighTechtoLowTechSubject

8. Sophie Pring - Costume

9. Sophie Pring - Costume

10. Sophie Pring - Costume

11. Charmaine McDonough - Illustration

12. Lewis Wain- Games Design

13. Jordan Ash - Games Design

14. Jordan Ash - Games Design

15. BUT….

16. Changes in Staff – Devices were “smoke and mirrors”
Staff chose to engage with the Project (came to meetings, presentations, etc)
An interest in technology amongst all teaching staff connected with programmes
Students had discussed use of device with staff and other students
Students have explored use of the device in teaching and learning and shown staff
Staff considered the removal of a monitor to remove a barrier
Staff began to trial alternative ways of delivering using technology
Other students started to bring in their personal devices into class
Student led change was occurring and resulting in changes to teaching and learning

17. TECHNOLOGY

18. Technology
Technology was at the heart of this project
Looking to explore how to make sustainable change happen
Mobile devices were in reality just a tool to promote change
Range of views – appear to be disciplinary aligned
Devices are personal
Students did not support large scale institutional adoption

19. IMPACT / CHALLENGES

20. Impact
Students had discussed use of device with staff and other students
Students have explored use of the device in teaching and learning and shown staff
Students felt empowered and provided great, well thought out and comprehensive
feedback
Staff chose to engage with the Project (came to meetings, presentations, etc)
A heightened interest in technology amongst all teaching staff connected with
programmes
Staff considered the removal of a monitor to remove a barrier
Staff began to trial alternative ways of delivering using technology

21. Challenges
No longer at PCA and therefore can’t develop this area further
Small Scale Project – Needs further investigation and only made small scale
changes at this stage
Continuously changing environment – both technological and educational
Range of devices and range of views results in lack of one agreed solution
Devices can be used simply to replicate offline activities, online
The “smoke and mirrors” can be too distracting

22. SUSTAINABILITY

23. Sustainability
Project explored sustainable introduction of mobile tablets to students
Students retained tablets after end of project – continue to influence
Change was occurring from grassroots – was not centralised implementation
Success of approach demonstrated how student led projects can assist in devising
strategy
Findings continue to be shared (here and see further information)

24. FURTHER INFORMATION

25. The PCA Mobile Device
Student Partner Project
Elaine Garcia & Martial Bugliolo
Sophie Pring, Chamaine McDonough, Ellen Sexton, Jo Cookney,
Ryan Holder, Lewis Wain, John Mears & Jordan Ash
JISC TurboTel 2014 Presentation http://www.slideshare.net/rscsw/elaine-garcia-plymouth-collegeof-art-the-pca-mobile-
device

26. Garcia, E. & Bugliolo, M.
(2015) Making it Personal -
a case study of smart device
personal usage by higher
education art and design
students In: Middleton, A.,
Ed. (2015). Smart learning:
Teaching and learning with
smartphones and tablets in
post compulsory education.
Media-Enhanced Learning
Special Interest Group and
Sheffield Hallam University

28. CONTACTS

29. The Students
Sophie Pring
Chamaine McDonough
Ellen Sexton
Jo Cookney
Ryan Holder
Lewis Wain
John Mears
Jordan Ash

30. Contacts
Elaine Garcia
laineygarcia@outlook.com
@ela1negarc1a
Prev. @ Plymouth College of Art
Currently – PhD Student @
University of Plymouth
Freelance Educational Consultant
Kerry Dungay
kerrydungay@gmail.com
@kerrydungay
Prev. @ Plymouth College of Art
Currently – Impact Acceleration
Officer at University of Exeter
MBA Student @ Marjons