QUT may soon be able to shrink the typical uni student's 5kg+ backpack into a 150g iPod and turn the pesky mobile into teachers' pet learning device.
These are just two uses of the ubiquitous personal communication devices used daily by students being trialled or researched for their teaching potential by Queensland University of Technology's Teaching and Learning Support Services (TALSS) in collaboration with a number of faculty partners.
Mobile phones, iPods, PDAs, tablet PCs and laptops abound on campus and TALSS Associate Director Geoff Mitchell said students were demanding the ability to use them to support their study.
Dr Mitchell said TV shows such as Big Brother and Australian Idol had pioneered audience participation through the use of everyday consumer devices like mobiles.
"Mobile phones are regarded as a pest by lecturers but they could be used in a class so that students could simultaneously text a response or vote on options or generate ideas."
He said QUT had provided wireless support for laptops "due to popular demand" and would trial podcasting of lectures.
"Next year we will trial taping lectures and making them available for download to an iPod so that students can listen to lectures on the bus, in the train, wherever.
"The degree to which we build teaching practices around hardware will vary according to the faculty. We've found these devices are used by an increasing number of students in faculties such as IT, engineering and creative industries although the uptake is much lower in areas like health, education and law," Dr Mitchell said.
He said issues of IP, equity and student attendance were under consideration in relation to using these devices but understanding of their potential for enhancing teaching and learning was still evolving.
"We know that increasing interaction in the classroom increases student learning, so we want to investigate using these items to increase interactivity in a meaningful way."
Media contact: Niki Widdowson, QUT media, 07 3864 1841 or n.widdowson@qut.edu.au
