IPFW looks to "re-imagine" academic future with use of iPads

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne announced Tuesday its professors will incorporate iPads in the classroom this year, hoping to “re-imagine” the school’s academic future.

The school said a 60-member faculty cohort will use iPads in their classrooms, as part of a brand-new project at the campus, “Re-imagining IPFW’s Academic Future: Project #mobileEDU.”

Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs William McKinney said the project is part of a larger effort, the American Association of State Colleges and University’s (AASCU) Red Balloon Project, where schools are asked to re-imagine undergraduate education.

“We’re going to re-imagine our academic future by bringing technology right to the forefront of the classroom,” McKinney said. “We are challenging our faculty to use the iPad to better teach or engage their students in the classroom or through a research project. It’s all part of the Red Balloon Project’s premise that state dollars are being cut and won’t come back, at the same time the expectations for public universities are going up. So we have two choices: do more with less or do more differently. We choose to do things differently.”

Samantha Birk, associate director for instructional technology in the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching, explained how faculty members were invited to apply for the iPad cohort.

“We decided to use a cohort because it is an opportunity for the faculty to work together, exchange ideas, and provide support for the group as each member explores topic areas or ideas as they relate to using their iPads.”

Members of the cohort will attend a one-day workshop later in August, where they will receive their iPad, training on how to use it, and have their first cohort meeting.

There will be four or five additional meetings throughout the fall semester and preliminary reports are due after the first of the year, along with a final report on the iPad’s effectiveness at the end of May 2012.

Funding for #mobileEDU came from an internal grant from IPFW’s Office of Research, Engagement, and Sponsored Programs.