Education working group management using digital tablets

Abstract

Group work in education is a standard way of teaching, but is not always provided with the proper tools for being carried out. This work aims to explain a teaching group management model using Digital Tablets. A selection of applications was made for efficient managing of the work's coordination between group members as well as between them and the teacher. During the year 2011-12, a pilot study was carried out with graphic design as a subject involving students from the Computer Engineering and Agricultural Engineering degrees at the University of La Laguna. During seven weeks of the semester, the total number of students was divided into 30 groups that had to perform different graphic projects. The double aim of this methodology is monitoring the work of each group through TeacherKit app for iPad and improving the coordination, collaborative work and communication with the teacher using Dropbox as a common space for all members of each group and the teacher. For complementing the review process another two apps have been also used: LogMeIn and Notability. This work details the experience and some preliminary results from student's satisfaction. (C) 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.