Does teaching with a Tablet PC enhance the teaching experience and provide greater flexibility? What are the students' attitudes to teaching with a Tablet PC

This project aimed to uncover both students’ and lecturers’ perceptions of the use of technology in the teaching of preparatory mathematics. We believe that the students’ opinions of the delivery method of a subject can have a profound affect on their learning outcomes. As the lecturer/student interaction also has an affect on student learning outcomes, the researchers, as the lecturers of the courses, also participated in the study. This assisted in the understanding of students’ perceptions. No Literature was found that exactly matched our specifications. Though the literature does suggest a positive outcome for the majority of technology use in the class room, we cannot extrapolate from this the effect on adult learners in a preparatory mathematics class. The study was conducted over a two semester period. During this time students were exposed to both traditional teaching methods, i.e. use of a whiteboard, and the use of a tablet PC and projector combination. The researchers aimed to ascertain if the use of technology in mathematics class has a positive effect on the students. At the conclusion of the second semester both students and lecturers were requested to complete a questionnaire.The study suggested a direct correlation between the student perceiving the lecturer as being comfortable with the use of the technology and the student being favourably disposed to the use of technology. The researchers noted there were acceptance differences between the younger and the older students and those with and without prior computing experience. Overall the researchers found that the key to successfully integrating technology into the classroom was achieving a harmonious balance between the traditional and the technological that satisfied the needs all students and the lecturer.