Preparing enabling students for undergraduate study through the use of ubiquitous technologies

The Australian Government initiatives, implemented to broaden student engagement in learning, have resulted in Australian universities endeavouring to increase their mature-aged and low socio-economic numbers. As these students are often the most susceptible to attrition, providing the necessary guidance and support is essential. With many students from this demographic studying by distance it is becoming increasingly important to innovatively engage them. Adopting Tablet PCs allows for the provision of instructional videos, electronic study guides and formative assessment, which can be electronically marked and quickly returned, thus facilitating the effective guidance and support of students. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of this approach, a study was conducted to examine the efficacy of integrating technology into enabling mathematics courses. Distance students were questioned regarding their attitudes relating to all aspects of the course provided through the use technology.