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HP Tablet PCs: Impact on Student Learning EG497/498 Engineering Design Project I/II In this capstone design course, the students meet in teams during class each week to discuss project status and technical issues and to plan future work. Previously, notes were taken by hand and a white board was used to list/organize ideas and draw sketches/diagrams. By using Tablet PCs during weekly meetings, the students are better able to capture their project-related ideas and plans. Project artifacts (drawings, schedules, specifications, etc.) can be pulled up and annotated/modified directly, leaving a clearer electronic record. This ability to switch between different project tools (e.g., Excel and Journal) and to make hand-written annotations facilitates a more dynamic team environment. The in-class use of the Tablet PC’s also forces a more uniform and efficient approach to team project management. This ultimately results in better teamwork and more successful project management as reflected in the independent evaluations performed by our Industrial Advisory Board (see Table 1) at the end of the projects. In addition, improvement was noted in the use of computational modeling to support design decisions. This is tied to the tools and techniques covered in EG426 (Computer-Aided Simulation and Design), which also uses the Tablet PCs. Table 1. Teamwork and Project Management Scores for Senior Design Projects
(The scoring scale was as follows: 5 Exceptional level of performance for a graduating senior—representative of a highly successful practicing engineer Learn more about the program:
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