Starting early 2012, the Institute of Teaching and Learning (ITL) handed out iPads to 165 additional professors who submitted plan to utilize iPads in class. Currently, only 11 classrooms are equipped with the iPad wireless setting system: Hakgwan, Engineering Building B, Education Building A, Education Building B, Ewha-POSCO Building, Law Building, Ewha Information Technology Institute, Physical Education Building, and Main Hall.
“The classrooms equipped with an iPad wireless setting system were selected based on the practicality and the capacity of classroom and the building. More than 50 classrooms will be equipped with an iPad-usable system in wired and wireless form during March and April this year,” said Jo Il-hyun, the head of Institute of ITL.
However, some professors and students are already expressing doubts on the effective use of iPads in classes without an iPad wireless system in the classroom.
“If a classroom is not equipped with an iPad wireless system, the iPad’s utility will be limited. The reason for bringing iPads into the classroom is to enable faculty to have mobility in the classroom and thereby encourage more instructor-student interaction,” professor Jung Hye-jung (History) said. “Unfortunately, my classroom is not equipped with the wireless system, so I cannot rely on an iPad to foster interactivity and extend my mobility during a lecture.”
Many students expected a new way of teaching by faculty using the iPad have been also deprived of advantages in having the iPad in class since there are only 11 classes providing the wireless system.
“Contrary to my expectations about using iPad in class, the iPad wireless setting system was not set up in our class, so the professor could not move around the class or interact with students. The result was not much different than when professors had to stick to laptop computers all the time,” Hwang Na-young (Consumer, 2) said.
In response to this problem, the ITL is ready to provide both 3-meter-long and 5-meter-long wired setting systems to guarantee mobility of faculty members.
“Adopting more iPads and equipping classrooms with the iPad wireless setting system in the future will depend on the effectiveness of using the iPad in class,” Jo said. “We have now embraced the iPad as the latest tool for teaching, but we’re still thinking about further support for better class environments.”
Yoo Seon-hwa
ja7122@ewhain.net