Tablet PC use in freshman mathematics classes promotes STEM retention

Abstract

Tablet PCs are standalone personal computers with touch-sensitive screens that serve as the primary input device. The interface between the user and the computer depends on contact between the surface of the screen and a finger or stylus, a pen-like instrument designed to enable users to write directly on the screen. Tablet PCs are fully functional laptop computers that have conventional PC operating systems and applications. The use of Tablet PCs and other tablet technologies in educational settings has increased tremendously over the past decade and now many reports describing classroom applications of Tablet PCs appear in the literature. While some studies have described implementations of Tablet PCs in undergraduate education, few have specifically examined the impact of Tablet PCs on student performance and retention in the sciences and engineering. To address the paucity of data about the effects of Tablet PC use in undergraduate education, we have implemented a longitudinal student tracking study to better understand the impact of this technology on students. The most important finding is that students who began their undergraduate mathematics education in Tablet PC classes were more likely to continue their science and engineering studies than were their peers who took non-Tablet PC courses during their first semester of college.