1. ENGAGE, REFLECTAND REVISE –
USE OF IPADS IN HEALTHCARE
EDUCATION
Deborah O’Connor
Faculty of Health, Psychology and Social Care

2. Is there a Grand Plan?

3. Staff Support
• All staff issued with an iPad
• All staff encouraged to experiment, explore and engage…
• All staff given training to support the use of the iPad in
teaching and learning
• Basic office needs
• Apps for the classroom
• Marking and feedback via Turnitin
• Video capture and feedback

4. What do the staff say?
Used iPads in a variety of ways over a 2 year period:
• Video of skills
• Assessment feedback
• Practical assessments
• Apps in teaching sessions
Staff focus groups
• What?
• How?
• Why?
• Reflection

5. iPad video app study
• Used video in practical skills classes over 2 consecutive
years
• 6 iPads per group of 24 students
• Encouraged to video each other, reflect and give
feedback
• Encouraged to seek tutor feedback and evaluation
Student interviews (year 1)
Student questionnaires (year 2)
Staff focus group (year 2)

6. Common themes
Staff
Perspectives
Processes
Purpose Accessibility
Engagement
Student Staff
Standardisation
Student experience
Teaching and
learning
Added value
Reflection Time Feedback

7. Processes
‘I was surprised at how easy it was to use
the iPad during an examination…
advantage of timely and legible feedback’
• ‘My typing skills meant it was slower than
using paper… in an examination, time is of the
essence’
• ‘It’s instant, it’s easy and it’s user friendly…
does it change my practice? It makes
elements easier’

8. Engagement
• ‘It was stress that I don’t need! Time
consuming to set up initially and it was a
disaster’
• ‘I found that student enthusiasm waned over
time… students like something when it is new
and novel but it has to have sustainability’

9. Standardisation
• ‘It’s almost like having another pair of hands…
video captures practice that we can reflect and
review in a timely manner’
• ‘Students don’t always share… it seems easier
with a small cohort but students are not very
coherent in a larger group’

10. Added value
• ‘Instant feedback to the student – promotes
the reflective process’
• ‘I feel it gives me more time in the classroom,
moreover, my time is spent more efficiently…’

11. Evaluation
There needs to be a clear purpose, added value and sustainability.
Staff need support to engage in any change – technology is no different.
Staff and student experience needs to be in tandem – are the students
ahead of us?

12. What will you do?
Some questions to consider:
• How do you use technology/iPads/video in the
classroom?
• Does it have ‘added value’?
• Does this value outweigh the ‘issues’?
• What are the issues and can these be overcome?
• Where do we go from here?

13. In summary…
• Technology is here to stay! Students are engaged and
motivated, how do we support staff to become the same?
• How do we meet the challenge of continually moving
forward with innovative teaching and learning?
• How do we balance this with other demands and
pressures?
• Be selective… add value where it is needed, not because
you feel you have to!

14. Acknowledgements
Claire Hamshire and Hannah Crumbleholme
Staff and students in the Faculty of Health, Psychology and Social
Care
Professor Vince Ramprogus
Campus ICTS team