Wireless Laptops Pilot Project

Kyle Romine

In the summer of 2004, Dr. Celia Patterson received a Vehlow Grant from PSU to develop a pilot project on integrating wireless laptops into a section of ENGL 301 Technical/Professional Writing. Each student in the class was given a wireless laptop to use for the entire spring 2005 semester. Dr. Patterson's other section of ENGL 301, which was taught in the conventional way, was used as the control group.

One objective of the project was to determine the feasibility of virtual peer review. Drafts were distributed for review 24 hours in advance, and then students were required to login to a forum at class time from a remote location to ask questions or post comments. Dr. Patterson found that many of the students did not send their drafts in time for peer reviewers to read them before the forum; similarly, peer reviewers often didn't return drafts in time for the authors to make revisions before the due date. Also, students with slow internet connections found it difficult to keep up during the forum.

Another objective of the project was to determine if grading digital versions rather than printed versions of assignments would take more of the instructor's time. Initially, Dr. Patterson found that it took almost four times as long to grade digital versions as it did paper versions. However, part of the problem was the inefficiency of the software used for online submission and grading.

Fortunately, some anticipated problems did not materialize. None of the laptops were lost, stolen, or damaged; students kept the batteries charged; and no one forgot to bring the computer to class on designated days. The laptops are now kept in the Technical/Professional Writing classroom where they function as a wireless computer lab for all sections of Technical/Professional Writing.