Lessons learned when gathering real-time formative assessment in the university classroom using Tablet PCs

Worldwide, higher education instructors are exploring ways of enhancing classroom learning experiences with their Tablet PC-equipped students. To collect real-time formative assessment, instructors pose an open-format question to the class and the students utilize the digital ink of Tablet PCs to respond with answers in the form of handwriting, diagrams, graphs, equations, proofs, etc. Instructors receive the responses instantaneously. Built on principles well-grounded in educational research, this not only actively engages the students in their learning, but also increases student metacognition and provides valuable real-time formative assessment to guide the instructor. Several types of software are readily available both commercially and for free to facilitate this classroom exchange. This paper transcends the specifics of various types of software and discusses the experiences of instructors as they mesh their use of this technology-enabled feedback with the delivery of their undergraduate courses. The lessons presented are drawn from our own experiences as well as input from instructors at other institutions on four continents, received by their voluntary completion of a written survey (n = 19).