iPads for Learning Project

Update: The 2015 autumn quarter proposal process is now open (proposals due by Monday, August 24th at 5 pm).

Project Overview

The Office of the Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning's iPads for Learning project investigates the extent to which the use of iPads can potentially impact teaching, learning, and research when applied in the service of specific goals. Each quarter the project committee supports a select number of Stanford faculty and instructor proposals that demonstrate the potential to make a contribution to Stanford's understanding of using iPads to support teaching, learning, and research. Photo credit: Claudia Engel.

Project Goals

1. Investigate if, and in what ways, iPads impact teaching, learning, and research at Stanford University.
2. Provide awardees, and their students, with comprehensive technical, instructional, and logistical support.
3. Share lessons learned from the iPads for Learning project with the Stanford community.

Program Options

• Innovation Program: Applicants requesting multiple iPads to support their course, workshop, or research project.
• Discovery Program: Applicants requesting one iPad to investigate how the device might serve their instructional or research goals. Awardees are encouraged to use the device for the entire quarter.

Apply, Program Deadlines

• Spring Quarter: All applications must be submitted by Monday, August 24th at 5 pm.
  • Innovation Program application.
  • Discovery Program application.

Important Dates

• Proposal process open: June 10th - Monday, August 24th at 5 pm
• Proposals reviewed by our committee: August 24th - August 31st
• Awardees notified: September 1st by 6 pm
• iPads available for checkout (full quarter requests): September 21*
• iPads due: December 11th

*Or the first day of class in your professional program (e.g. Law, Medicine, Business).

Total Award

Awardees will receive:

• Hardware: iPads, USB cords, cases, and power adapters.
• Software: Pre-loaded* free and paid* iOS applications to support your teaching or research goals.
• Instructional support: Award recipients will meet with our team to discuss pedagogically sound and learner-centered approaches to integrating iPads into your course.
• Technical support: Our technical team will assist with the testing and customization* of your iPads.
• Logistical support: Our support team will help schedule your checkout and check-in dates.

All items must be returned by the end of the quarter (awardees will receive the due date during checkout). After the due date, a late fee will be assessed every 24-hours until all of the “Hardware” items are returned.

*Subject to availability.

Eligibility

• All Stanford faculty members and instructors are encouraged to apply.
• In service of the project's goal of sharing lessons learned from the iPads for Learning project with the Stanford community, applicants agree to participate in the iPads for Learning project’s evaluation process including:
  • Completing a post-award survey about your experience using an iPad to support your teaching or research goals,
  • Completing an iPads for Learning project feedback survey, and
  • Encouraging your students to complete our post-award survey at the end of the quarter, and participate in an optional focus group.
• Applicants and participating students agree to sign a liability form during the checkout process to take responsibility for any lost or damaged iPads and peripherals.

Selection Criteria

After the deadline, the iPads for Learning committee will review the proposals. In service of the project's goal of investigating if, and in what ways, iPads impact teaching, learning, and research at Stanford University, applicants are encouraged to submit proposals that effectively:

• Describe their course’s learning or research goals,
• Describe how an iPad will help them achieve their goals,
• Describe their plans for meaningfully integrating an iPad into their course, classroom activity, workshop, or research project, and
• Describe how they will determine if the iPad has an impact on achieving their course's learning or research goals.

Selection Process

• After the deadline, the proposals will be reviewed by a cross-campus committee.
• Reviewers will rate each proposal based on how thoroughly the applicant addressed the “Selection Criteria”. 
• The proposals with the highest overall ratings will be approved in order from highest to lowest until all of the iPads are reserved. 

Why iPads?

The iPad combines powerful hardware features (touch interface, Wi-Fi, a camera, and a high-resolution screen), with over 500,000 native iPad apps available on the iTunes Store, allowing awardees to customize their iPads to create engaging pedagogically and disciplinarily relevant learning experiences.

Pre-installed Applications*

All iPads come with iOS 8 and the following applications pre-installed:

• App Store, Calendar, Camera, Clock, Contacts, FaceTime, Game Center, iBooks, iStanford, iTunes, Mail, Maps, Messages, Music, Newsstand, Notes, Photobooth, Photos, Reminders, Safari, Siri, Videos.
• Additional applications are available by request. Here is a list of applications the project already owns, but whenever possible we will purchase additional applications to support your course's specific learning objectives.

*Subject to availability.

2014-2015 Spring Quarter Awardees

Innovation Program

• Ali Miano, Lecturer, Language Center, Spanish, Spanlang 1: First-Year Spanish.
• Carley Carbin, Lecturer, Language Center, American Sign Language, SPECLANG 178C: First-Year Sign Language.
• Cathy Haas, Lecturer, Language Center, American Sign Language, SPECLANG 178/179: First/Second-Year Sign Language.
• Momoyo Kubo Lowdermilk, Lecturer, Language Center, Japanese, JAPANLNG 213: Fourth-Year Japanese.
• Sarah Truebe, Director of Community Engaged Learning, Environmental Sustainability, BIO128/EARTHSYS129: Geographic Impacts of Climate Change: Mapping the Stories.

Discovery Program

• Huazhi Wang, Lecturer, Language Center, Chinese.
• Ramzi Salti, Lecturer, Language Center, Arabic.

Additional Terms and Conditions

• Our iPads may not travel to any high-risk countries. 
• Awardees that do not participate in the iPads for Learning project’s evaluation process will not be eligible for future Discovery or Innovation Awards.

Contact Information

The iPads for Learning project is offered through Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning and is managed by Paul Zenke, VPTL's Academic Technology Lab manager. Please contact Paul if you have any questions.

Paul Zenke
Academic Technology Lab Manager
Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning
Address: 518 Memorial Way, Lathrop Library - First Floor, Stanford, CA 94305-3101
Phone: (650) 497-2878
Email: zenke at stanford dot edu