One-to-one computing: Considerations and issues for the Higher Education sector

As a direct result of the Australian Government's Digital Education Revolution Program (DER), many of the school leavers soon to enter the Higher Education sector will be accustomed to a one-to-one student laptop learning environment. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to assume that these students will expect a similar environment when they enter university. Training pre-service teachers to use the one-to-one ratio effectively in the classroom is also critical to their capability in implementing requirements expected of them in the classroom in the 21st century. It is within this context that this research is set.

The authors report on a pilot project that aims to capitalize on the one-to-one student experience by transforming the current, traditional lecture and tutorial model adopted in most tertiary institutions, with one-to-one integrated lectures and workshops. This paper describes the first phase of the research: an investigation into how prepared Australian universities are to cater for these students.