Use of Classroom Presenter in Engineering Courses

Instructors of computer science, engineering, and technology courses often teach using prepared slides displayed with a computer and data projector. While this approach has advantages, disadvantages can be severe -- including limited flexibility in delivery of material, which hinders instructors spontaneous adaptation to students. This paper describes Classroom Presenter, a Tablet PC-based presentation system that 1 allows instructors to regain flexibility in presentation using Tablet PC-supported digital inking in an application specifically designed for lecturing use, 2 supports role-specific views and interaction mechanisms in class, and 3 introduces novel affordances including the use of wireless technology and student devices to support active learning in the classroom. As of spring 2005, Classroom Presenter has been used in over 200 courses at more than 13 institutions. Here we take advantage of our large use-base to discuss Classroom Presenters impact on student learning and summarize best practices for lecturing with this technology.