Using tablets to enhance the teaching and learning environment in landscape architecture: a pilot study

Abstract

Higher education has a responsibility to empower students to cope with technology-driven changes in the labour market. Subsequently there has been a trend in higher education to shift from lecturer-centered to studentcentered pedagogies. With this in mind, through a pilot study we sought to investigate the impact of tablets in landscape architectural design education. A series of learning activities using a range of tablet applications was designed for the 25 Foundation and 20 First year landscape students who participated in the pilot study. Data collection included three student questionnaires, student reflections, two focus groups and the digital outputs of the activities themselves. The findings showed how tablets can play a role in enhancing the learning environment: redefining learning spaces; influencing pedagogies and; encouraging shifts in lecturer and student roles. The innovative nature of the tablets produced unexpected effects, providing insights into students’ perceptions of the landscape design process and learning environment. These insights have influenced our teaching practices and developed an understanding of the role in which tablets can contribute to a dynamic teaching and learning environment.