2020 Michigan IT Symposium Breakout Session

Implementing iPads for All: The MacGyver Approach to Solving a Remote Teaching Crisis

Presenters: Cassandra Callaghan & Adam Barragato, School of Dentistry

In an effort to provide the best educational experience during challenging and unprecedented times, the School of Dentistry bought iPads for almost all of their students. iPads were chosen for many reasons including price point, growing number of use cases, adaptability, and ease of use. Students did not necessarily see it this way, unfortunately. Getting iPads to students was just the first step, leveraging them as a common platform for educational technology was another hurdle. Students already have their own preference and may not necessarily see value in using something provided to them. Faculty were already stretched with rapidly moving courses online. We needed to help both students and faculty understand the power that was literally in their hands and how to leverage a device like this for engaged learning. 

In this session we’ll showcase how we used a MacGyver approach for helping students to acclimate to their ipads in a fun and friendly way and helped faculty to leverage the iPad to solve many of their remote teaching concerns, including providing some traditional hands-on dental courses virtually!