An innovative teaching method using personal digital assistants (PDAs) has raised students' interest in learning. The project was launched in the first semester of 2004-2005 at City University (CityU). It involved 130 business administration students from CityU's department of information systems who were each given a PDA. 'The PDAs allow us to express our ideas simultaneously. Teachers then project the answers onto the screen and start the discussion,' said Fontane Lau, a second-year student. 'We find that we are learning a lot.' Following the pilot scheme's success, the project has now been expanded to include more than 2,000 students. PDAs are being used in classes with more than 200 students. New features have also been added to extend the use of PDAs outside the classroom. For example, the e-token scheme encourages students to download open-ended quizzes, crossword puzzles and multiple-choice questions. Those with the highest number of downloads will be awarded at the end of the semester. CityU also plans to combine the PDA project with the 'Blackboard' system - a centralised e-learning environment. Students will then be able to access the CityU website via their PDAs to download study materials outside the classroom.
