Several projects at Caltech are ongoing using iPads provided by the Provost's Innovation in Education Fund, running a collaborative learning app called SKIES, developed by two alums (Julius Su '07 and Victor Kam '08).
SKIES was used in Fall 2013 by Prof. Abu-Mostafa to lead the in-class portion of his well regarded MOOC, Learning From Data, offered at EdX and at Caltech as CS 156. Also in Fall 2013, SKIES was used for a second time by Prof. Bruce Hay in his Bi 122 class (Genetics).
SKIES was used as a supplemental text and notetaking tool in Bi 122 (Genetics, Fall 2012), Ch 120 (Nature of the Chemical Bond, Winter 2012), and Ch 121 (Atomic Level Simulations of Materials and Molecules, Spring 2012). Students and TAs added questions and information to a class tree of PowerPoint slides.
SKIES was used to pilot the Community Science Academy, which formed out of a collaboration between Caltech Classroom Connection and John Muir High School to engage students in research relevant to their community. Students used the tablets to browse notes, create flash cards for other students, and attach experimental results to a class tree.
More information about the Community Science Academy effort can be found in a recorded presentation.
