The iPad has been used by the first author in the context of two units offered by the Department of Statistics at
Macquarie University (Sydney, Australia): a second-year Introduction to Probability unit (PROB) and a
masters-level unit Mathematical Background for Biostatistics (BCA), delivered through the Biostatistics
Consortium of Australia (Simpson, 2009). Statistics at Macquarie has a strong collection of offerings in service
teaching and attracts students from diverse areas, such as psychology, economics and the biological sciences.
Several units have the responsibility to introduce students to the basic concepts of mathematics and probability.
Students often come from different areas of study and are either ‘internal’ students studying on campus or
‘external’ students studying in distance mode, young or mature, full-time students or full-time workers, taking
their first degree or maybe experienced academics in a different field of research. It is clear that the challenges
across every unit and every group of students vary significantly. The use of technology, and in particular of the
iPad, has facilitated a mode of teaching in these two units that takes account of the general needs of the students
and yet is able to be responsive to their individual requests. The iPad has been used as a means to engage, inspire
and motivate students through high-level presentation and communication tools. It has changed the pedagogical
approach, making the learning experience simpler and yet deeper. The results show that students learn best when
technologies are seamlessly integrated into the curriculum to enhance their learning experience, as highlighted
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