iPadding Test Scores: UCI Medical Students With Special Tablets Do Better Than Others

First-year medical students at UC Irvine were given special iPads in 2010 that were loaded with enhanced note-taking and recording capabilities, podcasts of topical lectures, and other software to supplement self-learning. Today, those same students are reportedly scoring better on tests than the national average and 23 percent better than classmates who enrolled in previous years.

This is disclosed in a Pad Gadget report jumping off UCI's iMedEd initiative being named an "Apple Distinguished Program" by the electronics giant.

And that distinction produced this statement from Dr. Ralph V. Clayman, dean of the UCI School of Medicine:

At UC Irvine's School of Medicine, we see each of our talented students as having a unique style of learning. It's our challenge and responsibility to provide a broad array of educational opportunities so that every student can master the knowledge essential to becoming an outstanding healthcare provider.

The digital platform has enabled us to effectively respond to this responsibility in a manner heretofore unimaginable. By having all aspects of our medical school curriculum on iPad, learning becomes a 24/7 opportunity no longer tied to the classroom or a desk. We believe our students are learning better than they have in the past.

Surely such technology could be aped by other majors. In fact, iPads at my J-school would have been valuable tools, especially if they included apps for opening beer bottles.

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