Schoolwide Implementation of Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs): A First-Year Report

Objectives. The purpose of this paper is to describe the use of personal digital assistants (PDAs) in a pharmacy school during the first year in which the tool was provided to all students and faculty members. Methods. A survey was developed and administered to students in each year of the curriculum and to full-time faculty members. Data were evaluated using descriptive statistics. Results. After providing PDAs, we observed that use of the devices was high by students (95.2%) and faculty members (93.3%). For approximately one third of the survey responders, use of pharmacy-related applications accounted for over 50% of usage time, although use varied according to individual courses. Conclusions. A high percentage of faculty members and students used the PDA provided to them by the school. Although PDA use across the curriculum has varied, the tool was viewed as having a positive impact on student learning.