This issue is the first major publication on teaching with laptops in the classroom. Its primary purpose is to show that university instructors make pedagogically productive and novel use of laptops in the classroom. As the chapters illustrate, laptops indeed offer rich new opportunities to make classes more student-active, thereby enhancing student engagement and learning. Moreover, these benefits can accrue without compromising the quality of student-instructor interaction or increasing the student workload. The issue also has a timely secondary purpose: to advise institutional leaders on how to make a laptop mandate successful at their university. Clemson University's mandate has meet with tremendous and documented success. Their Laptop Faculty Development Program ensures that faculty interested in teaching with laptops receive extensive pedagogical as well as technical traiing before they take on a laptop course. Some of the more creative and effective laptop faculty are showcased in this volume. This is the 101st issue of the Jossey-Bass quarterly report series New Directions for Teaching and Learning.

Author Biography

Linda B. Nilson is founding director of the Office of Teaching Effectiveness and Innovation, which co-oversees the Laptop Faculty Development Program, at Clemson University. Barbara E. Weaver is program manager for Clemson University's laptop faculty development and taught the first laptop sections of several English and commincation studies courses at Clemson.