The innovative master in management and design for architects is the world’s first postgraduate program to combine creativity and management – it now adds a third angle: technology!

IE University is using Toshiba’s Folio 100 to develop Spain’s first tablet-based academic program. The tablets play an integral role in the University’s Master in Architectural Management and Design (MAMD) program run by IE School of Architecture, with a student body comprised of ten nationalities. All students on the program have a Toshiba Folio100 which they use to communicate with their professors and among themselves, as well as to access practical cases and notes, and to work with different multimedia applications.
Toshiba’s Folio 100 is the only educational platform the student needs for this postgraduate master program, which means there is no need for traditional note-taking. All materials pertaining to the courses that make up the program can be kept on just one learning device.
At the start of the program each student received a Folio 100, using it from the outset to read practical case studies and recommended books, as well as to access the University’s online campus. They will also be using the device to follow video conferences and maintain constant lines of communication with professors and classmates during the online periods of the program.

The Master in Architectural Management and Design delivers 70% of classes in online format, coupled with presential modules run in Madrid and London. It provides the ideal environment for this kind of initiative, given that mobility, flexibility, interconnectivity and online technologies are essential resources for the student.
Juan Lago, director of the program, feels that this joint project is the result of the program’s aim for student to receive 100% of course literature in digital format. “We believe that we have a particular responsibility to respect the environment, both as individuals and as architects, and this initiative enables us to help reduce the consumption of natural resources as compared to traditional uses and methods.”
Alberto Ruano, General Director of Toshiba in Spain believes the project serves to underline the quality, reliability and user-friendly design of Toshiba devices and solutions. “Toshiba products are highly valued in the workplace and by users who need tools they can always depend on. With this project Toshiba, already a pioneer in the introduction of information technologies in the classroom, is taking its first step in postgraduate learning environments.

IE School of Architecture has undertaken an initial survey of levels of use of the tablets among its MAMD students. According to their findings, daily use averages 2.5 hours, and comprises mainly online searches, reading books and notes, and accessing e-mails and social networks.

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