After a semester of using iPads in place of printed materials, students in the UA College of Medicine say the devices made their studying more organized, streamlined and efficient.

At the beginning of the semester, the college implemented a pilot project to go paperless by allowing students to have the option of carrying around an iPad instead of thousands of pages of notes.

According to Dr. Kevin Moynahan, deputy dean of education for the College of Medicine, 107 out of 116 medical students of the class of 2015 decided to receive an iPad instead of the printed syllabi. Moynahan said next year the iPads will be mandatory for students.

He said the cost of giving an iPad to a student is beneficial for a number of reasons. The cost is cheaper in the short and long term, it is more environmentally friendly and it is easier for the students. All of the course material can be received on the iPad and online instead of having students lug around a huge number of books and printed material.

“I thought it was pretty useful. It’s different from what we used in undergrad,” said Andy Chuu, a medical student. “With all the apps that came out that people are designing there are a lot of cool quiz and flash-card programs that you can use that integrate really well with it.”

He said he was glad to have it because it was more convenient than carrying books and printed material.

Medical student Cheryl Mcintosh said the iPad has been useful to her.

“Right from the beginning (of the semester) I started using it for everything. It has worked out really well,” Mcintosh said.

For some students, the iPad has changed the way they study.

“It has streamlined everything and made it more efficient,” said medical student Chris Shultz.

In addition, he said that he looks forward to seeing where this technology will be useful in the future. He said he can envision doctors eventually carrying iPads into the rooms with the patients to show them all the necessary information that they need to know.

“It seems like this will definitely change the medical system,” Schultz said.