Interactive Whiteboards

This section of the SONET site is dedicated to 'interactive whiteboards' - what they are, and how they can be used to enhance teaching. For further information on whiteboards, contact the School of Nursing's 'whiteboards champion', Damion McCormick.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an interactive whiteboard?

An interactive whiteboard is a large display panel that functions as a projector screen on which a computer image can be controlled by touching or writing on the surface. The screen image can then be saved, printed or distributed over a network (photo).

What are the benefits?

The board can perform all the functions of a standard flipchart but has many more advantages. Perhaps the most useful is the ability to display what you write or draw on the main data projector screen. This allows the whole group can view the text or image even at the back of a large lecture theatre.

The board has lots of other advantages. These are some of the things that might be useful:

Annotation of diagrams – This equipment allows the lecture to annotate any image that can be displayed on a computer e.g. to identity anatomical landmarks on a 3D image of a body.
Image capture technology – The software allows the lecturer to easily customise a learning asset from a range of existing resources. These resources can than be adapted to meet the needs of the class e.g. the animations contained within an RLO can be paused and annotated to add further detail if required.
Students with learning difficulties or disabilities - As text is captured in an electronic format the colour and size and style of the text can be changed to improve accessibility for all students. Annotated notes can be e-mail directly to a student group directly from the whiteboard.
Flexibility - A wide variety of learning resources can be integrated on one screen e.g. pictures, web pages, video, sound files and spreadsheets.
Enhanced discussion – Learners are free to participate in group discussions as notes can be taken collectively and disseminated electronically.
Improved interaction – Various techniques can be used to improve interaction e.g. a ‘brainstorming’ activity can be turned into a ‘sorting’ activity. There are numerous freely available tools that have been developed to aid this process.

What are the barriers?

Cost - Large interactive whiteboards are expensive but a small board can cost as little as £750.00.
Fixed or portable – The interactive whiteboards can be fixed or portable but a portable board requires a complete realignment procedure every time the board is moved.
Security – Portable boards may be more vulnerable to theft.
Marker pens – Interactive whiteboards require special pens as standard marker pens can permanently damage the writing surface. Dry wipe markers are less damaging than standard markers. To avoid accidentally damaging the boards it is recommended that any permanent marker pens are removed from the classroom and replace with dry wipe markers.

Why are interactive whiteboards new to Universities when Schools have been using them for many years?

Although interactive whiteboards have been used extensively in schools and further education intuitions, their use in higher education has been limited. One reason why the boards may be less popular within higher education is due to the problems associated with large group teaching. To be used interactively within a large lecture theatre the board must be low enough for all parts to be within easy reach. This often means that students at the back of the lecture theatre struggle to see the whole board. The new generation of interactive whiteboards have resolved this problem by linking an interactive whiteboard with an existing data projector. The size of the display image is only limited by the size of the projector screen. The interactive whiteboard can also be used as a dual display which allows the user to select different images on the data projector and interactive whiteboard. For example, a video clip can be displayed on the data project and at an appropriate point the video can be stopped, the image captured, then annotated on the interactive whiteboard (photo).

Do I have access to an interactive whiteboard?

Yes. The University has recently purchased 25 interactive whiteboards that have been installed in a number of different departments including the QMC. The School of Nursing has installed interactive whiteboards at the Nottingham and Boston Centres. If this pilot project is successful and other centres show an interest in using this equipment interactive whiteboards will be installed in other centres.

How can I get involved with the project?

If you are interested in finding out more about interactive whiteboards please e-mail damion.mccormick@nottingham.ac.uk.
Regular updates including downloadable video resources will be posted on the SONET site.