The Effects of Interactive Whiteboard Technology in

Community College Developmental Math Instruction

Jonathan Wong

University of Hawaii at Manoa

About the Presenter

Jonathan K. Wong

Technology Coordinator, Honolulu Community College

M.Ed Educational Technology Candidate, University of Hawaii at Mānoa

About the Presentation

What is an IWB Math Education Challenge at the Community

Colleges The Action Research Study Design The Action Research Study Results Conclusions and Recommendations

IWBs and You?

A. I’ve never heard of the IWB

B. I’ve heard of or seen the IWB but have not used one before

C. I use the IWB in my classroom

What Brings You Here?

A. Curious about IWBs in general

B. Curious about IWBs in math education

C. Curious about IWBs in community colleges

D. Curious about IWBs in math education at the community college level

E. Wanted to hear me speak

IWBs

IWBs

Interactive display screen connected to a computer and projector which

displays your computer screen

Allows for annotation of computer display

Allows for unlimited writing space

Allows for integration of learning objects and digital manipulatives

Allows for lecture files to be saved and posted or recorded

The Problem

Developmental math = High School Algebra equivalent courses

Poor retention rates in developmental math -- only 30% will pass and move to the next level

Math is a “gatekeeper” to all majors

Low enrollment in 2nd year courses

The Intervention

Implementation of Interactive White Boards in the math curriculum

Literature on IWB, based on K-12 studies, show increased student engagement Multimedia format appropriate for digital natives Immersive learning objects for student-centered,

higher-level learning

The Study

5 pilot sections of Math 25 taught by 3 instructors in the Spring 2010 semester

Methods Classroom Observations Demographic/attitudinal survey Faculty focus group Classroom attendance data

Classroom Observations

Counting the frequency of engaged and non-engaged behaviors

Engaged Taking notes Asking questions Replying to teachers questions

Non-Engaged Sleeping Carrying side conversations Texting/playing games

Attitudinal Survey

Did the IWB usage allow you to understand the course material better?

Did the IWB usage make the material more interesting?

Did the IWB usage make you more interested in listening to the presentation?

Attitudinal Survey (cont.)

Did the IWB usage allow you to interact with the material more?

Did the IWB usage allow you to learn math better?

Free response section on how the IWB helped their learning

Faculty Focus Group

How has the IWB helped to improve your teaching

How have you incorporated the IWB? What specific tools do you use?

Has there been a noticeable change in student engagement and performance?

Classroom Attendance Data

Percentage rate of attendance for Math 25 classes in previous terms starting from Spring 2008 (pre-IWB)

Percentage rate of attendance in the Spring 2010 semester from beginning of term through mid-March 2010 (post-IWB)

Results: Classroom Observation

Instructor’s used the IWB more as a projection medium

IWB had some effect on student engagement. Students would ask instructor to recall a previous example

Teaching style was the biggest determinant of student engagement Fill in the blank notes Instructor breaking up lectures with sample problems and

walking around room

It’s the teacher, not the tool

Results: Attitudinal Survey

Did the IWB usage allow you to understand the course material better?

84% agreed

Did the IWB usage make the material more interesting?

82% agreed

Did the IWB usage make you more interested in listening to the presentation?

75% agreed

Did the IWB usage allow you to interact with the material more?

69% agreed

Did the IWB usage allow you to learn math better?

76% agreed

Results: Attitudinal Survey Free-Response

Made notes easier to read “It helps me pay attention because the numbers are bigger.”

Use of highlighting notes made it easier to follow the problem solving process “I think that the ability to highlight helps a lot because it helps me to be able to

quickly spot key points in the lesson.”

Ability to recall previous notes enhanced learning and clarification “You can go back and check something in case you don’t understand

something.”

Results: Attitudinal Survey Free-Response (cont).

Great for visual learners “I’m a visual learner, so seeing the problems helped me.”

Get through material faster “I feel we as a class finish more material throughout the day because it’s more

useful than the chalkboard.”

No effect on motivation “The instructor’s way of teaching helps me learn a lot better. Not the

whiteboard.”

Results: Faculty Focus Group

Feedback Related to Engagement Use of different color inks makes it easy to highlight key points Student’s always ask to “go back to previous example”

Feedback Not-Related to Engagement Timesaver, no need to write out examples or notes, can cover more material and

provide more 1-on-1 assistance No chalk dust! More training needed; not enough time to master the IWB beyond the basic tools

Feedback related to Student Performance No real effect on grades as students still do not do or turn in homework

Results: Classroom Attendance

Class Attendance Rates

81

79

73

79

77

68

70

72

74

76

78

80

82

Spring 2008 Fall 2008 Spring 2009 Fall 2009 Spring 2010

Term

Attendance Percentage

Conclusion

There is an increase in student engagement through the use of the IWB over courses that do not use it Clearer visuals Clearer explanation of concepts Ability to recall previous examples and notes

The IWB is just a tool, it is the instructor’s teaching style and usage of various engagement techniques that really impact student engagement

More faculty training is needed to show best practices in incorporating the IWB further to create more immersive learning

Recommendations

Conduct additional faculty development on how to incorporate the IWB into instruction beyond just being a projection tool

Repeat study and measure academic performance as well as engagement

Questions

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