Preference of undergraduate students between teaching through smart board and black board - A cross sectional study

Abstract

Background :-. It is known that blackboards have been used for educational purposes from ancient times, whereas smart boards are being used a lot recently and became popular and rapidly occupying classrooms and lecture halls. With the evolution of technology, students achieved competence and started showing interest in interactive learning.
Aim :- To assess the preference of undergraduate students between blackboard and smart board for teaching in classrooms.
Materials and methods :- The study was conducted among the students of various colleges in chennai. A structured, close-ended questionnaire consisting of 10 questions was prepared, and distributed through an online platform (Google forms). Data collected were tabulated and analysed through SPSS software (version 23).
Results :- The study included 100 participants. 77% of the respondents preferred the usage of smart boards over black boards.65% of the respondents had chosen a ‘smart board’ as the most interesting method of learning. 78% of the students opined that ‘smart boards' optimised their learning time. 77% of participants viewed smart boards as the best teaching method in providing student interactions and conducting quizzes. 39% of males and 38% of females had preferred smart boards as the method of faster learning (p-value= 0.399). 32% of females and 33% of males had accepted smartboard as the most interesting method of teaching students (p-value=0.352).
Conclusion :- The study has recorded the Smartboard as the most preferred mode and novel method of teaching by undergraduate students compared to the blackboard method. There should be a balance between embracing new methods of teaching and learning while upholding the timeless principles of education. The newer educational technology shall be a part of a comprehensive system of lifelong education.