Students’ perceptions on IWB through the lens of the community of inquiry framework

Abstract

Interactive whiteboards (IWBs) are being utilised at a rapidly increasing rate, especially in distance education (DE). As a medium of instruction they allow the presenter to simultaneously interact with numerous students at different centres across the country. This study is unique in the sense that a collaborative learning community is created between two groups separated by distance. If utilised correctly and efficiently, IWBs have the potential to enhance the teaching and learning experience for the student. This article focuses on the perceptions of students (adult learners) from various school management teams (SMT), pertaining to their experiences with several IWB sessions. Open-ended questionnaires were completed by 45 students enrolled for the Advanced Certificate in Education (School Management and Leadership) (ACE SL). Participants’ perceptions with regard to their IWB learning experience were determined according to the Community of Inquiry (CoI) framework, creating a collaborative constructivist educational experience. This article will indicate how important it is to focus on keeping the balance between the three presences in the CoI and also highlight the crucial role that presenters play to ensure an effective teaching and learning experience through the use of IWBs.

Keywords: cognitive presence; community of inquiry (CoI); distance education (DE); interactive whiteboard (IWB); school management team (SMT); social presence; teaching and learning experience; teaching presence