How Students Use Whiteboards and Its Effects on Group Work

Abstract

Various strategies have been promoted to increase student engagement in collaborative activities in chemistry courses, including the use of small portable whiteboards where students can represent and share ideas. In this paper, we summarize the results of a study designed to investigate how the use of small portable whiteboards during group work affects student engagement. In particular, we paid attention to how the use of whiteboards affected social processing, knowledge dynamics, and student contributions during in-class tasks in a college general chemistry class. Our findings reveal significant differences in student engagement during activities in which whiteboards are used compared to those in which these tools are not used. Although the use of whiteboards correlated with more instances of knowledge construction, overall effects are mixed, as the use of whiteboards more frequently led groups to split in pairs in the observed class. Our results suggest that the use of whiteboards should be carefully planned and managed by instructors to maximize benefits and reduce potential hindrances to collaborative work.

Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences as a Community of Practice (CoP)

“…CURE designers should consider the degree that they might want to limit or facilitate broader collaboration. For those implementing or practicing pedagogical approaches that employ collaborative learning, e.g., project-based learning, guided-inquiry in lecture , and laboratory, , it is reasonable to consider the potential for these domains to develop in to a CoP. The key difference would be the role of the teacher or professor.…”

Thinking and Learning in Nested Systems: The Classroom Level

“…The use of a whiteboard during group activity seems to foster knowledge construction and reduce knowledge sharing independently of the nature of the task. 15 Existing research suggests that the structured use of personal response systems in classrooms increases cognitive engagement and fosters self-regulation as it creates opportunities for students to reflect on their understanding and regulate cognition in response to the prompt feedback received on their performance. 119 Analysis of discourse patterns in groups with high behavioral engagement indicated that most students contributed to the conversations by sharing information and prior knowledge and by asking questions, with many fewer students engaging in reasoning to build justifications.…”

“…Access to and use of different resources such as whiteboards and personal response systems also affected the social dynamics in some of these environments. For example, groups with access to two whiteboards were likely to split into subgroups and be less collaborative . However, instances of domination and confusion decreased when whiteboards were used during group work.…”

“…For example, groups with access to two whiteboards were likely to split into subgroups and be less collaborative. 15 However, instances of domination and confusion decreased when whiteboards were used during group work. The use of whiteboards during numerical tasks led to more individualistic activity as students worked on their calculations.…”

“…Access to different educational resources also had an impact on knowledge dynamics in groups. The use of a whiteboard during group activity seems to foster knowledge construction and reduce knowledge sharing independently of the nature of the task . Existing research suggests that the structured use of personal response systems in classrooms increases cognitive engagement and fosters self-regulation as it creates opportunities for students to reflect on their understanding and regulate cognition in response to the prompt feedback received on their performance …”