The Interactive Whiteboard - Uses, Benefits, and Challenges - A Survey of 11,683 Students and 1,131 Teachers

Oct 15, 2026

Over the past five years, the interactive whiteboard (IWB) has been widely introduced across Quebec schools, prompting a study of its real classroom use, benefits, and challenges. Data were collected from 11,683 students (from 4th year elementary to grade 12) and 1,131 teachers through surveys, individual interviews, and group interviews. Results indicate that some tools may be more complex and time-consuming to integrate than others, yet the IWB shows meaningful educational potential despite technical issues reported by teachers.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages22

Reading Time55 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Interactive whiteboard in education

Justifications and cost–benefit concerns

Evidence gaps and need for reflection

Theoretical Framework

What research says about the IWB

Empirical impact studies and reported benefits

The Interactive Whiteboard: Uses, Benefits, and Challenges. A survey of 11,683 Students and 1,131 Teachers Le tableau blanc interactif : usages, avantages et défis. Une enquête auprès de 11 683 élèves et 1131 enseignants Thierry Karsenti, Université de Montréal Abstract Over the past five years, the interactive whiteboard (IWB) has been massively introduced into schools across the province of Quebec, Canada. This study explores how the IWB is being used, and the associated benefits and challenges. Data on 11,683 students (from 4th year elementary to grade 12) and 1,131 teachers were collected with five instruments: 1) a survey questionnaire for all students, 2) a survey questionnaire for all teachers, 3) individual interviews with teachers, 4) group interviews with teachers, and 5) group interviews with students. Far from calling into question the need to integrate technology into education, the results reveal that certain tools, such as the IWB, may be more complicated and time-consuming to integrate than others. However, despite teachers’ reports of technical problems, the IWB appears to have real educational potential. Résumé Au cours des dernières années les tableaux blancs interactifs (TBI) ont été massivement introduits dans les écoles du Québec (Canada) . Cette étude explore comment cet outil numérique est utilisé, de même que les avantages et les défis qui y sont associés. Les données ont été recueillies auprès de 11 683 élèves (de la 4e à la 12e année) et 1 131 enseignants avec cinq outils de collecte de données: 1) un questionnaire d’enquête pour tous les élèves; 2) un questionnaire d’enquête pour tous les enseignants; 3) des entrevues individuelles avec des enseignants; 4) desentrevues de groupe avec des enseignants; 5) des entrevues de groupe avec des élèves. Loin de remettre en question l’intégration des technologies en éducation, les résultats de cette étuderévèlent plutôt que certains outils, comme le TBI, peuvent parfois être plus complexes et chronophages à utiliser que d’autres. Néanmoins, même si plusieurs enseignants ont souligné les nombreux problèmes techniques, le TBI comporte un grand potentiel éducatif. Introduction At the 2003 World Summit on the Information Society, Kofi Annan proclaimed that rapid technology advancements can “propel” us to “improve standards of living for millions of people on this planet.”He also foresaw that the power of these tools will be increasingly felt in economic, societal, and educational spheres. In Quebec, across Canada, and around the world, more and more classrooms feature an interactive whiteboard (IWB) (Figure 1) . Also called an IW or an interactive digital whiteboard (IDW), it is an electronic whiteboard that displays content projected by a computer, tablet, or other source. The IWB combines touch (pen-andfinger) control of the screen with computerized input from a variety of devices operated by teachers or students. However, while the IWB has become practically standard in the education systems of certain American states, and countries such as Australia—and especially Great Britain, where they are present in 100% of elementary schools (Kitchen et al., 2007) and 72% of high school classrooms (Lee, 2010)—IWBs began to be introduced into Quebec’s education system only in the last five years. The usual justification for this massive introduction of technologies—put forward by both governments and businesses—is that IWBs can improve school and academic outcomes by improving teaching practices, by diversifying teaching resources (e.g., graphics, videos, audio), and by introducing more interactive teaching and learning activities (e.g. Karsenti and Collin, 2013) . Nevertheless, questions have been raised about its actual usefulness for schools, particularly from a cost–benefit perspective. Figure 1. Presence of interactive white boards (IWB) in classrooms in various countries ([http://futuresource-consulting.com/2014-06-EducationHardware-1176.html](

FAQs

What study data were collected to evaluate the interactive whiteboard in Quebec schools?

The study collected data from 11,683 students and 1,131 teachers using five instruments: surveys for students and teachers, individual teacher interviews, and group interviews with teachers and students.

What benefits and challenges were highlighted regarding the IWB’s classroom integration?

Findings suggest the IWB has real educational potential, while acknowledging that integration can be more complicated and time-consuming than with other tools. Teachers also reported technical problems.

Why does the document emphasize that evidence about IWB impacts is limited?

It states there is not enough rigorous empirical evidence to conclude impacts on learning and academic performance, and that results can be contradictory across studies.

Oct 15, 2026

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