Product design for the classroom : case study of a multi-use whiteboard

Abstract

The design of high school classrooms often does not serve the needs of instructors. The layout of the Boston urban classroom inhibits effective instruction due to physical obstructions and line of sight issues for students. A permanent lab bench commonly found in high school labs creates distance between the lecturing teacher and students. The barrier negatively impacts instruction and classroom management, according to educational literature, observation, and personal experience. The purpose of this project was to design and prototype a solution to retrofit into this classroom. The prototype was designed with the functional requirements of the user, the instructor, in mind.