Large touch-screen displays

These are typically wall-mounted touchscreen displays that have a pen connected to a magnetic strip on the front. They offer a large writing surface that most closely resembles the physical space available on a traditional whiteboard.

Tablet devices e.g. iPads

Some staff already have their own iPads and Android tablets. Others have a loan iPad provided by CIS specifically to support reasonable adjustments outlined in the Disability Support Plans (DSPs) of one or more of their current students.

Document cameras (visualisers)

Available in most lecture theatres. They are a much better option than a traditional whiteboard, but can be less accessible than digital inking solutions as the image quality is limited to either a recorded video or Teams stream. Students can not easily zoom in if they require greater clarity.

How to connect an iPad in a teaching room

1. Plug the USB-C on the lectern into your iPad. If the room still has an HDMI cable, or your iPad uses the lightning cable type, you may need to use an additional USB-C dongle.
2. Using the touchscreen panel on the lectern, choose the standard ‘Laptop’ option as shown in the image. Then select the white rectangle button in the middle of the screen to confirm your selection.
3. Your iPad screen should now be mirrored on the room’s main display.

Note – you can also present wirelessly using Solstice [link for Durham University staff only].

Using Microsoft Whiteboard

1. Navigate to the Microsoft Whiteboard homepage in your web browser.
2. Choose Create a New Whiteboard, then Start with a blank canvas.
3. Select the inking (pen) option in the menu.
4. Start writing on the iPad or touchscreen with the default black pen, or choose another colour.
5. To change a pen’s thickness, opacity or colour, select the pen option a second time to open its settings.
6. Use the Pan tool (hand icon) to move around the whiteboard, either to find blank space or to go back to an earlier step.
7. If you lose your place, select Fit to screen in the bottom-right corner to see everything at once, then zoom back in to the area you need.

Case study: Dr Paul Mackay (Physics)

Paul uses Microsoft Whiteboard as a digital alternative to handwritten explanations during physics lectures and tutorials. Rather than writing on a traditional whiteboard, he imports questions into Whiteboard and works through solutions live using a tablet and stylus. This allows students to follow diagrams, equations and worked examples in real time while retaining the flexibility of handwriting.

A key advantage of this approach is that students can access the same Whiteboard on their own devices, enabling them to zoom in, review content more clearly, and follow annotations as they are added. This was initially adopted to support students with visual impairments, but Paul found that the approach benefited a much wider range of learners.

In tutorials, Whiteboard also supports collaborative problem-solving in tutorials. Students can contribute solutions directly in the shared Whiteboard. They can do this using their own tablet device if they have one, but if not, Paul simply hands his device to a student who is willing to give the problem a go. Everyone can see the problem being solved on screen and a discussion follows to discuss the approach. After each session, the completed Whiteboard is shared with students as both a live Whiteboard link and an exported PDF, providing a record of the worked examples and discussions.

Although using Whiteboard requires a small amount of preparation, such as creating boards and sharing links in advance, Paul considers the accessibility, flexibility and student engagement benefits well worth the effort and plans to continue using this approach in future teaching.

Using Microsoft OneNote

1. Navigate to Microsoft OneNote either using the web version or app.
2. Create a New Notebook, referring to Microsoft’s OneNote guidance if needed.
3. Create a new page and give it a title e.g. Introduction to Calculus and Review of Functions.
4. Select the Draw option in the menu, select a pen then start drawing on the canvas.
5. To change a pen’s thickness, opacity or colour, select the pen option a second time to open its settings.
6. If you’d prefer a different paper style, you can adjust this in the View menu.

Using Microsoft PowerPoint

1. Open Microsoft PowerPoint. This can either be the desktop version, web version, or app for iOS or Android. Note the drawing tools appear to be the most feature-rich in Teams.
2. Put your PowerPoint into presenter mode.
3. Select the pen tool. The location of the annotation tools differs between devices:
   1. Windows or Mac: this will be in the bottom-left corner.
   2. iPad: the same controls are located in the top-right corner.
4. Start drawing on your slides. For further information see Microsoft’s guide on how to draw on slides during a presentation.

PowerPoint Desktop

PowerPoint Web

PowerPoint Teams

Case study: Professor Chris Done (Physics)

Chris uses PowerPoint in combination with a large interactive display to combine the benefits of prepared visual materials with live handwritten annotation. Her slides contain diagrams, figures and key visual elements, while leaving space for explanations, derivations and worked examples that are written live during teaching. This approach is particularly valuable in physics, where students benefit from seeing mathematical and physical concepts developed step-by-step rather than presented as completed solutions.

The large format of the Avocor display allows Chris to retain the experience of working at a traditional whiteboard while gaining the advantages of digital technology. She can annotate directly onto PowerPoint slides using a stylus, helping students follow the development of equations and explanations in real time. The content is simultaneously projected throughout the lecture theatre, captured in lecture recordings, and shared through Microsoft Teams so that students with visual impairments can zoom in and view material on their own devices

To support different student needs, Chris provides a second set of lecture slides after class containing typed equations and completed derivations. This gives students the benefit of engaging with handwritten explanations during the lecture while also having access to clear, digital notes afterwards that can be enlarged, searched and reviewed more easily with assistive technologies.

While the approach requires careful preparation and can be technically demanding, particularly in large classes, Chris believes the combination of live handwriting, visual explanations and digital accessibility offers significant advantages over either traditional whiteboards or static presentation slides alone.