CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Learning online has had its own difficulties, but a professor at Austin Peay State University wanted to make this transition easier for her students.
Leslie Hiatt, a chemistry professor, spent a good portion of her summer transforming a glass door, donated by Nashville’s Flow Construction, into a lightboard, according to a APSU news release from Brian Dunn.
The goal was for her students to be able to see her as well as the material she is teaching instead of looking at her back like you would with a whiteboard.
It took about 20 hours for Hiatt to create this lightboard using the glass door, LED lights, and a homemade wood stand.
“This is one more tool that makes it so that they’re able to conceptually understand the chemistry,” Hiatt said in the release.
With the use of pens that react with the board, it engages Hiatt’s students with vibrant visuals.
“I want them to have an equivalent experience with previous years, but watching me via Zoom is not the same as having me in the room with them,” Hiatt said.
Hiatt is teaching her classes via Zoom and she has also posted videos featuring her lightboard on YouTube. She’s posted over 30 videos so far this semester on her channel.
What inspired Hiatt to do these videos was watching a chemistry video herself where the instructor was also using the lightboard, the release said.
“I think it’s working, and I feel like the students are getting in there, they’re doing good,” said Hiatt.
Hiatt said that she plans to continue her videos even after the pandemic is over.