The purpose of this study was to investigate adult learners’ perceptions of the use of Interactive Whiteboards (IWBs) in a university classroom in Taiwan. The participants were undergraduate students in a Master’s program. Research data were obtained through students’ interviews, site observations, and students’ reflective journals on the course website. Interviews were conducted with six adult learners who were also working professionals. The research data indicate that adult learners valued the benefits of using IWBs in instruction and workplace learning and pointed out that instructors’ readiness and competence determine the effectiveness of IWB integration in classrooms. Another important finding revealed in this study suggested that instructors need to develop creative IWB lesson plans that fully utilize the advantages of IWBs in order to ensure that IWBs are effectively and continually used in adult education/training settings.

The number of articles, books, and film documentaries reporting on lessons taught using a multimedia whiteboard is growing year by year. Numerous photographs and recordings show happy faces of children and their teachers. Also, test reports leave no doubt as to the attractiveness of activities supported by this modern media tool. But do all learners approve of learning with an interactive whiteboard? What determines the level of acceptance? I tried to obtain the answer to these questions in the course of research conducted in primary education classrooms as part of grant 495-NP.

The article discusses up-to-date problems entailed in the use of interactive whiteboards in instruction. The author reflects on their use in the international context and evaluates the results of previous research. Further, the methodological and technical aspects of the use of interactive whiteboards and specificity of creating interactive instructional presentations are dealt with.