| | 8 July 2016HIGHERReviewBack to the Blackboard and Chalk-Teaching University Courses the Time-Tested Way By Dr. Hema A. Krishnan, Professor of Strategy & Global Business, Williams College of Business, Xavier University, U.S. There was a time when classrooms came fitted with blackboards, chalk pieces and dusters. By the end of the session, the instructor's arms would be covered in chalk. Fast forward three decades, and university classrooms have transitioned from overhead projects to computers and smart boards. Today, in graduate classes, most instructors use power-point slides interspersed with videos and the occasional flip charts to convey key points. Students are allowed to bring their laptops to class in most institutions in the U.S.A. and in some Indian institutions as well. Many students furtively surf the net ­including Facebook when the instructor is poring over the power-point deck. Consequently, a technology, meant to grab and hold one's attention, is now viewed as "death by power-point." The ancient practice of using the `Blackboard and Chalk' is still the best way to engage the attention of the teacher and students alike as institutions in the U.S.A. have grudgingly acknowledged in recent years. Whether it is the character of Nargis in the classic movie of yesteryears `Shri 420,' teaching village kids the Hindi alphabet or teaching graduate level classes, the best way to drill fundamental concepts is to use blackboard. With a blackboard, the instructor is able to lay out the steps in sequence, create a foundation and make connections between disparate variables. Today's popular business jargon is the `whole picture thinking.' In the classroom, what better way is there to frame the `whole picture' than the blackboard? The students are much more likely to gain a good grasp of the concepts if the instructor is working out each step on the blackboard instead of marching into class with a deck of pre-prepared power point slides that are displayed in rapid succession. Writing on a blackboard enables She is an MS from IIT-Delhi, MBA from IIMB and a PhD from University of Tennessee-Knoxville - College of Business Administration. She has worked for HPCL as Regional Sales Officer, Graduate Assistant in Hosmat College of Business, university of Tennessee and has been in Xavier University since 2004. Known as a scholar, writer, teacher; she has over a 25+ year career spanning the U.S. and India and believes that academia and industry are same. IN MY VIEWDr. Hema A. Krishnan
< Page 7 | Page 9 >