University students' attitudes, opinions and expactations towards smart boards

The aim of this study is to determine the current status of smart board usage at higher education level, to examine the current attitudes, opinions and expectations of university students towards smart boards and also to determine the advantages and disadvantages of smart board usage. Additionally, the study examines variables that may influence students' positive or negative attitudes toward smart boards. This research was conducted using a mixed-method research design, in which a smart board attitude scale was used to collect quantitative data, while semi-structured interview questions were utilized to gather qualitative data. The research sample consisted of university students studying at Bolu Abant İzzat Baysal University in Bolu province. As data collection tools, the "Smart Board Attitude Scale" and "Semi-Structured Interview Questions" were used. Qualitative data were collected within the scope of the phenomenological method through interviews with 28 university students to obtain their opinions on the use of smart boards in the classroom. Quantitative data were collected by distributing the Smart Board Attitude Scale to 600 university students from various departments and class levels. Descriptive statistics (percentage, frequency, mean), t-test, and ANOVA were used in the analysis of quantitative data. The content analysis technique has been used in the analysis of qualitative data. The quantitative findings show that students have a positive attitude towards the use of smart boards in their lessons. In the interviews with students, they expressed their support for the use of smart boards in all classrooms. The findings obtained in the research indicate that the use of smart boards in lessons has positive effects on students' understanding of the subject, enhances their motivation, facilitates the use of visual-auditory elements, and provides opportunities for using multiple teaching materials simultaneously, leading to time savings. The results show that students' attitudes towards the use of smart boards vary based on educational levels, duration of use, activities, and the engaging activity environment, but do not differ according to class levels and gender.