Feature Overview: Whiteboard Activity
The Whiteboard Activity is a dynamic new tool designed to capture student reasoning through visual expression. By moving beyond text-based responses, this feature allows students to illustrate their thinking process on a digital canvas, making it an ideal choice for subjects that require diagrams, sketches, or complex problem-solving.
Key Capabilities
The Whiteboard Activity provides a versatile environment for both instructors and learners:
Visual Thinking: Students can create diagrams, sketches, concept maps, and hand-written math proofs.
Guided Annotations: Teachers can upload an image or PDF to serve as a background, allowing students to annotate, highlight, or solve problems directly on top of existing material.
Custom Instructions: Instructors can provide specific prompts or multi-step directions that appear alongside the canvas.
Why Use Whiteboard Activities?
1. Authentic Assessment
In an era of AI-generated text, the Whiteboard Activity helps teachers verify original student reasoning. Because the format requires spatial organization and visual logic, it is significantly more difficult for students to "fake" their work using large language models.
2. Versatility Across Disciplines
STEM: Solve multi-step calculus problems or sketch chemical structures.
Humanities: Map out historical timelines or create character relationship webs.
Arts: Draft preliminary sketches or practice digital calligraphy.
How to Create a Whiteboard Activity
Select Activity Type: Choose "Whiteboard Activity" from your activity creation menu.
Provide Instructions: Write clear prompts in the instruction field to guide student work.
Set the Background (Optional): * Upload a PDF (e.g., a lab report template or a map).
Upload an Image (e.g., a coordinate plane or a biology diagram).
Leave it blank for a free-form "blank canvas" experience.
Publish: Save and assign the activity to your class.
Tips for Success
Use for "Show Your Work": Even if the final answer is a single number, use the Whiteboard to see how the student reached that conclusion.
Feedback Loops: Use the visual data to identify specific "sticking points" in a student's logic that might be hidden in a standard text essay.