University of Southern Mississippi study demonstrates impact of Sympodium interactive pen display
CALGARY, ALBERTA --- July 17, 2007 --- SMART Technologies Inc. announces that a study conducted by the University of Southern Mississippi shows that Sympodium™ interactive pen displays enhance student participation and support student learning. Two surveys on the use of Sympodium interactive pen displays in the classroom were administered to faculty, staff and graduate students in 2004 and 2006. Sympodium interactive pen displays connect directly to a projector and computer and simultaneously display the desktop image on the Sympodium interactive pen display screen and a larger presentation screen for the audience to see. SMART Board™ software, which ships with Sympodium interactive pen displays, allows instructors to highlight and write over multimedia content in digital ink while students see the notations on the presentation screen. Mary Nell McNeese, Associate Professor of Educational Leadership and Research at the university, designed the study which has, to date, yielded positive responses.
Between 2002 and 2005, the university equipped 40 classrooms with Sympodium interactive pen displays with the objective of improving student participation and learning outcomes, and increasing faculty, staff and student exposure to emerging technology. Instructors surveyed in the study described students as more attentive and more willing to participate. One instructor says students’ grades improved by an average of five points after the classroom was equipped with the SMART product. More than 95 percent of participants in the 2006 survey reported being “satisfied” or “very satisfied” with their experiences in classrooms equipped with Sympodium interactive pen displays. Ninety percent of respondents in both surveys agreed that the SMART product is an important piece of classroom technology.
“The goals we set were either met or exceeded with Sympodium interactive pen displays,” says McNeese. “Faculty easily integrated the product into their teaching and saw very quickly the positive changes it brought to the classroom.”
"The University of Southern Mississippi is an excellent example of the trend toward postsecondary institutions integrating education technology into their classrooms,” says Nancy Knowlton, SMART’s CEO. “The results from the university’s study demonstrate the kind of interactive classroom experience and results that educators and students can achieve with SMART products.”
About the University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi is a comprehensive doctoral and research extensive university. Founded in 1910, the vision of the University of Southern Mississippi is to be a leading university in engaging and empowering individuals to transform lives and communities. Its values are to lead with academic excellence, conduct innovative research, provide cultural enrichment, conduct economic development, create healthier communities, contribute to global communities and educate the whole student. The university serves nearly 16,000 students on the main campus in Hattiesburg, MS, and at five teaching and research sites on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Southern Mississippi is educating a 21st-century workforce, providing intellectual capital, cultural enrichment and innovation to Mississippi and the world.
