The eChalk System: Potential of Teaching with Intelligent Digital Chalkboards

eChalk is a software system that transforms an electronic whiteboard into a teaching tool simulating a traditional chalkboard. In addition to writing and drawings, the electronic chalkboard handles a wide range of multimedia enhancements. These may be used to enliven the lessons by visualization, allowing the system to surpass the didactic potentials of the traditional chalkboard. The system records all actions and provides both a live transmission and a replay of the lecture from the web as a by-product of regular classroom teaching. Remote students follow the lecture by watching the dynamic board content and listening to the recorded voice of the instructor. While originally created only for the use in the Western hemisphere, recent developments target the support of teaching in the Middle East. From our point of view, advantageous application in particular for teaching in different cultures is characterized. This is especially true for cultures with non-Latin scripts and regions which lack the infrastructure for high-speed Internet connections. Systematic evaluations from regular use at two universities are presented.