Acta Technologica Dubnicae
volume 3, 2013, issue 2
DOI: 10.1515/atd-2015-0022
Didactic Means and Their Use at Technical
Universities
Daniel Kučerka - Soňa Rusnáková - Roman Hrmo - Štefan
Husár - Martin Podařil
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to introduce the reader into the field of
didactic means and their use by educators at universities with technical
orientation from students´ perspective. To check the status of the two
selected universities in the Slovak Republic and one university in the
Czech Republic, we conducted a research, which was attended by 194
respondents and its results are presented in this paper.
Key words: didactic equipment, didactic means, interactive whiteboard,
slide projector.
1 Introduction
At technical universities, we have computer schoolrooms in which teachers have
the possibility to use a computer, slide projector, interactive whiteboard and
various didactic means. By using them in combination with presentation
programs, information is provided to students.
Positive changes, which were brought by information sources, new information
environment, information and communication technology (ICT), do not always
correspond with the real ability to use information effectively. People need more
than just information sources and tools, they seek for something that enables
them to use information effectively. In the context of the information society, the
need for information literacy and for basic information competence development
are in the center of attention; informative knowledge, skills, possibilities, habits,
*
Daniel Kučerka, Institute of Technology and Business in České Budějovice, České
Budějovice, Czech Republic; kucerka@mail.vstecb.cz
Soňa Rusnáková, Institute of Technology and Business in České Budějovice, České
Budějovice, Czech Republic; rusnakova@mail.vstecb.cz
Roman Hrmo, Dubnica Institute of Technology in Dubnica nad Váhom, Dubnica nad
Váhom, Slovakia; hrmo@dti.sk
Štefan Husár, Institute of Technology and Business in České Budějovice, České
Budějovice, Czech Republic; husar@mail.vstecb.cz
Martin Podařil, Institute of Technology and Business in České Budějovice, České
Budějovice, Czech Republic; podaril@mail.vstecb.cz
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volume 3, 2013, issue 2
and attitudes are important. The most frequently used and basic teaching aid is
still the traditional textbook (Figure 1).
2 Teaching aids, modern education technologies, and
didactic means
Teaching aids and didactic equipment are related to the principle of clarity in
the educational process. Their importance can be shown in several numbers.
According to Fridman (Turek, 2010), an average person remembers
approximately 10% of what they have read, 20% of what they have heard, 30%
of what they have seen in a picture, 50% of what they have seen and
simultaneously heard, 70% of what they have seen, heard and actively
performed, and 90% of something that they found out alone based on their own
experience by the implementation of some activity. Teaching aids, modern
didactic technologies, and didactic equipment have a unique position in the
whole educational process.
2.1 Teaching Aids
Teaching aids are used to achieve the clarity of teaching and enable a
comprehensive adoption of the curriculum. They can be classified into auditory,
visual, audiovisual, cybernetic, multimedia, and hypermedia resources. In the
educational process, teaching aids can have motivational, informative,
application, simulative, repetitive, and control functions. The selection of an
appropriate teaching aid can significantly increase the didactic efficiency. The
most commonly used teaching aids are the traditional textbook (Figure 1),
blackboard (Figure 2), and chalk.
Figure 1 Textbook
Figure 2 School table
A textbook (Figure 3) becomes interesting for a student, when it is didactically
well processed, includes suitable figures and performs its functions. In technical
areas, the use of teaching aids such as 3D models, figures, etc. is of a great
importance as they enable students to imagine the real function of individual
elements in the technical practice.
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Textbooks
Classrooms
Teaching
Aids
School
Supplies
Methodical
Aids
Devices
Didactic
Equipment
Figure 3 Central position of textbooks
2.2 Modern educational technologies and didactic equipment
The term of technology indicates technical means, processes and skills, which
are used for specific purposes and which produce practical results (Hrmo et al.,
2009).
The term technology is used as an equivalent to the term equipment in the case
when it means the way of activity realization, respectively, some production
ability (Hašková et al., 2012). With the expanding development of information
and communication technologies, which offers high-quality tools for working
with information and information sources, very efficient technical educational
means are getting to schools. This means a large modification in the working
process and high requirements on the level of teaching staff knowledge.
Schools in the information society, due to their broad mission, should offer
complex education. The competencies needed for living in this society are called
information competencies. These competencies can be obtained and developed
through e-learning, too. E-learning is a form of distance education. At the same
time, it is necessary to add that, with this method, the personal contact between
the teacher and students is not needed.
Another example is the use of a PC in combination with a slide projector and
projection on a screen. This method of mediating the subject matter is provided
by interactive whiteboards. It combines the benefits of the classical blackboard,
touch screen, and PC. The easiest and the cheapest way is the use of eBeam
boards in the form of a digitalizer that scans the surface up to 1.6 x 1.2 m (Figure
4). It is possible to connect a control panel to an interactive whiteboard which
includes presentation and control functions for the audiovisual equipment of
lecture rooms (Figure 5).
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volume 3, 2013, issue 2
Figure 4 Interactive whiteboard
eBeam
Figure 5 Interactive whiteboard
Source: Hašková et al., 2012
The benefits of interactive whiteboards lie in mediating the subject matter,
paying more attention to the selection of the subject matter, the use of an infinite
number of boards, writing with a finger or with a special pen (Vargová et al.,
2011, Hrmo et al., 2009, Depešová et al., 2010).
2.3 E-Learning
Education is one of the most important life priorities of each of us in a modern
society (Kučerka, 2011). E-learning is an alternative form of education which
has recently experienced development; it is one of the possible forms of further
education.
E-learning in our conception includes the theory and research as well as any real
educational process (with varying degrees of internationalism) in which
information and communication technologies are used in accordance with the
ethical principles of working with data in their electronic form. The use of ICT
and the availability of teaching material depends mainly on the educational
objectives, the content, on the nature of the educational environment, and on the
needs and possibilities of all the actors of the educational process (Zounek and
Sudický, 2012).
Education through e-learning is a process based on the interaction between
students and a teacher. This method of education requires key competences in
the field of computer technologies and communication via internet. Among the
advantages of conducting e-learning courses we can mention saving travelling
costs and time. The disadvantage of such courses is, for example, the lack of
personal interaction between the teacher and students.
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3 Research and evaluation of didactic equipment use on
vocational subject lessons
The survey focused on the range of the didactic equipment use on lessons of
vocational subjects was carried out at three universities that were technically
oriented in the Slovak Republic (two universities) and in the Czech Republic
(one university) by means of a questionnaire.
3.1 The survey on the use of didactic equipment on vocational subjects
To find out the extent of the use of didactic equipment on vocational subjects at
technical universities, we have constructed a questionnaire with six questions. In
the first question, students’ task was to characterize the didactic equipment used
on their vocational subject lessons. In the second question, they were asked if
lessons, on which didactic equipment was used, were more interesting for them
than the traditional ones. In the third question, we asked the respondents whether
they were engaged with the educational process when didactic equipment was
used. In the fourth question, students answered the question if the use of didactic
equipment on lessons made the lessons more efficient than just taking notes by
students. In the fifth question, the participants had to decide if they remembered
more from lessons when didactic equipment was used compared with classical
lessons. The final question was focused on finding out which didactic aids had
been used on vocational subject lessons. Students were asked to indicate their
answers on a 5-point scale – yes (+2), rather yes (+1), I do not know (0), rather
no (-1), no (-2). Questionnaires were completed by 194 students (table 1). 149
students were from two universities in the Slovak Republic – Dubnica Institute
of Technology in Dubnica nad Váhom (DTI) and Constantine the Philosopher
University in Nitra (UKF) and 45 students from the Czech Republic – Institute
of Technology and Business in České Budějovice (VSTE). The questionnaires
were administered and evaluated in March and April, 2013.
Table 1 The number of respondents at particular schools.
DTI
40
VŠTE
45
UKF
109
∑
194
3.2 Evaluation of the use of didactic equipment on vocational subject lessons
The results of particular questions are illustrated in graphs 1 to 5.
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Question 1: Is didactic equipment used on vocational subject lessons?
Graph 1 Comparison of the use of didactic equipment at schools in the Czech
Republic and the Slovak Republic
In the first question, students were asked, whether didactic equipment was used
on lessons or not. 169 respondents indicated that didactic equipment is used on
lessons at universities.
Question 2: Are the lesson where didactic equipment is used more interesting for
you?
Graph 2 Attractiveness of the lessons at universities in the Czech Republic and
the Slovak Republic
In the second question, the respondents were asked whether they found their
lessons interesting. 162 informants agreed with the statement, that lessons, on
which didactic equipment was used, were more interesting for them. The
responses were similar, with differences only in the degree of agreement.
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Question 3: Are you always involved in the educational process when didactic
equipment is used?
Graph 3 Involvement in the educational process at universities in the Czech
Republic and the Slovak Republic
In the third question, we investigated the students’ involvement in the
educational process when didactic equipment was used. 143 respondents
indicated a positive answer; the obtained responses differed only in the degree of
agreement.
Question 4: Does using didactic equipment make a lesson more efficient than
only taking notes on the subject matter?
Graph 4 Taking notes at universities in the Czech Republic and the Slovak
Republic
The answers of the respondents in question 4 correspond with the answers
obtained in question 2; the use of didactic equipment contributes to the quality of
the subject matter explanation, helps its understanding, and is not used as a tool
for taking notes. The answers differed only in the degree of agreement (+2 and
+1).
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Question 5: Do you remember more from lessons when didactic equipment is
used in comparison with classical lessons?
Graph 5 Attractivenes of explanation at universities in the Czech Republic and
the Slovak Republic
The results of question 5 correspond with the results of questions 2 and 4, as 161
respondents indicated that they can remember the subject matter better when
didactic equipment is being used than on classical lessons.
Question 6: Please specify which didactic equipment is used on vocational
subject lessons.
The obtained answers show that the teachers of vocational subjects use PCs,
slide projectors, interactive whiteboards, special drawing programs, 3-D models,
real machinery, and various tools.
4 Conclusion
The results of the research have shown that didactic equipment is used on
vocational subject lessons at universities both in the Czech Republic and the
Slovak Republic. The obtained results convinced us that the academic staff have
perfected in the use of didactic equipment and that they are interested in
educational quality improvement. In all questions, 143 or more respondents
expressed a positive attitude; there were differences only in the degree of
agreement.
Based on the research results, we recommend:
to use didactic equipment and modern didactic technologies on
vocational subject lessons;
to continue research and investigate the effectiveness of education using
didactic equipment and modern didactic technologies.
The use of modern didactic equipment and didactic technologies on vocational
subject lessons can contribute to the quality of the subject matter presentation by
academic staff, resulting in a better understanding of the subject matter by
students.
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