Teaching with lightboards at Concordia

What is a lightboard?

A lightboard is a glass writing surface that uses LED lighting to make handwritten content appear bright and vivid on video. Unlike a traditional whiteboard, you face the camera while writing, so students can see both you and your handwriting at the same time. Although you are writing normally on the glass, the camera image is digitally flipped for recording and streaming, so your writing appears correctly oriented to viewers.

Concordia’s lightboards can be used with YuJa to record lecture videos for later viewing, which can then be embedded in Moodle or eConcordia courses. They can also be used during live online classes through platforms such as Zoom or Teams.

How can it enhance learning?

Lightboards are especially useful for disciplines that rely on handwritten explanations such as physics, chemistry, or commerce. In a recorded or livestreamed format, lightboards allow students to see complex concepts and problem-solving processes unfold step by step, while supporting clarity, engagement, and instructor presence. For example, an instructor can solve an equation, annotate a chemical reaction, or work through a financial model while explaining each step.

Simulate the in-class experience

Because you are standing, writing, and lecturing as if you were teaching in a classroom, lightboards offer a more dynamic and visually engaging experience than recording a lesson from a desk. Instead of sitting at your computer, you can stand and move naturally, gesture while explaining, and maintain eye contact with the camera.

An added benefit of using any of Concordia’s lightboard studios is the controlled recording environment. The studios are quiet and equipped with high-quality microphones, reducing background noise, echo, and interruptions that can occur when recording at home. This allows students to stay focused and fully immersed in the lesson.

Integrate slides and visuals

You can connect your laptop via HDMI and display slides or images while recording. This allows you to write within blank areas of a grid or map and annotate diagrams. At Concordia, the Hall and Loyola studios use a black background, and the slide or image will appear in front of the instructor and the writing in the final video. In the Faubourg studio, green screen production allows visuals to appear behind the instructor and the writing instead. 

Record or livestream

Lightboards can be used to create asynchronous lecture videos, from short demonstrations to a full series of recorded lectures for an entire course. The videos can be screenshared in a live online class via Zoom or Teams. 

If you are interested in using the lightboard for live teaching, it can be used in real time during a scheduled class if the studio is available at that time. In this case, you would host the meeting on your own laptop and use the lightboard camera and microphone as inputs into Zoom or Teams.

Where are the lightboards?

Concordia currently offers three lightboard spaces with different levels of support. Concordia faculty can reserve the lightboard studio for free. Reservations must be made in advance.

SGW Campus

Hall Building – Self-serve and supported options
The Hall studio is fully equipped with cameras and microphones already set up and ready to use. It includes an HDMI connection for your laptop, easy, one-button recording, multi-colour markers, and microfibre cloths.

It is recommended to request assistance the first time you use the studio, which you can indicate on the booking form. You will receive one-on-one guidance from CTL and IITS staff, who can walk you through the setup and answer technical or pedagogical questions. After your initial session, you can access the space independently or request further support as needed. The staff are approachable, knowledgeable, and happy to help instructors feel comfortable using the technology.

Faubourg Building – Full-service production
The Faubourg studio is well suited for instructors developing high-production-value courses. It includes a fully supported studio with a media team, green screen, and soundproofing. Support is available for post-production services such as visual effects and subtitles, as well as planning the learning experience to align your lesson with the lightboard.

Loyola campus 

Central Building – Supported options
The Loyola studio is similar to the Hall studio, though the lightboard is 6 feet wide (smaller than the other lightboards). Additionally, there is a blacklight which makes marker colours pop vividly on camera.

Tips

• Plan your session in advance. To make the most of your studio time, think carefully about how the lightboard can support your learning outcomes. Consider your explanation and what you will write on the lightboard before recording.
• Prepare visuals ahead of time. Slides or images such as grids, diagrams, or maps should be ready so they can be displayed in your video.
• Chunk your content. The writing space on the board is limited, so it can help to break your lesson into smaller segments that build on one another.
• Wear darker clothing. This helps marker colours stand out clearly on the glass.
• Bring a USB drive. You will need it to save and take your recording with you.

How to get started

To book the Hall or CC Building’s lightboards, complete the booking form under “Request a lightboard consultation.” Please select a date that is five or more business days in advance. Once submitted, you will be contacted to confirm the date and time. 

If you are interested in full production support in the Faubourg Tower, you can contact the Chief Academic Officer at eConcordia, who will direct you to the appropriate team.

If you are unsure how a lightboard might fit your teaching, consider booking an initial consultation. The CTL, IITS, and eConcordia teams can help guide you through both the technical setup and the pedagogical possibilities.

Sam Dignan is a graduate student in Educational Technology with a background in music education. They enjoy combining educational technology, learning and motivational theories, and creative pedagogy to design meaningful educational experiences that support social-emotional development and connection.