IH02-RichardChen

From IEOR 170 Spring 2007

Problem Description

The goal of my project is to tackle a problem that is at the heart of the Berkeley campus and is an integral aspect of the learning community—the chalkboards in the classrooms. I would venture to guess that the majority of students have had learning time taken away from them simply because the professors or instructors would have to waste time cleaning up after the professor ahead of him or having to erase previous boardwork while lecturing. Many of us might have observed that the erasers that are placed in the big lecture halls are simply too small and require multiple strokes to effectively erase a big area of chalkboard. Another issue associated with chalkboards is the amount of dust that is released during an erasing session—most of that dust is breathed in by the person erasing the board, which is not only gross and unhealthy, but also may lead to coughing—something that detracts from the overall presentation of lecture material.

While some of us may argue that the effective way to circumvent this problem would be to replace all chalkboards with whiteboards, I believe that the chalkboard is here to stay for a number of reasons, namely that it provides a means for the instructor to write bigger and bolder and avoids the issue of the funny whiteboard smell which some individuals are allergic to and uncomfortable with.

Problem Context and Forces

Thus, I hope to attack this problem of inefficient chalkboard erasing by brainstorming effective ways of circumventing this problem. As mentioned above, one way to resolve this problem is to install more whiteboards. This is certainly a viable idea, but most chalkboards would still find their presence in large auditoriums and lecture halls. Thus, that solution may only apply in smaller, more intimate settings.

Secondly, we can place newer and larger erasers (ones with more surface) area into the classrooms. However, this solution may only solve part of the problem and may not be as effective in the long term. Instructors still have to erase for themselves and as the eraser gets longer, the harder it is to control. That is a conclusion that I have derived from personal experience having worked as a study group tutor.

Thirdly, we can see if there is some simple device that can be attached to the chalkboards that would make the process for erasing easier. And that is the method that I am proposing for this individual design project—to create a new device that can be attached to chalkboards.

Target User Group

The target user group for this device is most of the instructors at Berkeley, or any other college or school campus for that matter. I have limited my target market since chalkboards are mostly used in classrooms and not company meeting rooms or boardrooms. This target group would also include graduate student instructors or anyone else who would find themselves having to explain something via a chalkboard. Furthermore, the target user group should not have any trouble using this device, as it is simple to operate and hence, does not require much time, effort, or knowledge.

This new device would encourage professors to clean up after themselves, as it takes little time and effort—and may even be fun in the process.

The instructors value effective ways to teach—to communicate their knowledge to students in a manner that is clear, cost-effective, and quick. The instructors would thus no longer have to spend time in beginning of lecture to clean up and erase for the instructors before them.

The cup design would also make it easy for janitors to empty out, which saves janitors’ time—they won’t ever have to do a major cleaning of chalkboards at nighttime.

Furthermore, the instructor in morning won’t be the only one using a pristine chalkboard—all instructors would be writing on chalk-less chalkboards, free of the white smear and leftover dust particles that accumulate throughout the day.

Solution Sketch

The sketch below involves an ordinary chalkboard and making a set of modifications on it.

The top and bottom of the chalkboard both contain slits that would anchor the device.

The device itself would have wheels and clamps at the ends—for being rolled across the board. The body of the device is a very thin vertical box-strip that has a rolling brush on the side touching the chalkboard, and a handle for gripping on the other side.

This design should not take up much board space and should not be an obstacle in viewing the chalkboard. When the instructor decides to erase the board, all they have to do is to grab the handlebar and push the device from the right side of the board to the left, or vice versa. The rolling bristles would clean the board so well that no repeat strokes are needed. The chalk that has been removed would then be collected in a little cup that is hidden underneath, at the bottom end of the device.