National Survey of Interactive Whiteboard Usage 2014

EMR’s New Report on The Interactive Whiteboard Market is Available Now!

Following Education Market Research’s 2011 survey of the IWB market, we were moved to make the following comments: “To say that interactive whiteboards have gained a foothold in the K-12 school market would be a major understatement. Based on EMR’s present findings, the installed base of IWBs in K-12 public schools is already about 1.471 million units.”

In 2014, three years later, we find that the growth of the installed base of IWBs, and of the usage of IWBs for instructional purposes, has continued at a rapid rate:

• The percentage of educators who claim to be “very experienced/knowledgeable” with respect to using an interactive whiteboard (IWB) has increased from 27.3% in 2011 to 34.1% in 2014. Now it appears that 82.9% of today’s educators have at least some experience using the IWB in the classroom.
• A very impressive 74.8%, compared to 63.5% three years ago, indicated they have their own IWB which they do not share with any colleagues. Thus the teacher to IWB ratio has improved to 2.5:1 compared to 3.4:1 three years ago.
• The approximate installed base of IWBs is now estimated at 2 million units, up from 1.47 million units three years ago. That represents a 36% increase in the installed base, or 12% a year over the last three school years.
• The number of IWBs, of any brand, installed in the average school is now 25.8, up from 19.8 (+30.3%) reported to EMR three years ago. The educators predicted that average would rise to 30.5 per school by 2015-16, another 18.2% increase.
• A strong majority (70.9%) of the sample said they use an IWB with their students every day. The average usage duration is 4.7 hours per week.
• According to the survey respondents, there is a strong need for new instructional materials for the IWB at all grade levels, Pre-K - 12, with the highest demand for lessons and activities aligned to Common Core standards.

Survey respondents were also asked about the IWB brands they currently have installed, and their future purchase plans by brand, about their estimated spending on IWB hardware, accessories, and IWB content and tools in the 2013-14 school year, and projected changes in spending in the 2014-15 school year, and about the types of specific activities or lessons the educators want vendors to make available for purchase.

Taken together, the survey data paints a detailed portrait of today’s growth market for IWB hardware, accessories, and associated curriculum products. EMR’s comprehensive report guides the reader through the wants, needs, habits, and preferences of K-12 educators across the U.S.

The IWB market in K-12 classrooms for hardware, accessories, content, and tools is already over $2 billion year, and growing at a strong double-digit rate. It is a market that all school product developers and marketers need to understand, and National Survey of Interactive Whiteboard Usage 2014 is the tool you need to gain that thorough understanding.