Information retention from PowerPoint™ and traditional lectures
By: April Savoy , Robert W. Proctor, and Gavriel Salvendy
Introduction:
The study investigates the effects of PowerPoint’s on student performance (e.g., overall quiz/exam scores) in comparison to lectures based on overhead projectors, traditional lectures (e.g., “chalk-and-talk”), and online lectures. The present study decomposes overall quiz scores into auditory, graphic, and alphanumeric scores to reveal new insights into effects of PowerPoint presentations on student performance.
The objective of this study is to determine how to present information effectively for maximum retention. Data were collected from 62 students via Quiz and questionnaire.
Introduction:
The study investigates the effects of PowerPoint’s on student performance (e.g., overall quiz/exam scores) in comparison to lectures based on overhead projectors, traditional lectures (e.g., “chalk-and-talk”), and online lectures. The present study decomposes overall quiz scores into auditory, graphic, and alphanumeric scores to reveal new insights into effects of PowerPoint presentations on student performance.
The objective of this study is to determine how to present information effectively for maximum retention. Data were collected from 62 students via Quiz and questionnaire.
Research approach:
There were two lectures presented during the experiment. Each lecture was presented using traditional and Power-Point delivery styles.
Lecture 1 was titled ‘‘Attention”. The material covered different attention models (i.e., bottleneck models) and concepts of
filter theory, attenuation theory, and issues of perceptual load.
Lecture 2. was titled ‘‘Memory Stores and Working Memory”.
The researchers used two delivery styles presented in the lectures, traditional and PowerPoint. A third presentation category, no class, was formed with the students that were not present during either of the delivery styles. They measured their effects on the following variables:
1. The quiz measured performance
2. Recognition of graphic information
3. Recognition of alphanumeric information – This was measured by the percentage of correct answers pertaining to the alphanumeric information
4. Recognition of auditory information
5. Recognition of audio/visual information – This was measured by the percentage of correct answers pertaining to information that was
6. presented auditorlly and visually.
7. Overall recognition of information – This was measured by the percentage of correct answers pertaining to the information provided during
8. the lectures.
9. Preference – The questionnaire measured preference, where delivery style preference and perceived importance were the dependent variables.
Findings:
Students retained 15% less information delivered verbally by the lecturer during PowerPoint presentations, but they preferred PowerPoint presentations over traditional presentations.
There were two lectures presented during the experiment. Each lecture was presented using traditional and Power-Point delivery styles.
Lecture 1 was titled ‘‘Attention”. The material covered different attention models (i.e., bottleneck models) and concepts of
filter theory, attenuation theory, and issues of perceptual load.
Lecture 2. was titled ‘‘Memory Stores and Working Memory”.
The researchers used two delivery styles presented in the lectures, traditional and PowerPoint. A third presentation category, no class, was formed with the students that were not present during either of the delivery styles. They measured their effects on the following variables:
1. The quiz measured performance
2. Recognition of graphic information
3. Recognition of alphanumeric information – This was measured by the percentage of correct answers pertaining to the alphanumeric information
4. Recognition of auditory information
5. Recognition of audio/visual information – This was measured by the percentage of correct answers pertaining to information that was
6. presented auditorlly and visually.
7. Overall recognition of information – This was measured by the percentage of correct answers pertaining to the information provided during
8. the lectures.
9. Preference – The questionnaire measured preference, where delivery style preference and perceived importance were the dependent variables.
Findings:
Students retained 15% less information delivered verbally by the lecturer during PowerPoint presentations, but they preferred PowerPoint presentations over traditional presentations.
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