Based on the results of the survey of students in England, reported in yesterday's blog, the manner in which professors use PowerPoint in their classes contributed significantly to the students' boredom. I don't think those practices are that different in the U.S as well as in most other countries. Lecture with PowerPoint is still the predominant form of information delivery in college classes.
PowerPoint is a perfect example of a technology that is frequently used inappropriately in teaching. Basically, it’s just text material projected on the screen rather than in a book, although graphics and images may be included. If the slides are jam packed with tons of content too small to read from the students' seats and professors just read those slides to the students as if they were three years old, the students should be bored as well as insulted. That practice has been called "death by PowerPoint," and a slow and painful one at that. It may be the simplest and laziest use of the technology, albeit, also an ineffective use. If you post the slides on the course Website, the students don’t have to come to class and, in fact, many of them don’t.
Fortunately, there are effective applications of PowerPoint that some professors are using. They amplify, interpret, animate, discuss, and/or question the slide content to engage the students and/or incorporate music, sound effects, and videos into the slides. In large classes, in particular, some use clickers to solicit opinions or to test their understanding of the content being discussed. ENGAGEMENT is critical to grab and maintain the students' attention. PowerPoint can engage students, even with lecture, when used appropriately.
COPYRIGHT © 2009 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
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