“DOES MOVEMENT (Transitions & Animation) IN POWERPOINT® INCREASE LEARNING?”

ST. PATRICK'S DAY BLOG!
My next few blogs will focus on the research on three neglected elements in PowerPoint®: (1) movement, (2) music, and (3) videos. The simple question is: Do they improve learning or anything else? Do they have the potential to raise the PowerPoint® bar to a new level of “best practices” in the classroom? Let’s begin with

MOVEMENT (Dedicated to Fans of PREZI)
When something moves, your eyeballs move to track it. That’s perfectly natural. However, when the movement slows up or stops in your classroom, students may get bored and click to something else. PowerPoint® permits transitions of slides and animation of words, letters, and graphics. When that movement is systematically choreographed throughout a presentation, it can grab and maintain attention. Used inappropriately, it can annoy and distract your students from the content being covered.

Research Evidence: TEXT. Is there research on the use of transitions and animation in the classroom? Not on transitions, but a smidgen on text animation. The technique of introducing bits and pieces of text information incrementally on slides with animation has been tested by only a couple of studies (Janicki, Yaylacicegi, & Mahar, 2009; Mahar, Yaylacicegi, & Janicki, 2009). Despite students’ preference for animation in PowerPoint® lectures, the results indicated that students shown static lecture slides learned more about new concepts than those who viewed the animated slides. The animation required greater concentration with a shorter exposure time. Certainly, that time could be extended.

Research Evidence: GRAPHICS. Contrary to the preceding results is the research that found that animated graphics are significantly more effective than static graphics (Höffler & Leutner, 2007; Lowe, 2001, 2003; Mayer & Moreno, 2002; McLean, Brown, & Bellamy, 2003; Tversky, Morrison, & Betrancourt, 2002; Yu & Smith, 2008). Properly designed animations to illustrate concepts and procedures can generate interest, motivation, and engagement, which can promote deep learning (Mayer & Anderson, 1991; Ruffini, 2009). There are no studies testing different types of animation. Presenting techniques or processes, in particular, may benefit more from animation.

CONCLUSION: Consider using animation when it fits the content, especially to explain processes in graphic form. Transitions and animation of text should be used judiciously, since there is inadequate evidence to the contrary.

WHAT’S NEXT? Have you used music in your slides to create an emotional connection or humor? There’s lots of research on this topic. Just wait…

COPYRIGHT © 2011 Ronald A. Berk, LLC