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ASEE SE 20011
PowerPoint Presentations: DoThey Really Work?
Richard O. Mines, Jr., Ph.D., P.E.Director Environmental Engineering
Mercer University
ASEE SE 20012
Overview• Objectives• Background
– Increased Interest in Education– Enhancing Engineering Education– Traditional Lecture Format
• Methodology• Results and Discussion• Summary and Conclusions
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Objectives
• Conduct a study to determine theeffectiveness of using PowerPointPresentations to enhance studentlearning.
• Get student feedback on the likes anddislikes of using PowerPoint.
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Primary Objective
• Answer once and for all,unequivocally and irrefutably ifPowerPoint presentations enhancestudent learning.
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Increased Interest inUndergraduate Education
• The public, industry, and statelegislatures have scrutinized universityeducational systems in recent years.
• Engineering Criteria 2000 established byABET to focus on the “product” ofengineering education.
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Methods for Enhancing Learning
• Multimedia presentations & Internet.
• Computers & software packages.
• CD-ROM PowerPoint Presentations.
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Literature Focused on Formatof PowerPoint Lectures
• Mechanics and formatting of PowerPointPresentations primarily discussed.
• Assessment of PowerPoint presentationshas not been well documented.
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Traditional Lecture Promoted as GoodInformation Transfer Procedure
• Good delivery:clarity, pace, stimulation
• Enthusiasm:should impact both the listenerand the lecturer.
• Content command:breadth and depth ofknowledge of the given subject.
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Methodology• ANOVAs performed on students’ project,
final exam, and overall final grades.
• Comparisons made for three courseofferings: Fall 98 (11 students), Fall 99(6 students), and Spring 00 (10 students).
• Subjective experience of students collected.
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Average Final Exam Grades
Fall 98 Fall 99 Spring 003.32 2.25 2.60
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ANOVA: Final Exam Grades
F Fcritical df α2.59 3.40 2, 24 0.05
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Average Design Project Grades
Fall 98 Fall 99 Spring 002.45 2.83 3.70
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ANOVA: Design Project Grades
F Fcritical df α6.60 3.40 2, 24 0.05
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Average Overall Final Grades
Fall 98 Fall 99 Spring 002.64 2.00 3.05
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ANOVA: Overall Final Grades
F Fcritical df α2.72 3.40 2, 24 0.05
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Positive Comments
• Good for general information andwhen recollection is not required.
• Easier to follow along and comprehendwith PowerPoint.
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Positive Comments
• Dynamic presentations with sound andanimation keep student’s interests.
• I spend most of the time trying to get allthe notes when they are written on theboard and do not always comprehend.
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Positive Comments
• Easy for the presenter to use andcover a lot of material in a short time.
• Lectures clearly outlined and readable.
• Professor can print out handouts for thestudents to follow.
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Negative Comments
• Not good for detailed informationthat must be learned and understood.
• Harder to understand when the teacher isexplaining a long derivation on many slides.
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Negative Comments
• Teacher does a better job of explainingthe material when writing on the board.
• When reviewing, it’s not as easy toidentify the most important points.
• Less attention is paid during the lecturessince I have a handout to rely on.
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Negative Comments
• When lights are dim during thepresentations, students tend to get sleepy.
• There is not as much interaction betweenprofessor and students.
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Summary
• Statistical assessment of the use of PowerPointPresentations was made.
• Subjective assessment of the use of PowerPointPresentations was made.
• A comparison of student grades on final exams,design projects, and overall grades was madewhen EVE 405 was offered with and withoutusing PowerPoint Presentations.
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Conclusions• No significant difference in student grades on
final exams and overall final grades whenPowerPoint Presentations were used.
• Student performance on the design projectimproved when PowerPoint was used.
• Students liked PowerPoint, however, theylearned and understood complex materialbetter when traditional lecture was used.