For Suraya
jouef-
powerpoint_use_and_abuse.pptxNouri & Shahid (2005)
Daniels (1999)
Does Using a PowerPoint Presentation . . .
improve viewers’ information retention?
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Adam Hoss says, “Here’s the big question: will students learn better from a PowerPoint-based lecture than from a non-PowerPoint lecture? The answer is not so clear. Studies done by education expert Lisa Daniels at Washington College and by Professors Hossein Nouri and Abdus Shahid at the College of New Jersey were inconclusive regarding the impact of PowerPoint on short-term and long-term learning. Nouri and Shahid write that these results are “consistent with other media comparison studies that show the medium alone does not influence learning.” This is difficult to measure because of the non-uniform approach to PowerPoint and the widespread misuse of the software.” As Hoss demonstrated later in the presentation, “well-designed slides can greatly enhance a speaker’s message. However, both studies do indicate a positive impact on student attitudes. Put simply, students find class more enjoyable with the inclusion of PowerPoint. In turn, [Hoss thinks] it’s not a stretch to say that PowerPoint aids student retention.”
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Answer: if used correctly
. . . MAYBE.
The research is divided on this subject and often the techniques demonstrated do the exact opposite of what they are intended to do.
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Nouri & Shahid (2005)
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Hoss offers up this difficult to read table on a slide that has this black wood-textured background for viewers to consider. He says, “Here are the criteria Nouri and Shahid used in evaluating student attitudes. Two sections of an accounting class were run by the same instructor, keeping all else equal but the use of PowerPoint in one section and lack of PowerPoint in the other. Numbers displayed are net gains between the same class taught with PowerPoint versus without PowerPoint (i.e. students in both sections reported the same value for ‘Is the class interesting?’ under the “Understandability” factor).” A quick glance at the table shows that understandability and entertainment run inversely to each other but the table itself has too many components on it for viewers to grasp the information quickly and easily.
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Nouri & Shahid (2005)
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The slide is slightly more readable with a less cluttered background, but not much!
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“Technology is not a magic bullet”
Ahmed (1999)
Bartsch & Cobern (2003)
Collins (2004)
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Hoss concludes the second on whether PPt presentations are beneficial with this slide. He states, “Research has found that PowerPoint can greatly enhance the message of a presentation, but only when used well. Owing mainly to serial misuse, PowerPoint has developed a pretty bad reputation. While this is no fault of the software, the converse is also true: well-designed slides won’t necessarily fix a poor presentation. Three separate studies done by Christine Admed, Robert Bartsch and Janette Collins all concluded that ‘technology is not a magic bullet, and what is most important in the classroom is a good teacher’ (Ahmed 1999).” Hoss adds that Collins (2004) writes that:
“‘The effectiveness of any presentation does not depend predominantly on the quality of the visual aids, but on the ability of the presenter to communicate with the audience. Although the use of visual aids can dramatically enhance the quality of a presentation, very effective presentations can be given without using visual aids. The contrary is not true. No matter how great the visual aids are, if a presenter does a poor job communicating with the audience, the presentation will suffer.’” The highlighting block here is problematic because it leaves out the last word.
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Little nuggets of information are golden!
What makes the slide show effective, according to Hoss and Shine’s research, 1) is packaging the information in small but effective units of information, and 2) carrying the presentation not with the slides, but with the speaking that supports the slides.
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Aristotle’s Rhetoric
Logos!
Pathos!
Ethos!
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Also, don’t shop at Crane’s Mattress Supply Store
Hoss presents an example of how he first used PowerPoint, but then discovered he was actually using it ineffectively. He says, “I like to use humor when I teach, but Nouri & Shahid caution against it in PowerPoint. Here’s a slide that I [Adam] used in my Composition 2 class to introduce Aristotle’s rhetoric. The bit about the mattress store is a reference to a long-running inside joke this semester that came out of a class discussion on audience expectations. When I showed this slide, students laughed and got a kick out of it. I thought, great! They’re paying attention! I could see them leaning forward, smiling, waiting for the next part of the lecture. However, research suggests that this is a mistake. One key finding in Nouri & Shahid (2005) is that the inclusion of non-relevant information on a slide (visual or textual) leads to consistently worse recall and quiz scores. They theorize that students are likely to ONLY remember the goofy bit at the expense of the other information on the slide.”
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Another point Hoss’s presentation makes is that presenters often continue using bad habits that they know do not work.
Hoss says, “Here’s how I normally begin a PowerPoint in my class: with a cartoon relevant to the subject matter. What’s going on in this cartoon? The presenter made a PowerPoint that’s just too long. Anyone suffered through presentations like this? What about PowerPoint slide shows you’ve sat through have been especially boring or ineffective? Why? According to education specialist Janette Collins, interactivity with an audience is a far more important factor in presenting with PowerPoint than use of visuals. Visuals are important as well, so what I do in my classes is try to combine the two.”
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=zU7BRvejni4
In real business presentations, “professional”
styles of presentations vary in quality.
There are those that are clear and understandable, and those that are not.
Although the link failed in the original presentation (and may fail on this slide), internet links to videos can be helpful IF they are kept to the briefest possible use.
Hoss’s commentary was, “Let’s take a look at two very different presentation styles. Here’s a video of Steve Jobs presenting the iPad 2. While he’s likely not using PowerPoint, the same principles apply.” Hoss intended to show the segment from 0:33 – 2:00, but had to find a different clip that would work – and it was MUCH longer. From that video, he compared the simplicity of the background (shown in the picture – in case the link does not work) to the complicated one behind Bill Gates on the next slide.
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Hoss says, “Here’s Bill Gates presenting the Microsoft Live Platform. What differences do you notice between the two presentations? Which one do you think would be more effective?”
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Fewer words on a slide are more effective
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and yet another example to support the conclusion that “less is more” with pictures and with words
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continue
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Hoss uses this slide to argue that fewer words combined with meaningful pictures are the best answer. He says, “Here are some common mistakes when it comes to use of visuals, and one good example.” The last slide (with the woodgrain background) is his “good example” but even it could be improved.
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Habitation of Atlantic Salmon
Life stages
Freshwater phase
Saltwater phase
Growth into GODZILLA
MONSTER phase
Human impact on populations
Legislation
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An adult Atlantic salmon displaying its black spotting and blue coloration
back
Clean and clear backgrounds are easier on the eyes. Hoss says, “Really bad color scheme and text that is hard to read. Okay, it’s an extreme example, but this happens pretty frequently. When I have my students give presentations, this is one of the most common mistakes. I tell my students that readability is always their number one concern when it comes to visually designing slides.”
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Habitation of Atlantic Salmon
Life stages
Freshwater phase
Saltwater phase
Distribution and Habitat
Human impact on populations
Legislation
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back
Hoss’s next slide is too stark. He says, “Here’s the same information presented as Nancy Duarte’s “teleprompter” format with no visuals whatsoever. While I’d be tempted to include the non-relevant “Godzilla Monster” line as a bit of humor to keep students interested, Nouri & Shahid suggest that students would tend to prioritize the goofy bit and would be less likely to remember the more relevant text.”
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Habitation of Atlantic Salmon
Life Stages
Freshwater phase
Saltwater phase
Distribution and Habitat
Human impact on population
Legislation
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back
An adult Atlantic salmon
The other extreme is no better. Animation should especially be limited to only “AS NEEDED” and not for decoration.
Hoss presented this slide to considerable laughing. He says, “Okay, it’s an extreme example, but the point applies: excessive animations are not only visually distracting, but they come at the detriment of student learning. Bartsch & Cobern (2003) find that non-relevant visual information, including excessive animations, resulted in consistently worse recall and quiz scores in the classroom.”
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Habitation of Atlantic Salmon
The freshwater phases of Atlantic salmon vary between one and eight years, variably according to river location. While the young in southern rivers, such as those to the English Channel, are only one year old when they leave, those further north, such as in Scottish rivers, can be over four years old. What I’m doing here is simply reading back to you all of the text on the slide. This is a very common problem – using the software as a crutch and putting the audience to sleep by the time you get to anything on the next
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The biggest drawback is too many words on a slide. This is another example that Hoss presented to illustrate the point.
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slide.
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back
We’ve all been subjected to a PowerPoint presentation like this, where the presenter just reads everything off the slides. This is what Nancy Duarte calls a “slideument.” If all you’re doing is reading the text word-for-word to the audience, you’ve effectively negated any reason to present in the first place. The viewing audience can just as easily read the slides on their own.
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Habitation of Atlantic Salmon
Freshwater phase
Saltwater phase
back
And finally, a better incorporation of visuals and text. While still not “perfect” this slide is much easier on the eyes and facilitates information transfer better than the bad examples shown before. Better slide shows depend more on visual impact and the vocal narration for impact. Putting too much on any one slide is defeating the purpose of the entire presentation. The K.I.S.S. method really is the best for communicating complex concepts.
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Works Cited
Ahmed, C. (1998). PowerPoint Versus Traditional Overheads: Which Is More Effective For Learning? Paper presented at the Conference of the South Dakota Association for Health, Physical Education and Recreation, Sioux Falls, SD.
Bartsch, R. & Cobern, K. (2003). Effectiveness of PowerPoint Presentations in Lectures. Computers & Education 41, 77-86.
Collins, J. (2004). Education Techniques for Lifelong Learning Giving a PowerPoint Presentation: The Art of Communicating Effectively. Radiographics 24(4), 1185-1192.
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Works Cited, cont.
Daniels, L. (1999). Introducing Technology in the Classroom: PowerPoint as a First Step. Journal of Computing in Higher Education 10(2), 42-56.
Nouri, H. & Shahid, A. (2005). The Effect of PowerPoint Presentations on Student Learning and Attitudes. Global Perspectives on Accounting Education 2, 53-73.
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These entries are Hoss’s sources. Rarely does anyone in the business world use the complete citation entry form for each source; that does not mean a presenter should not identify his/her sources!
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