Support for Scholarship - SoTL Projects at KCC

SoTL Projects at KCC: PowerPoint as a Pedagogical Tool

Project Description:
Through my personal observations, it seemed the use of PPT in my classroom decreased the amount of active learning taking place. The literature, on the use of PPT seems to support my observations that using PPT can lead to students becoming more passive in the classroom. So, in this two-semester project, I conducted classroom that tested the effectiveness of using PPT as a pedagogical tool.

I created PPT presentations that were short, brief, narrative and explanative-not a succession of unlinked terms in a series of bulleted or numbered lines. Students were exposed to two presentation approaches. In the first, they received printed PPT handouts and took short additional notes. In the second method, the material was presented with PPT without any printed handouts; students took all the notes, including the additional short explanative notes presented on the board with colored chalk. These two conditions varied by learning topics over two semesters to control for the effect of topic. The findings showed that students performed better on exams when they had not received not instructor-prepared notes, suggesting that having students take their own notes, in a fashion similar to taking notes in traditional courses, provides a greater opportunity for interaction between students and the instructor, and allows students to assimilate facts without losing the advantages of PPT.

Article:
Lakrim, M. (2009). Using MS PowerPoint presentation as a pedagogical tool to improve student learning at the community college. In Journal of Science Education, Proceedings of the International Congress of Science Education, (pp.240-242). Cartagena, Colombia.

Presentations:
Lakrim, M. (2007, November-December). New pedagogical approach using MS PowerPoint slides with handouts in the community college General Biology class. Paper presented at the National Association of Biology Teachers Conference, Atlanta, GA.

Lakrim, M. (2008, February). Using MS PowerPoint presentation as a pedagogical device in the community college. Convocation presentation, Kingsborough Community College, Brooklyn, NY. 

Lakrim, M. (2009, July). Using MS PowerPoint presentation as a pedagogical tool to improve student learning at the community college. Paper presented at the International Congress of Science Education, Cartagena, Colombia.