OUR VIEW: Students suffer from Power Point poisoning

Is there power in a Power Point presentation? We suppose it may provide additional information resources for students during lectures. Admittedly, the colorful designs are visually stimulating if used in the right format.

Yet, there are an increasing dependency growing in classes where professors merely read the visual display of information verbatim, and students scribble down each slide copiously. Read. Copy. Read. Copy. Only to find, in vain, the professor uploads each presentation to the web.

Class lectures should display the strength of the professor’s ability to present information orally, not their literacy. Granted, society has become increasingly dependent on technology and the once-challenging class lectures seem to have dwindled when confronted with technologically supported convenience. Class lectures, in the purest form, offer stimulating discussion and allow students the experience to decide what information is most important, not just the skills of better handwriting or reading while tuning out someone’s voice.

Essentially, that is what is happening: Students become obsessed with copying down what is in front of the, and not listening to what is actually being said.

We realize most students enjoy less stressful, challenging courses to alleviate the demands of university life. But how much information will students really retain from a Power Point or overhead (depending on the technologically deficient rooms you are in) presentation?