Whats The Use Of Lectures

Lectures and presentation technology

? ?

Stephen BostockTeaching and Learning with Technology

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Summary Slide - an automatic ‘agenda’ slide with hyperlinks to four ‘custom shows’ of selected slides.

What’s the use of lectures?Donald Bligh 1972

Rethinking University EducationLaurillard 1993

Learning to teach in HERamsden 1992

Possible uses of Lectures?

3What’s the use of lectures?Donald Bligh 1972

His review of research found that lecturesmight be good for: transmitting information ?

promoting thought ?

changing student attitudes ?

4What’s the use of lectures?Donald Bligh 1972

His review of research found that lecturesmight be good for: transmitting information ?

as effective as other media promoting thought ?

not effective changing student attitudes ?

not very effective

5Rethinking University EducationLaurillard 1993

Lectures are only one educational process: teacher transmits information

do not encourage dialogue, for example or encourage student reflection

‘inspirational’ effects are rare and short-lived many opportunities for student errors in getting

information and making sense of it lectures cannot deal with a variety of students Q. why aren’t lectures scrapped?

6Rethinking University EducationLaurillard 1993

Lectures are only one educational process: teacher transmits information

do not encourage dialogue, for exampleor encourage student reflection

‘inspirational’ effects are rare and short-lived many opportunities for student errors in getting

information and making sense of it lectures cannot deal with a variety of students Q. why aren’t lectures scrapped?

A. 800 years of tradition

7Learning to teach in HERamsden 1992 lectures are no more economical than other methods

in transmitting information to large numbers they are efficient, but less so than reading they will ‘cover the ground’ by the teacher,

but not by the student learning students are passive and dependent, promoting a

surface approach to learning not effective for deep learning outcomes

needing activity, responsibility, interaction

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Possible uses of Lectures?

introduce a new topic, give an overview and relate to other topics, where detailed information comes later

course administration and changes social function between students and with staff engage student interest, motivation, stimulate

thinking, make memorable demonstrations - difficult and rare!

some students like lectures

9Lecturing to large groupsAndreson 1990

faced with bigger classes and more classes, two responses are possible for lectures

refinement as theatre: enhance style, techniques, presentation skills

augmentation with student activity, feedback, dialogue, using other media

10Lecturing to large groupsAndreson 1990

faced with bigger classes and more classes, two responses are possible for lectures

refinement as theatre: enhance style, techniques, presentation skills

augmentation with student activity, feedback, dialogue, using other media

better pre

sentations

less lectu

ring

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Lecture less but better

Augmentation ‘lecture’ less in Lectures

bring student activity into lectures have fewer Lectures (no space here)

replace some lectures with more independent learning, resource-based

Refinement - lecture better use media and technology to make presentation of information more efficient

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‘lecture’ less in Lectures

stop talking and let the learners do something, wake them up!

what could they do? what have you seen or tried?

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students like well structured lectures but they also need variety to stay alert. So change the pace, activity, style, media, ...

maximum attention span : ______ mins divide longer periods into blocks of varied

activities with breaks e.g. mini lecture + problem + buzz group +

plenary + elaboration/clarification e.g. students read the lecture handouts in small

groups (20 min) + an overview

‘lecture’ less - vary the activities

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students like well structured lectures but they also need variety to stay alert. So change the pace, activity, style, media, ...

maximum attention span : 15 mins divide longer periods into blocks of varied

activities with breaks e.g. mini lecture + problem + buzz group +

plenary + elaboration/clarification e.g. students read the lecture handouts in small

groups (20 min) + an overview

‘lecture’ less - vary the activities

15Refinement -e.g.more efficient transmission

give handouts of slides for accuracy and to save time especially e.g. diagrams

give ‘semi-notes’with important points missing, incomplete diagrams, tables, bullets - instruct to complete

give ‘skeleton notes’with structure + keywords only - to fill in

note-taking is passive, boring and inefficient - look at their notes! So, for example ...

16Presentation software- advantages

clear, legible text, good designs are easy well structured, information in chunks attractive colours, designs include images, diagrams, charts handouts are copies of screens but can

have gaps, questions use the same slides on digital projector, acetate,

web pages, handouts, with different groups and locations

modifying presentations, reusing slides

17Presentation software- disadvantages

many ready-made designs are too complex and print badly

imposes modular structure of slides and bullets, can fragment an argument or story

drawing is time-consuming, (but images are easy) all content can look the same, boring keeping 2 versions for handouts and screen, or

hiding some slides PowerPoint has limitations and irritations file sizes are large!

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the end

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References

Lee Andreson, Lecturing to large groups, in C. Rust, Teaching in Higher Education, 1990, SCED Paper 57, ISBN 0946815178

Donald Bligh, What’s the use of lectures? Exeter: Intellect, 1998, 5th ed.

Diana Laurillard, Rethinking University Education, 1993, Routledge, ISBN 0-415-09289-2

Paul Ramsden, Learning to teach in Higher Education, 1992, Routledge, ISBN 0-415-06415-5

www.umist.ac.uk/apt/ for presentation technology