A lecture is a good example of what I call “Frontwards Learning.”
Start with a topic, and then explain the pathophysiology, common presentations, diagnosis, management, etc. It is a very good way for students to learn, although there are other ways, such as “Backwards Learning.”
With “Backwards Learning,” I start with a patient with a certain condition and a story. Then the patient is used as the example of the condition that is explored more fully in the discussion of pathophysiology, common presentations, diagnosis, management, etc.
Both methods cover the same ground, but in different ways and different directions.
In theory, each of these methods should be similarly effective, but some students seem to learn more effectively with one approach than another.
PowerPoint Lectures
PowerPoint has become the word many of us use to describe a specific type of lecture.
Just as “Scotch Tape” has meaning far beyond what the inventors at 3M envisioned, “PowerPoint” now means not just a Microsoft presentation, but rather any lecture that employs a speaker and a series of images on a screen.
In the olden days, images on the screen projections of 35mm slides or glass slides, 16 mm video, or film strips. Now, it is almost always electronic images, created with MS PowerPoint or one of its’ many competitors.
But the principles regarding effectiveness of teaching are the same, regardless of what technique is employed to put images on a screen.
These principles have been thoroughly studied and tested and the results are well-known.
To review the science of how students learn “best” off of screens, click here.
In this context, “best” means:
- Greatest depth of knowledge.
- Longest retention of knowledge, and
- Fastest acquisition of knowledge
Video Lectures
Sometimes, lectures are packaged as a video, that can be played by the student at any time it is convenient.
These lectures may be pure video (e.g. avi, mpg, flv file types), or structured as a self-paced slide show, using MS PowerPoint (ppt), or Adobe Acrobat (pdf), or other similar file.
Common to all these formats are the principles that:
- The video lectures will have both audio and video channels for learning
- They are subject to the same science of how students best learn off screens.
For more discussion of Video Lectures, click here.
Informal Lectures
These are the most common of all the lectures we use in medical and nursing education.
These are the 5-10 minute presentations made at the bedside, in the hallway, in the doctor’s lounge, or over a cafeteria table. There may or may not be any handouts. There probably won’t be a screen. The presenter may draw a few illustrative images on a paper towel, or the back of an envelope.
While the rules for this type of presentation are very different from a PowerPoint type lecture, informal presentations have their own best practices and guidelines to make them more effective.