Creating More Engaging Course Lectures

Abstract

Modern students expect a lot out of their college experience. With increasing economic uncertainly, they are also evaluating the value that a college education can provide beyond many of the free, professional-quality resources available across the internet. This means post-secondary educators need to adapt to the learning expectations of their students and create more engaging course presentations that can capture and retain their students’ attention. Common lecture formats remain effective in efficiently presenting new ideas and concepts to large groups, but visual aids used alongside a lecture are usually uninspiring. Even worse, the design of many PowerPoint slide decks used during a lecture can cause cognitive overloading, sensory conflict and hinder effective communication. In this paper, I will discuss how to make PowerPoint presentations more visually appealing and more effective when used in a classroom lecture. Additionally, I will discuss the techniques and tools available when developing an effective PowerPoint presentation.