Different Types of ‘Background’ of Illustration-based PowerPoint Slides: Anatomy Teachers’ Preferences and Perceived Influence on Learning

Abstract

Background: Teachers are often in dilemma on how to use illustrations effectively in teaching Anatomy using multimedia (for e.g., PowerPoint) slides. ‘Background’ is an important element for creating illustration-based PowerPoint slides but is often overlooked when designing such slides. Some general guidelines on the PowerPoint slide background for presenting textual materials are available, but guidelines on the background for presenting illustrations in PowerPoint slides are almost nil. This descriptive type of observational study was part of a broader research that was designed to assess the preferences of Bangladeshi Anatomy teachers towards different types of background of illustration-based PowerPoint slides and their perceived influence on learning.Material & Methods:A survey was conducted among 39 Anatomy teachers from Bangladesh. Seven PowerPoint slides with one same pair of Neuroanatomy illustrations but seven different types of background dealing with the following characteristics were shown to them to collect their preferences and perceived influence on learning: White/Light-coloured homogeneous/Dark-coloured homogeneous; Slightly decorated/Heavily decorated; Related to subject/Not related to subject. Resultsand Conclusion:The survey revealed that most of the participants preferred either light-coloured homogeneous background (around 64%) or white background (around 60%). The least preferred (about 18%) one was the heavily decorated background not related to the subject. Some interesting trends of preference were also observed, including those related to male and female teachers as well as to their length of experience. In most Anatomy teachers’ perceptions, learning would be influenced by using their preferred ‘backgrounds’. Although the results of the present study reveal some insight into the preferences of Anatomy teachers and their perceived influence of different illustration-based PowerPoint slide ‘backgrounds’ on learning, further studies are recommended on larger samples focusing on more specific issues of PowerPoint slide backgrounds before making any conclusive comments on these issues.