Does a High Tech (Computerized, Animated, Powerpoint) Presentation Increase Retention of Material Compared to a Low Tech (Black on Clear Overheads) Presentation?

Abstract

Background: Computerized digital presentations have become standard in most medical schools without research proving their effectiveness.Purpose: The purpose was to determine if differences in (a) subjective evaluation; (b) short-term retention of material; and (c) long-term retention of material occurred with the use of static overheads versus computerized, animated PowerPoint for a presentation to medical students.Methods: All students rotating on a required clerkship attended a standard lecture presented by 1 faculty member. The content of the presentation remained the same, but the instructional media varied (overheads on even months, animated PowerPoint on odd months). Students completed a posttest and subjective evaluation immediately following the lecture and repeated the posttest 1 year later. Unpaired t tests were used to compare the 2 groups.Results: There were no significant differences between the groups on any parameter.Conclusions: In this study, students rated both types of presentation equally and displayed no differences in short- or long-term retention of material.