Do PowerPoint Handouts Improve Student Learning?

Instructors who use PowerPoint as a presentation tool often use the software to create handouts, which replicate the content on the PowerPoint slides and include space for taking notes. Such handouts are popular with students, who often request them of faculty, pointing out that the handouts relieve them of the need to write down all the information that is displayed on the slides, thus leaving them better able to listen to the lecture and to take notes on any information not included on the slides. Students often argue, furthermore, that such handouts can help them organize and learn the material presented during the class session.

A study conducted recently at the University of Wisconsin, Green Bay challenges the idea that PowerPoint handouts improve student learning, as measured by student performance on exams (Noppe, et al. 2007). In a two-section course in Human Development, students from one section were given handouts at the beginning of each class during the last two thirds of the course (during the weeks covering material on which they were tested on the last two of three scheduled exams); students from the other section were given handouts only during the period preceding the third, or final, exam. In each case, the handouts duplicated the material presented on PowerPoint slides. They were prepared in the standard two-column format offered on PowerPoint, with the slides duplicated in the left-hand column and lines for note-taking in the right-hand column (3 slides per page). The content of each slide varied, but in general the slides for each class outlined the material presented in each class session, defined key terms, and provided details about relevant empirical studies. Both lecture and discussion were employed to elaborate on the information that appeared on the slides and on the handouts. The study was repeated in the same course during the following spring semester; in this second part of the study, however, researchers also investigated whether handouts would enhance or reduce the learning of students identified as preferring specific learning styles.

The principal results of the study were the following:

• The first part of the study found no appreciable difference in test scores earned by students who did have the handouts when compared with the scores of those who did not.

• The second part of the study again showed no appreciable difference in test scores between students who had the handouts and those who did not. It also showed that the students’ learning styles had no discernible effect on whether or not the handouts enhanced or reduced their learning.

An accompanying survey of the students who participated in the study, along with data from the course evaluations, provide insights into these results.

• For example, while instructors who provide PowerPoint handouts in the format described above often assume that students will take notes on the handouts and explicitly encourage students to do so, only 39% of the students in the study reported that they frequently added supplementary notes to the handouts. Nevertheless, 79% reported using the handouts to study for the final exam. Most students therefore appear to have assumed that the information on the handouts (and on the slides) was complete. This effect has been cited as a more general problem with PowerPoint: the audience perceives whatever is listed on the slides as the important information and perceives any other information as extraneous (Adams, 2006).

• During the first part of the study, students who received the handouts for two of the three exams reported on end-of-semester course evaluations a higher level of satisfaction with the course as a whole than did students who received the handouts only for the third exam. Furthermore, the students who participated in this study reported that they believed the handouts helped them learn. Despite these positive responses, however, the study found no correlation between a belief that the handouts improved learning and higher test scores.

• While most students expressed positive reactions overall toward the handouts, many pointed out negative effects of the handouts. Some students reported, for example, that the instructor tended to speed up when handouts were used, leaving less time for understanding the material and for taking notes. Others described the format of the handouts as limiting, either because the font was too small or the information was not presented in an outline format. Some students reported that having the handouts made them more apt to think about other things during class. This observation corresponded with the instructor’s observation that student involvement in the class decreased after handouts were distributed.

This study suggests that PowerPoint handouts may reinforce the often discussed drawbacks of PowerPoint itself. Further studies remain to be done to investigate whether handouts can improve student learning when they are distributed at the end of class or online, after the class has concluded.

Instructors who distribute handouts with PowerPoint should carefully consider the preparation and use of those handouts. Consider these suggestions, provided by The Teaching Center:

• Design the handouts yourself, rather than using the automatic formatting option included with PowerPoint. Make the format and content of the handouts distinctive from the slides. For example, prepare the handouts in the form of an outline or set of questions that will help students understand the relationships among the pieces of information or ideas that you present in class.

• At the beginning of the course and throughout the semester, communicate to students the importance of taking notes and help them develop successful note-taking skills. You might show the class, for example, how you would annotate a handout if you were taking notes during a given class session.

• Allow students time to take effective notes and to think about what they are learning. Using PowerPoint and distributing handouts can free-up time that you would have otherwise spent writing on the chalkboard. However, keep in mind that students often cannot write as fast as you are speaking and need time to think about what they are learning.

• To help your students understand and identify the most significant parts of your lecture and to take notes effectively, pause at 15-20 minute intervals to ask them questions that require them to look back to the notes they have taken. This process may lead them to add supplementary notes that emphasize or clarify material you presented earlier. See the Teaching Center’s Teaching with Lectures for additional ideas.

• When you are using PowerPoint slides and handouts, you may inadvertently not only speed up your pace, but also adopt a less engaged presentation style. Guard against this effect by maintaining your passion for what you are presenting and by increasing opportunities for student participation. See The Teaching Center’s Improving Presentation Style.

The study by Noppe, et al. provides a rationale to give students if you decide NOT to give them the PowerPoint handouts they request. When students request such handouts, moreover, you might consider whether the way in which you are using PowerPoint makes it difficult for students to take notes (or whether they are simply looking for a way to avoid taking notes). PowerPoint slides and handouts offer convenient tools for distributing information. However, as with any such tools, it is essential to think carefully about how you will use them and to help students understand, organize, apply, and evaluate the information you distribute.

References

Adams, C. (2006). PowerPoint, habits of mind, and classroom culture [Electronic version]. Journal of Curriculum Studies, 38, 389-411.

Noppe, I., Achterberg, J. Duquaine, L., Huebbe, M., and Williams, C. (2007). PowerPoint presentation handouts and college learning outcomes. International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, 1(1). Retrieved September 7, 2007, from http://www.georgiasouthern.edu/ijsotl/v1n1/noppe/IJ_Noppe.pdf