The Effectiveness of Microsoft PowerPoint in Enhancing Student Learning and Presentation Skills

Abstract

In the realm of formal education, a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation has become one of the most popular teaching technologies. In this paper the author summarizes empirical evidence of its effectiveness in improving cognitive learning outcomes and oral presentation skills for students. The review suggests that there is no consistent effect on cognitive learning across all studies when PowerPoint is used as an additional lecture medium compared to traditional instruction (Hedges’ g = 0.067). Positive effects are more likely to be observed for K–12 than university students. Student-made PowerPoint presentations, on the other hand, demonstrate more benefits for the organization of knowledge, visual literacy, and verbal fluency and self-reported improvement in presentation competences, though an overreliance on slides may sometimes lower verbal fluency and engagement of the audience. The author has found that cognitive-load theory and the principles of multimedia-learning can account for the positive and the reported negative aspects of poorly designed slides. The paper highlights the need for continued research on the transfer of presentation skills acquired in the context of PowerPoint based assignments and for studies to focus on examination of the design features and pedagogical integration instead of on comparing the presence of absence of the PowerPoint-based assignment. Suggestions for teachers and course developers are provided.