The Point of PowerPoint in SophLit
Method
3. Data Collection and Assessment
In order to test the effect of the visual image through PowerPoint, all students were given two-part quizzes which contained a list of five affective questions (Likert-scale response, ranging from Strongly Agree to Strongly Disagree) followed by five cognitive questions (multiple-choice) that addressed the content of the assigned reading. These quizzes were administered at the beginning of the next class meeting after the PPT was shown. They were designed to measure the students' sense of comprehension and satisfaction. We expected that each "PPT" class would have higher scores than its corresponding "non-PPT" class.
These same five affective questions ("This material makes sense to me," etc.) were used for every PowerPoint presentation in both courses. The cognitive (content) questions differed for each literary work, of course. Following is a sample survey/quiz:
Quiz: Early 17th Century
Readers experience and think about texts in a variety of ways. Please respond to the following questions, and circle the answer that corresponds to your level of agreement: SA=I strongly agree, A=I somewhat agree, N=I am neither agreeing nor disagreeing, D=I somewhat disagree, and SD=I strongly disagree.
1. This material makes sense to me. |
SA A N D SD |
2. This material is easier to comprehend than I first thought. |
SA A N D SD |
3. The way this material was introduced enhanced my learning. |
SA A N D SD |
4. I feel satisfied with the introduction and presentation of this material. |
SA A N D SD |
5. I understood this material better than in other classes where textual material is introduced and assigned. |
SA A N D SD |
Place the letter of the correct answer in the blank:
_____6. John Donne was dean of
?nbsp; A. Canterbury Cathedral B. Westminster Abbey C. St. Patrick's
D. Notre Dame Cathedral E. None of these
_____7. John Donne was born into which of the following religious groups?
A. Lutheran B. Church of England C. Roman Catholic
D. Puritan E. None of these
_____8. John Donne was married to
A. Mary B. Louise C. Ann D. Katherine E. None of these
_____9. Which monarch desired Donne to become a minister?
A. Elizabeth I B. James I C. Charles I D. Charles II E. None of these
_____10. Which poet wrote, "Gather ye rosebuds while ye may"?
A. John Donne B. Shakespeare C. John Milton
D.Robert Herrick E.None of these
Dr. Tim Coburn, our
university statistician, assisted
us in evaluating and analyzing the data
we collected. With our students'
names and university identification
numbers, he was able to collect other
information from the university's
database: college, degree, major, class,
age, ethnicity, SAT/ACT scores,
and high school GPA's, when available. We
supplied him with the following
information: exam grades for each student,
survey responses and quiz scores
for each student, and at the end of the
semester, a list of all students
who had either dropped or failed the course.
Mimi had no failing students.
Jana had two who failed because of poor attendance.
Their quiz scores were
omitted from our data when we determined that their
absences had
invalidated their responses. For most of the PPT presentations,
they were
absent either on the day the presentation was shown or on the
day it was
assessed with a quiz.
As with any study, there are limitations. A
PPT class and a non-PPT class
can't be made exactly comparable. We were
able to control for classroom
environment, equipment, reading assignments,
teacher, quizzes, and lecture
content. Our student population was
comparable in age, ethnicity, and academic
and social background. There
were only a few nontraditional students and
even fewer international
students.
We could not control for the time of day, of course,
without cloning the
teachers. Jana's classes in fall 1998 met at 8:00 and
9:00, and Mimi's met
at 9:30 and 1:30. Typically, 8:00 a.m. students are a
little groggy, and
1:30 students feel an after-lunch slump. We doubt that
it skewed the results.
Among covariables we want to investigate
next time are learning styles and
gender.
Method: 1. Overview 4. Data Collection, Assessment |