The evil reign of PowerPoint Lectures

[agoodusername]

Maybe I'm the only one, but this is bothering me enough to ask:

Does anyone else feel like their nursing education has been hijacked by Microsoft PowerPoint?

I feel like I sit in all of my senior lectures and am fed notes-page after notes-page of fill-in-the-blank format PowerPoint-ed information. My brain isn't required to think about anything besides listening at the moment when my professor says the next "blank," so that I can quickly fill it in and get back to la-la land. If the notes are handed to me/e-mailed to me before class and all that I am doing is filling in the blanks and listening to the professor READ, yes READ exactly what is on the page before me for two straight hours...what is the point?! I usually end up teaching myself all of the info for tests/practice, and although I'm doing well on exams...I feel like I'm paying A LOT of money to teach myself nursing.

I used to think that I was studying at a very reputable nursing school, and everywhere I have worked -- in clinical, externships and all healthcare fields in the area -- I've heard nothing but positive feedback about the nurses that come out of my program. But most days, I feel like I'm back in junior-high before I learned how to take notes (even in high school it wasn't this bad)....or even worse, bored in church, filling in preacher-made outlines just to pass the time.

This is just silliness and I'm not sure what to do about it. Anyone experience similar brain-numbing, bored-out-of-your-mind fill in the blank lectures??

[Penguin67]

As a nursing instructor, I know the ins and outs of making a power point lecture all too well. I've found that one big issue is NOT to put everything on the power point slide. Give the high points, give the hard terms, give illustrations that help students to udnerstand the main points, etc... However, you can't simply read from the slides and expect the students to flock to your class for that. You kind of have to be a cheerleader for your content and make them want to listen and learn what you are lecturing about. I teach women's health and pathphysiology and really don't have an attendance problem. I add short patient stories that illustrate the point so that students have something concrete to relate it to, and try to involve them in the class.

I went to nursing school when everyone was using the technology of overheads. They handwrote in marker on teh overhead (and often the writing wasn't all that great to begin with) and flipped the overheads pretty fast.What you didn't write, you probably missed. Hated that teaching strategy with a passion. Therefore, I lvoe power point, as my students can print out the slides in whatever format they want or not. I can update a lecture right before I post it on their website, which is nice for an instructor. But, I know of instructors who aren't very skilled with power point and they use standardized slides that come with textbooks and the students hate it because it doesnt' always flow with the lecture they are doing.

I would suggest writing constructive comments on your instructor's evaluation. Tell them what they are doing isn't helping you to learn and suggest ways to present the content that would help you to learn.

[AOx1]

As an instructor, I have noticed that no matter what you do, someone won't like it, and will complain. I welcome constructive criticism, but not whining. The difference is that one voices a concern and offers potential solutions, and the other just points to a problem without being part of the solution.

Open communication is key, and probably the only way we will ever get away from an "us vs. them" mentality. Students should think creatively and offer solutions and alternatives for ways in which they might like to learn. Instructors, in turn, should be open to suggestion and willing to always explore new means of reaching a variety of students. I am constantly researching new ways of teaching to engage students, reading research studies about teaching methods, and buying books (at my own expense) to ensure that I provide the best learning environment possible for students.

When I give feedback to students, I try to point out all the things they are doing well, and any opportunities for improvement. I would never call a student lazy. It's an insult and shuts down communication. Yet this same behavior is often accepted without question when directed at an instructor. I like to assume the best about people until proven otherwise. If a student is sitting around at clinicals, I give them direction and attempt to help them engage instead of assuming they are just lazy. If the behavior continues, it requires further correction, but never assume that someone is just lazy; they may be too new to even know where to start.

I see only one poster who mentions that instructors may not have ever received training on how to engage a class. There is a learning curve in education as well, and you are expected to not only be a clinical expert, but an expert educator. Certainly there are both students and faculty who are indeed looking for the easy way out, but from experience, this is a small minority in both groups. If you really want to see a difference, encourage your state legislators to properly fund advanced nursing education. Better yet, consider a career in nursing education yourself!

Finally, my entire focus is in engaging students through a variety of techniques. I post powerpoints, but class time is focused on case studies, real-life patient cases, assessment practice, application of skills, etc. There is NO reading of powerpoints or texts in my class. I will hit the main points, answer questions, and then expect the students to focus on application. Yet every semester, there is at least one student that writes on the evaluation "I don't understand why you won't just tell us the questions that will be on the test."

every.....single.....semester

My point is that you can help make a difference. Suggest activities that would better meet your learning needs. Most of us DO listen. And if you have an instructor that won't listen, meet with your peers to study in a manner that best suits your learning needs.

[sparky99]

Ahhhh, PP! I've done college both bpp and wpp, and remember my bemusement when I realized that all my A&P lectures were going to use PPs. I finally decided I like them but can see how they could easily be abused by faculty. Going from blank to blank means that I'm "listening with my eyes" and actually helps me stay awake, but I think of PP as the "skeleton" of the material that I know I'll have to "flesh out" on my own time.

Two of my favorite soapboxes are the need for people to be aware of the learning styles and what works for you individually, and the need for schools to teach critical thinking in some fashion from kindergarden on up. PP works well for some kinds of material, but I'm a bit worried about what will happen when we get to the part of Nursing Program that requires critical thinking.

What seems to work for me is 1) lecture time with PP, 2) read chapter at home and highlight as I feel the need, 3) rewrite the PP outline with paragraphs using complete sentences, 4) type my paragraphs previously mentioned, and 5) draw poster size pictures/maps of the body system under discussion. (I'm not much of an artist, so my hallway looks like Fright Gallery ) I'm just mentioning these things to remind myself that I actually do have a strategy and because I'd love to hear from other students about what works for you.