PowerPoint Presentation Handouts and College Student Learning Outcomes

This investigation sought to determine if supplementing lectures using Microsoft PowerPoint slides with handouts of the slides enhanced test-taking performance in an undergraduate Human Development course. In the first study, one section of the course (N=50) was given handouts for one exam and a final; the other (N=50) received handouts only for the final. No significant differences in test performance occurred across sections. The second study, conducted the following semester for two sections of the same course, assessed whether the receipt of PowerPoint handouts was moderated by learning styles. Learning styles were not predictive of improved test performance as a function of receipt of handouts. These results question the efficacy of presentation software handouts for student learning outcomes. Author\u27s Web Sit