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The turning point: Why we must transform education now

Global warming. Accelerated digital revolution. Growing inequalities. Democratic backsliding. Loss of biodiversity. Devastating pandemics. And the list goes on. These are just some of the most pressing challenges that we are facing today in our interconnected world.

The diagnosis is clear: Our current global education system is failing to address these alarming challenges and provide quality learning for everyone throughout life. We know that education today is not fulfilling its promise to help us shape peaceful, just, and sustainable societies. These findings were detailed in UNESCO’s Futures of Education Report in November 2021 which called for a new social contract for education.

That is why it has never been more crucial to reimagine the way we learn, what we learn and how we learn. The turning point is now. It’s time to transform education. How do we make that happen?

Here’s what you need to know. 

Why do we need to transform education?

The current state of the world calls for a major transformation in education to repair past injustices and enhance our capacity to act together for a more sustainable and just future. We must ensure the right to lifelong learning by providing all learners - of all ages in all contexts - the knowledge and skills they need to realize their full potential and live with dignity. Education can no longer be limited to a single period of one’s lifetime. Everyone, starting with the most marginalized and disadvantaged in our societies, must be entitled to learning opportunities throughout life both for employment and personal agency. A new social contract for education must unite us around collective endeavours and provide the knowledge and innovation needed to shape a better world anchored in social, economic, and environmental justice.  

What are the key areas that need to be transformed?

• Inclusive, equitable, safe and healthy schools

Education is in crisis. High rates of poverty, exclusion and gender inequality continue to hold millions back from learning. Moreover, COVID-19 further exposed the inequities in education access and quality, and violence, armed conflict, disasters and reversal of women’s rights have increased insecurity. Inclusive, transformative education must ensure that all learners have unhindered access to and participation in education, that they are safe and healthy, free from violence and discrimination, and are supported with comprehensive care services within school settings. Transforming education requires a significant increase in investment in quality education, a strong foundation in comprehensive early childhood development and education, and must be underpinned by strong political commitment, sound planning, and a robust evidence base.

• Learning and skills for life, work and sustainable development

There is a crisis in foundational learning, of literacy and numeracy skills among young learners. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, learning poverty has increased by a third in low- and middle-income countries, with an estimated 70% of 10-year-olds unable to understand a simple written text. Children with disabilities are 42% less likely to have foundational reading and numeracy skills compared to their peers. More than 771 million people still lack basic literacy skills, two-thirds of whom are women. Transforming education means empowering learners with knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to be resilient, adaptable and prepared for the uncertain future while contributing to human and planetary well-being and sustainable development. To do so, there must be emphasis on foundational learning for basic literacy and numeracy; education for sustainable development, which encompasses environmental and climate change education; and skills for employment and entrepreneurship.

• Teachers, teaching and the teaching profession

Teachers are essential for achieving learning outcomes, and for achieving SDG 4 and the transformation of education. But teachers and education personnel are confronted by four major challenges: Teacher shortages; lack of professional development opportunities; low status and working conditions; and lack of capacity to develop teacher leadership, autonomy and innovation. Accelerating progress toward SDG 4 and transforming education require that there is an adequate number of teachers to meet learners’ needs, and all education personnel are trained, motivated, and supported. This can only be possible when education is adequately funded, and policies recognize and support the teaching profession, to improve their status and working conditions.

• Digital learning and transformation

The COVID-19 crisis drove unprecedented innovations in remote learning through harnessing digital technologies. At the same time, the digital divide excluded many from learning, with nearly one-third of school-age children (463 million) without access to distance learning. These inequities in access meant some groups, such as young women and girls, were left out of learning opportunities. Digital transformation requires harnessing technology as part of larger systemic efforts to transform education, making it more inclusive, equitable, effective, relevant, and sustainable. Investments and action in digital learning should be guided by the three core principles: Center the most marginalized; Free, high-quality digital education content; and Pedagogical innovation and change.

• Financing of education

While global education spending has grown overall, it has been thwarted by high population growth, the surmounting costs of managing education during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the diversion of aid to other emergencies, leaving a massive global education financial gap amounting to US$ 148 billion annually. In this context, the first step toward transformation is to urge funders to redirect resources back to education to close the funding gap. Following that, countries must have significantly increased and sustainable financing for achieving SDG 4 and that these resources must be equitably and effectively allocated and monitored. Addressing the gaps in education financing requires policy actions in three key areas: Mobilizing more resources, especially domestic; increasing efficiency and equity of allocations and expenditures; and improving education financing data. Finally, determining which areas needs to be financed, and how, will be informed by recommendations from each of the other four action tracks .

What is the Transforming Education Summit?

UNESCO is hosting the Transforming Education Pre-Summit on 28-30 June 2022, a meeting of  over 140 Ministers of Education, as well as  policy and business leaders and youth activists, who are coming together to build a roadmap to transform education globally. This meeting is a precursor to the Transforming Education Summit to be held on 19 September 2022 at the UN General Assembly in New York. This high-level summit is convened by the UN Secretary General to radically change our approach to education systems. Focusing on 5 key areas of transformation, the meeting seeks to mobilize political ambition, action, solutions and solidarity to transform education: to take stock of efforts to recover pandemic-related learning losses; to reimagine education systems for the world of today and tomorrow; and to revitalize national and global efforts to achieve SDG-4.

• More on the Transforming Education Summit
• More on the Pre-Summit

Related items

• Future of education
• SDG: SDG 4 - Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

This article is related to the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals .

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Does PowerPoint Improve Student Learning?

The Rationality of Science

PowerPoint is used in countless classrooms. For many teachers and instructors, PowerPoint is a staple in their programs. Electronic presentation software—most notably PowerPoint—has had a big impact on education. I use PowerPoint and other strategies when teaching. There are advocates and critics of PowerPoint. With the use of PowerPoint being so prevalent, it is important to consider what qualities make it a strong educational tool. Informal and formal surveys indicate most students report that they prefer PowerPoint to more traditional classroom lectures that include whiteboard methods, overhead transparencies, handouts, and writing on the chalkboard. Does the preference for PowerPoint mean teachers should rely mostly on PowerPoint for teaching? Does the use of PowerPoint have a positive impact on student learning?

We can ask instructors their opinions on electronic presentation software and come up with a range of answers. The answers can be used to form questions and help in guiding future research. However, the answers shouldn’t be categorized as evidence. The instructors are all subject to conscious and unconscious biases. There are many uncontrolled factors occurring during the learning process, so attributing an outcome to a single factor is problematic. Let’s look at what science says about PowerPoint and learning.

The Science Says

A meta-analysis (which combines the results of similar studies) of forty-eight studies was conducted to determine if students learn more when taught the same information using PowerPoint compared to a more traditional instruction (Baker et al. 2018). Results showed that on average, there was no difference in students’ learning based on the type of instruction they received. However, K-12 students’ learning increased with PowerPoint instruction, but this effect did not occur for college students. The researchers concluded focus shouldn’t be on strictly comparing the absence or presence of PowerPoint but should be focused on how instructors can use features of PowerPoint to improve student learning.  

Some researchers suggest that using PowerPoint can affect subjective student perceptions of learning; they may report they learned more even when testing shows they didn’t. Apperson et al. (2006) collected data from college students in ten different classes across four academic areas. Courses were taught using the chalkboard and transparencies one semester and the same course using PowerPoint the following semester. The same textbook, exams, and lecture materials were presented for both semesters. Students taking PowerPoint courses are more likely to report better focus on course content, report the instructor did a good job at keeping their attention and that PowerPoint improves student learning. Overall, they rated the instructor more positively and were likely to say they would take another course from the same instructor. Students felt that the class was better and more beneficial overall, but there was no significant difference in average grades between those taking PowerPoint and non-PowerPoint classes.

In another study, researchers compared learning between psychology students in classes using either overhead transparencies or PowerPoint (Susskind 2008) The instructor taught one class using a traditional lecture format that included overhead transparencies; the other class was taught using computerized PowerPoint. Researchers found no difference in exam scores based on whether the information was presented on overhead transparencies or PowerPoint. However, students preferred the PowerPoint class; they reported the instructor was more effective, that they took better notes, and the material was easier to understand. It is common for students to feel like they have learned more and enjoy the course more when using PowerPoint even if their grades do not reflect this.

In another study, three methods of instruction in addition to lecture were compared: chalkboard and lecture, overhead transparencies and lecture, presentation software and lecture (Beets and Lobinger 2001). The same content was presented in each course and presented by the same instructor. The results indicated no significant difference in quiz or exam scores. However, in a survey conducted at the end of the course, students reported they preferred the presentation software. Most research shows nonsignificant differences in learning between those being exposed to PowerPoint and those using more traditional methods. However, there is some research showing slight differences in scores between students who are taught with PowerPoint versus other methods of teaching.

In one study, researchers examined the effect of using different visual and auditory features of the software presentation on student learning. Students were exposed to overhead transparencies, PowerPoint slides containing only text, and PowerPoint slides that included pictures, sound effects, and variations in text characteristics (Bartsch and Cobern 2003). The results indicated there was no difference between transparency and text-only PowerPoints, but students scored about 10 percent lower on quizzes assessing content presented with the elaborate PowerPoint slides. The findings from this study bring up an important topic not often discussed: PowerPoints vary in their design, and this variation can have effects on learning. Some PowerPoints may be designed in a manner that leads students to focus too much on graphics or other features that may take away from a focus on the main points.

Some studies have found positive effects associated with PowerPoint instruction. Erwin and Rieppi (2000) studied college students distributed over two sections each of abnormal psychology, statistics, and a development course. In one section of each course an instructor used PowerPoint and in the other section the instructor used non-PowerPoint (various modes with no restrictions on which technology was used were also taught). PowerPoint sections scored higher on the exams for all three classes. Critics point out this study consisted of methodology flaws: there was no standardization of content in the courses, course were taught by six different instructors who developed their own content, teachers were aware of the varying conditions (which could influence expectancy effects), and the PowerPoint sections included an interactive component that was not included with the non-PowerPoint sections. Any of these uncontrolled factors could influence the outcome. Other studies have also found small PowerPoint effects (positive impact of PowerPoint versus other modes), but critics are fast to point out the effects are usually small and the research methods are generally flawed.

Science says there is little difference between learning outcomes in those receiving PowerPoint instruction and those receiving other types of instruction. There is research showing positive and negative outcomes as a result of being exposed to PowerPoint. PowerPoints can be used alongside other modes of teaching.

PowerPoint Design

In general, students prefer PowerPoints to other modes of teaching, and they feel as if they are learning more; a positive experience for students is important. Positive experiences can lead to positive expectations, which can benefit students.

It is important to distinguish good from bad PowerPoints. Although standard rules for what makes a good PowerPoint or bad PowerPoint are lacking, there are some general guidelines that are recommended. Slides that contain key information should stand out; they could be bold or consist of a different font or a different graphic. Slides shouldn’t consist of too much information; bullet points work but the information doesn’t necessarily have to be presented as bullet points (information should be easy to read and not excessive). PowerPoints should present information that can relate to what the learner already knows; this allows strong memory connections.

How can learners make the best use of PowerPoint? If you have access to PowerPoint, review the PowerPoint ahead of time. A lot of instructors place the PowerPoints online, so printing the slides and bringing them to class is recommended. A big advantage of having a hard copy of the slides is you can take additional notes; you don’t have to spend all your time writing what is on the slides.

Research on the effectiveness of PowerPoint should continue to compare PowerPoint to different teaching strategies. Researchers should strive to develop standard guidelines for designing effective PowerPoints. Current research doesn’t often distinguish between good and bad design, and these differences are important to developing models that can maximize the benefits of PowerPoint.    

Apperson, J.M., et al. 2006. The impact of presentation graphics on students’ experience in the classroom. Computers and Education 47: 116–128.  

Baker, J.P. et al. 2018. Does teaching with PowerPoint increase students’ learning? A meta-analysis. Computers & Education 126: 376–387.

Bartsch, R.A., and K.M. Cobern. 2003. Effectiveness of PowerPoint presentations in lectures. Computers & Education 41: 77–86.   

Beets, S.D., and P.G. Lobinger. 2001. Pedagogical techniques: Student performance and preferences. Journal of Education for Business 76: 231–235.   

Erwin, T.D., and R. Rieppi. 2000. Comparing multimedia and traditional approaches in undergraduate psychology classes. Teaching of Psychology 26: 58–61.

Susskind, J.E. 2008. Limits of PowerPoint’s power: Enhancing students’ self-efficacy and attitudes but not their behavior. Computers & Education 50: 1228–1239.

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Home  /  News  /  Why Is Education Important? The Power Of An Educated Society

Why Is Education Important? The Power Of An Educated Society

Looking for an answer to the question of why is education important? We address this query with a focus on how education can transform society through the way we interact with our environment. 

Whether you are a student, a parent, or someone who values educational attainment, you may be wondering how education can provide quality life to a society beyond the obvious answer of acquiring knowledge and economic growth. Continue reading as we discuss the importance of education not just for individuals but for society as a whole. 

Harness the power of education to build a more sustainable modern society with a degree from  Unity Environmental University .

How Education Is Power: The Importance Of Education In Society

Why is education so important? Nelson Mandela famously said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” An educated society is better equipped to tackle the challenges that face modern America, including:

• Climate change
• Social justice
• Economic inequality

Education is not just about learning to read and do math operations. Of course, gaining knowledge and practical skills is part of it, but education is also about values and critical thinking. It’s about finding our place in society in a meaningful way. 

Environmental Stewardship

A  study from 2022 found that people who belong to an environmental stewardship organization, such as the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, are likely to have a higher education level than those who do not. This suggests that quality education can foster a sense of responsibility towards the environment.

With the effects of climate change becoming increasingly alarming, this particular importance of education is vital to the health, safety, and longevity of our society. Higher learning institutions can further encourage environmental stewardship by adopting a  framework of sustainability science .

The Economic Benefits Of Education

Higher education can lead to better job opportunities and higher income. On average, a  person with a bachelor’s degree will make $765,000 more  in their lifetime than someone with no degree. Even with the rising costs of tuition, investment in higher education pays off in the long run. In 2020, the return on investment (ROI) for a college degree was estimated to be  13.5% to 35.9% . 

Green jobs  like environmental science technicians and solar panel installers  have high demand projections for the next decade. Therefore, degrees that will prepare you for one of these careers will likely yield a high ROI. And, many of these jobs only require an  associate’s degree or certificate , which means lower overall education costs. 

Unity  helps students maximize their ROI with real-world experience in the field as an integral part of every degree program. 

10 Reasons Why School Is Important

Education is not just an individual pursuit but also a societal one.  In compiling these reasons, we focused on the question, “How does education benefit society?” Overall, higher education has the power to transform:

• Individuals’ sense of self
• Interpersonal relationships
• Social communities
• Professional communities

Cognitive Development

Neuroscience research  has proven that the brain is a muscle that can retain its neuroplasticity throughout life. However, like other muscles, it must receive continual exercise to remain strong. Higher education allows people of any age to improve their higher-level cognitive abilities like problem-solving and decision-making. This can make many parts of life feel more manageable and help society run smoothly. 

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence is key to workplace success.  Studies  show that people with emotional intelligence exhibit more:

• Self-awareness
• Willingness to try new things
• Innovative thinking
• Active listening
• Collaboration skills
• Problem-solving abilities

By attending higher education institutions that value these soft skills, students can improve their emotional intelligence as part of their career development in college.

Technological Literacy

Many careers in today’s job market use advanced technology. To prepare for these jobs, young people likely won’t have access to these technologies to practice on their own. That’s part of why so many STEM career paths require degrees. It’s essential to gain technical knowledge and skills through a certified program to safely use certain technologies. And, educated scientists are  more likely to make new technological discoveries .

Cultural Awareness

Education exposes individuals to different cultures and perspectives. Being around people who are different has the powerful ability to foster acceptance. Acceptance benefits society as a whole. It increases innovation and empathy. 

College also gives students an opportunity to practice feeling comfortable in situations where there are people of different races, genders, sexualities, and abilities. Students can gain an understanding of how to act respectfully among different types of people, which is an important skill for the workplace. This will only become more vital as our world continues to become more globalized.

Ethical and Moral Development

Another reason why school is important is that it promotes ethical and moral development. Many schools require students to take an ethics course in their general education curriculum. However, schools can also encourage character development throughout their programs by using effective pedagogical strategies including:

• Class debates and discussions
• Historical case studies
• Group projects

Unity’s distance learning programs  include an ethical decision-making class in our core curriculum. 

Ready To Learn More About Unity Environmental University?

Communication Skills

Effective written and verbal communication skills are key for personal and professional success. Higher education programs usually include at least one communication course in their general education requirements. Often the focus in these classes is on writing skills, but students can also use college as an opportunity to hone their presentation and public speaking skills. Courses such as  Multimedia Communication for Environmental Professionals  provide many opportunities for this. 

Civic Engagement

According to a  Gallup survey , people with higher education degrees are:

• More likely to participate in civic activities such as voting and volunteering
• Less likely to commit crimes
• More likely to get involved in their local communities

All these individual acts add up to make a big difference in society. An educated electorate is less likely to be swayed by unethical politicians and, instead, make choices that benefit themselves and their community. Because they are more involved, they are also more likely to hold elected officials accountable.

Financial Stability

The right degree can significantly expand your career opportunities and improve your long-term earning potential. Not all degrees provide the same level of financial stability, so it’s important to research expected salary offers after graduation and job demand outlook predictions for your desired field. Consider the return on investment for a degree from an affordable private school such as  Unity Environmental University .

Environmental Awareness

We have already discussed why education is important for environmental stewardship. Education can also lead to better environmental practices in the business world. By building empathy through character education and ethics courses, institutions can train future business leaders to emphasize human rights and sustainability over profits. All types and sizes of businesses can incorporate sustainable practices, but awareness of the issues and solutions is the first step.

Lifelong Learning

The reasons why education is important discussed so far focus on institutional education. However, education can happen anywhere. Attending a university that values all kinds of learning will set students up with the foundation to become lifelong learners.  Research  demonstrates that lifelong learners tend to be healthier and more fulfilled throughout their lives. When societies emphasize the importance of education, they can boost their overall prosperity.

The Role Of Unity Environmental University In Society

Environmentally conscious education is extremely valuable and should be accessible to all.   Unity Environmental University  offers tuition prices that are comparable to public universities, and financial aid is available to those who qualify. Courses last five weeks so that students can focus on only one class at a time. This ensures all learners are set up for academic success. 

Unity believes in supporting students holistically to maximize the power of education. This includes mental health services,  experiential learning opportunities , and  job placement assistance . Students in our  hybrid programs  can take classes at several field stations throughout Maine and enjoy the beautiful nature surrounding the campus for outdoor recreation.

Sustainable Initiatives

Some highlights from Unity Environmental University’s many sustainable initiatives:

• All programs include at least one sustainability learning outcome
• All research courses are focused on sustainability research
• Reduced building energy use by 25% across campus
• 100% of food waste is recycled into energy 
• Campus features a  net-zero LEED Platinum-certified classroom/office building

While many schools value sustainability, Unity stands out because  everything  we do is about sustainability. We also recognize our responsibility to model how a sustainable business can operate in a manner that’s fiscally viable and socially responsible.

Make An Impact At Unity Environmental University

While the phrase ‘education is power’ may sound cliche, it is also resoundingly true. Higher education has the power to transform individuals and societies. Unity Environmental University understands its power to make a positive impact on the world. That’s why we were the first university to divest from fossil fuels. 

This year, we celebrated our  largest incoming class ever , showing that students want an education system that aligns with their values. In addition to our commitment to sustainability, we offer flexibility to students with start dates all year round for our  online degree programs .

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How technology is reinventing education

Stanford Graduate School of Education Dean Dan Schwartz and other education scholars weigh in on what's next for some of the technology trends taking center stage in the classroom.

Image credit: Claire Scully

New advances in technology are upending education, from the recent debut of new artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots like ChatGPT to the growing accessibility of virtual-reality tools that expand the boundaries of the classroom. For educators, at the heart of it all is the hope that every learner gets an equal chance to develop the skills they need to succeed. But that promise is not without its pitfalls.

“Technology is a game-changer for education – it offers the prospect of universal access to high-quality learning experiences, and it creates fundamentally new ways of teaching,” said Dan Schwartz, dean of Stanford Graduate School of Education (GSE), who is also a professor of educational technology at the GSE and faculty director of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning . “But there are a lot of ways we teach that aren’t great, and a big fear with AI in particular is that we just get more efficient at teaching badly. This is a moment to pay attention, to do things differently.”

For K-12 schools, this year also marks the end of the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) funding program, which has provided pandemic recovery funds that many districts used to invest in educational software and systems. With these funds running out in September 2024, schools are trying to determine their best use of technology as they face the prospect of diminishing resources.

Here, Schwartz and other Stanford education scholars weigh in on some of the technology trends taking center stage in the classroom this year.

AI in the classroom

In 2023, the big story in technology and education was generative AI, following the introduction of ChatGPT and other chatbots that produce text seemingly written by a human in response to a question or prompt. Educators immediately worried that students would use the chatbot to cheat by trying to pass its writing off as their own. As schools move to adopt policies around students’ use of the tool, many are also beginning to explore potential opportunities – for example, to generate reading assignments or coach students during the writing process.

AI can also help automate tasks like grading and lesson planning, freeing teachers to do the human work that drew them into the profession in the first place, said Victor Lee, an associate professor at the GSE and faculty lead for the AI + Education initiative at the Stanford Accelerator for Learning. “I’m heartened to see some movement toward creating AI tools that make teachers’ lives better – not to replace them, but to give them the time to do the work that only teachers are able to do,” he said. “I hope to see more on that front.”

He also emphasized the need to teach students now to begin questioning and critiquing the development and use of AI. “AI is not going away,” said Lee, who is also director of CRAFT (Classroom-Ready Resources about AI for Teaching), which provides free resources to help teach AI literacy to high school students across subject areas. “We need to teach students how to understand and think critically about this technology.”

Immersive environments

The use of immersive technologies like augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality is also expected to surge in the classroom, especially as new high-profile devices integrating these realities hit the marketplace in 2024.

The educational possibilities now go beyond putting on a headset and experiencing life in a distant location. With new technologies, students can create their own local interactive 360-degree scenarios, using just a cell phone or inexpensive camera and simple online tools.

“This is an area that’s really going to explode over the next couple of years,” said Kristen Pilner Blair, director of research for the Digital Learning initiative at the Stanford Accelerator for Learning, which runs a program exploring the use of virtual field trips to promote learning. “Students can learn about the effects of climate change, say, by virtually experiencing the impact on a particular environment. But they can also become creators, documenting and sharing immersive media that shows the effects where they live.”

Integrating AI into virtual simulations could also soon take the experience to another level, Schwartz said. “If your VR experience brings me to a redwood tree, you could have a window pop up that allows me to ask questions about the tree, and AI can deliver the answers.”

Gamification

Another trend expected to intensify this year is the gamification of learning activities, often featuring dynamic videos with interactive elements to engage and hold students’ attention.

“Gamification is a good motivator, because one key aspect is reward, which is very powerful,” said Schwartz. The downside? Rewards are specific to the activity at hand, which may not extend to learning more generally. “If I get rewarded for doing math in a space-age video game, it doesn’t mean I’m going to be motivated to do math anywhere else.”

Gamification sometimes tries to make “chocolate-covered broccoli,” Schwartz said, by adding art and rewards to make speeded response tasks involving single-answer, factual questions more fun. He hopes to see more creative play patterns that give students points for rethinking an approach or adapting their strategy, rather than only rewarding them for quickly producing a correct response.

Data-gathering and analysis

The growing use of technology in schools is producing massive amounts of data on students’ activities in the classroom and online. “We’re now able to capture moment-to-moment data, every keystroke a kid makes,” said Schwartz – data that can reveal areas of struggle and different learning opportunities, from solving a math problem to approaching a writing assignment.

But outside of research settings, he said, that type of granular data – now owned by tech companies – is more likely used to refine the design of the software than to provide teachers with actionable information.

The promise of personalized learning is being able to generate content aligned with students’ interests and skill levels, and making lessons more accessible for multilingual learners and students with disabilities. Realizing that promise requires that educators can make sense of the data that’s being collected, said Schwartz – and while advances in AI are making it easier to identify patterns and findings, the data also needs to be in a system and form educators can access and analyze for decision-making. Developing a usable infrastructure for that data, Schwartz said, is an important next step.

With the accumulation of student data comes privacy concerns: How is the data being collected? Are there regulations or guidelines around its use in decision-making? What steps are being taken to prevent unauthorized access? In 2023 K-12 schools experienced a rise in cyberattacks, underscoring the need to implement strong systems to safeguard student data.

Technology is “requiring people to check their assumptions about education,” said Schwartz, noting that AI in particular is very efficient at replicating biases and automating the way things have been done in the past, including poor models of instruction. “But it’s also opening up new possibilities for students producing material, and for being able to identify children who are not average so we can customize toward them. It’s an opportunity to think of entirely new ways of teaching – this is the path I hope to see.”

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PowerPoint Presentation Technology and the Dynamics of Teaching

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• Published: 02 August 2006
• Volume 31 , pages 147–160, ( 2006 )

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This article presents a wide-ranging analysis of the use of PowerPoint technology in higher education. It addresses four overlapping issues. Has PowerPoint led to more effective learning? What impact has PowerPoint had on the dynamics of classrooms? What are some important aspects of the culture that accompanies PowerPoint? How has PowerPoint affected orality, visuality and literacy? The purpose of our article is to stimulate beneficial conversations about a prevalent educational software technology.

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Patterns of PowerPoint Use in Higher Education: a Comparison between the Natural, Medical, and Social Sciences

David Chávez Herting, Ramón Cladellas Pros & Antoni Castelló Tarrida

Next Steps: Toward a Relational Mode of Thinking for Educational Technology

A Synoptic View

Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.

This article focuses on PowerPoint, a powerful and ubiquitous communications technology and aid to teaching and business presentations. In 2002, it was estimated that more than 400 million copies of PowerPoint were in circulation and that “somewhere between 20 and 30 million PowerPoint-based presentations are given around the globe each day” (Simons, 2005 ). Those numbers seem likely to have grown exponentially since then. Indeed, Parker ( 2001 ) alleged that to “appear at a meeting without PowerPoint would be unwelcome and vaguely pretentious, like wearing no shoes” (pdf version, p. 2). Further, the use of PowerPoint is so widespread in higher education institutions that for a faculty member to refrain from using PowerPoint is “sometimes seen as a mark of seniority and privilege, like egg on one’s tie” (Parker, 2001 , p. 6, citing a conversation with Stanford University Professor Clifford Nass).

PowerPoint has a dubious reputation. It has been described as “the Viagra of the spoken word ... [and] a wonder pill for flabby lectures” (van Jole, 2000 ); and as something that “... turns clear thinking adults into addled-headed boobs” (Shwom & Keller, 2003 , p. 3). But, if PowerPoint is a drug, Tufte ( 2003a ) argued it ought to be subject to a worldwide product recall, for it had “frequent, serious side effects: it induced stupidity, turned everyone into bores, wasted time, and downgraded the quality and credibility of communication” (para. 1).

PowerPoint technology has become a punching bag that Parker ( 2001 ) alleged has turned its users “into bullet-point dandies” (p. 1). It has been criticized for elevating form over content (Tufte, 2003a , b ); assigned part of the cause for “a general decline in public speaking” (Nunberg, 1999 , p. 330); denounced by academics and by CEOs ... for causing detrimental effects on “dialogue, interaction, and thoughtful consideration of ideas” (Cyphert, 2004 , p. 80); bemoaned as a facilitator of presentations that are “often tediously long and more annoying than Microsoft’s animated paperclip” (Goldkorn, 2004 , para. 4); and accused of “replacing clear thought with unnecessary animations, serious ideas with ten-word bullet points, substance with tacky, confusing style” (Coursey, 2003 , para. 2). Although PowerPoint promises much in terms of delivering content efficiently and offering attractive and dynamic presentations, some critics, such as Stewart ( 2001 ), allege that a frequent outcome is a vacuous monotony.

The preceding critical characterizations of PowerPoint might give the misleading impression that we are about to engage in a harangue of the type: “PowerPoint bad ... non-PowerPoint good.” However, such is not the case. We simply want to go beyond the content of the usual clichéd fare of literature on PowerPoint. This is preponderantly of three major types. First, is the literature which provides technical advice on how to prepare PowerPoint presentations (e.g., Coursey, 2003 ; Jones, 2003 ; Shwom & Keller, 2003 ). Second, is literature which outlines the advantages and disadvantages of PowerPoint. Much of this is in the form of PowerPoint presentations that are accessible through keyword search using Google , such as Bostock ( 2005 )—although some appears in scholarly journals such as Jones ( 2003 ). Third, is literature which takes a titillating swipe at the ostensible evils of PowerPoint or provides an unapologetically jaundiced account of its unsurpassable virtues (e.g., Nunberg, 1999 ; Stewart, 2001 ).

It is our intent to delve more deeply into four matters that deserve reflecting upon by educators and business seminar presenters. We seek to highlight some subtle but important issues that accompany the PowerPoint phenomenon. In doing so, we invoke a wide range of scholarly literature drawn from a variety of disciplines and an array of business periodicals and website newsletters. We address four overlapping issues. First, we review scholarly literature that examines the effectiveness of PowerPoint. Second, we explore how PowerPoint presentations affect the dynamics of pedagogical settings and the general relationship between presenter and presentees. Third, we analyse important aspects of the culture that attaches to PowerPoint technology. Finally, we explore PowerPoint-related issues of visuality, orality and literacy.

This article does not offer a broadly conceived exploration of McLuhan's thesis that “the medium is the message” (McLuhan & Fiore, 1967 ). We do not dwell upon Innis's ( 1991 ) ideas regarding the social nature of new technologies or upon semiotics in order to conceive PowerPoint as another dominating, socially forceful technological mediator of teaching. Although we do not focus on cataloguing how to design more effective PowerPoint slides, we draw attention to the failure of many PowerPoint presenters to ignore fundamental rhetorical principles; and we offer some advice on that matter. We do not engage in what Shwom and Keller ( 2003 ) referred to as “victimology”; that is, to make “PowerPoint the villain that oppresses its users, and almost by default absolve the presenter from taking any personal responsibility for providing significant content and communicating that content clearly” (p.15).

In the past three decades there has been a decisive shift in the media that have been used to communicate messages in educational settings. We have gone from the era of “chalk-and-talk” and occasional flip-charts to overhead transparencies and to PowerPoint slides. And, consistent with Warnick ( 2002 ), we feel it is important to recognize that any “new forms of communicating call for new ways of thinking about communication processes” (p. 264). However, it is important, as well, that we do not become “zealous ... one-eyed prophets who see only what new technologies can do and are incapable of imagining what they will undo ” [italics in original] and that we offer “a dissenting voice ... to moderate the din made by the enthusiastic [technophile] multitudes” (Postman, 1993 , p. 5).

In a sense, we are somewhat akin to Postman's “technological resistance fighter [who] maintains an epistemological and psychic distance from any technology, so that it always appears somewhat strange, never inevitable, never natural” (Postman, 1993 , pp.183–185). We are mindful of the implicit, perhaps largely unnoticed, alteration in “human attention-structures” (Lanham, 1993 ) that pervasive new technologies such as PowerPoint (and its allied information technology and Internet paraphernalia) bring with them. And, of course, as academics we are alert to our obligation to be “disturbers of the peace” (Passmore, 1967 , p. 203) and to “be somewhat reflexive about [our] use of tools, and thus not sound like Microsoft advertising executives” (Rose, 2004 , p. 797).

Our discussion is directed to providing a much-needed tempering of the widespread enthusiasm and excitement for PowerPoint while avoiding a seemingly reflexive anti-technology reaction. We seek to engender a clearer appreciation of whether PowerPoint is a beneficial and efficient educational medium by heightening awareness that the technology of PowerPoint is not an “unparalleled conduit of pedagogically related excellence” and that we need an alternative “‘attention structure’ that does not reify” PowerPoint (Amernic & Craig, 1999 , p. 437).

Is PowerPoint Effective?

In this section we review the limited empirical evidence on whether or not PowerPoint presentations are effective in enriching student learning. However, we refrain from consideration of such core ideas as critical thinking (Nelson, 1994 ), the university's role in the communication of imagination (Whitehead, 1957/[1929] , p. 97), and learning paradigms for undergraduate education (Barr & Tagg, 1995 ). It seems important to review the effectiveness of PowerPoint given its widespread and largely uncritical acceptance, particularly in higher education institutions. This is because, conceivably, PowerPoint might simply lead to a professor's “improvement and/or modernization of their performance in the classroom” (Szabo & Hastings, 2000 , p. 176) without any significant effects on student learning.

Given the widespread adoption of PowerPoint, the small number of authoritative studies of its effectiveness ( n < 20) is surprising. Generally, the available studies lack substance and internal and external validity and adopt rather constrained characterizations of the concept effectiveness . Most have been conducted in the United Kingdom and the U.S. and involve one-site, cross-sectional analyses of small classes that have been taught by the principal researcher (see, for example, Bartsch & Cobern, 2003 ; and the studies reviewed by Szabo & Hastings, 2000 , pp. 176–177). Typically, studies are conducted of classes that have been partitioned into two groups—one taught using lectures and PowerPoint and the other taught using lectures and overhead transparencies. Student attitude responses are gathered usually by means of in-class questionnaire survey methods and need to be scrutinized carefully for unintended bias.

Other studies are based simply on selective reporting of student anecdotes. Some have a self-indulgent quality of “ Hey, look at me, I’m an innovator, and my students like what I am doing .” Others are superficial recollections of instructor experience in using PowerPoint (e.g., Parks, 1999 ). Many studies of student attitudes were conducted before PowerPoint became an ingrained, almost compulsory feature of university lectures. It would not be surprising if many reported results were influenced by a now defunct “novelty factor.” With the passage of time and with heightened exposure to PowerPoint, our recent conversations with students suggest they are now more likely to respond to PowerPoint with an air of resigned, nonchalant ennui.

In the main, the results reported in scholarly journal articles indicate that students like to be taught using PowerPoint (perhaps because of its novelty and the availability of printed handouts of PowerPoint slides) and think that PowerPoint presentations are entertaining, enhance clarity, and aid recall of subject matter. There is little consistent evidence, however, to show that teaching with PowerPoint leads to significantly better learning and significantly better grades than teaching by more conventional methods. A majority of studies shows that use of PowerPoint is not associated with a significant improvement in student grades. For example, Rankin and Hoaas ( 2001 ) examined the effect of PowerPoint presentations on student grades in four classes of students in an introductory economics course taught by one instructor, at one institution, in two semesters. “Each semester one group of students was taught using PowerPoint slides and the other taught without slides to serve as a control group ...[but there was] ...no significant effect in terms of student performance” (p. 113). Results such as this seem curious in view of the speed and conviction with which PowerPoint has been embraced by educators.

Some other empirical studies are more generous, but are unpublished and unreviewed (e.g., Evans, 1998 ), or have significant methodological problems (e.g., Harknett & Cobane, 1997 ), or have untested assumptions (e.g., Lowry, 1999 ). Generally, the results of these studies point to the benefits of PowerPoint on student performance. For example, Lowry ( 1999 ) concluded that classes taught using PowerPoint “achieved better grades than the traditional-lecture cohort (51.8 and 51.9 versus 43.5%) ... and students exposed to PowerPoint lecturing had a positive attitude towards the method” (pp. 20–21).

Bartsch and Cobern ( 2003 , p. 78) provided the following good review of empirical evidence regarding the effectiveness of PowerPoint and computer presentations:

Overall research indicates that students prefer PowerPoint type presentations from transparencies (Cassady, 1998 ; Perry & Perry, 1998 ; Susskind & Gurien, 1999 ; West, 1997 ). Unfortunately, information on whether computer presentations improve student performance is much less clear. Several studies point to the idea that graphics improve student recall (ChanLin, 1998 , 2000 ; Lowry, 1999 ; Szabo & Hastings, 2000 , Exp. 2). However, many courses that adopted multimedia presentations have not shown a corresponding increase in student performance (Stoloff, 1995 ; Susskind & Gurien, 1999 ; Szabo & Hastings, 2000 . Exp. 1 and 3; West, 1997 ). In fact, one study demonstrated a decrease in student performance when the instructor switched from transparencies to PowerPoint (Bartlett, Cheng, & Strough, 2000 ).

In the study by Szabo and Hastings ( 2000 ), over 90% of students said that PowerPoint “is more attention capturing than the traditional method of lecturing,” and 85% found “PowerPoint lectures are more interesting than traditional lectures” (p. 179). They concluded that:

PowerPoint lectures, at least in some circumstances, mainly add to the entertainment rather than to the education of the students ... Apart from possible benefits on recall, no significant advantages to PowerPoint lecturing were found ... students like PowerPoint as a lecturing method. Their preference for PowerPoint lectures, in contrast to their beliefs, is not accompanied by better academic performance (p. 186).

Although students found PowerPoint entertaining, Szabo and Hastings ( 2000 ) noted aptly that “the challenge in the new millennium is not to entertain students ... but to improve or to facilitate learning” (p. 187). Such an improvement will not come easily if Parker ( 2001 ) is to be believed. He contended that presenters are concentrating more on “formatting slides—because it’s more fun to do than concentrate on what [they're] going to say” (Parker, 2001 , p. 5). A major challenge facing educators will be to convert the generally positive disposition of students to PowerPoint into significantly better learning and performance.

The Dynamics of the Pedagogical Setting

It is important to reflect upon the epistemology of our pedagogy. We live in a pedagogic realm in which the lecture has been regarded as “an accomplishment—bringing together a very particular constellation of speaker, space, technology, audience and attention” (Crang, 2003 , p. 242). In the lecture setting, the social roles, expectations, and power relations at play merit our reflection. The encompassing “performative aspects” of PowerPoint and how they “lend authority to the speaker” (Driver, 2003 , p. 229) are deserving of reflection too.

Accordingly, we now explore three aspects of the interaction between PowerPoint technology and its “spaces and audiences” (Driver, 2003 , p. 229)—first, whether or not PowerPoint serves as a crutch for many presenters, and second, whether or not it has a bad effect on the message by becoming “a tool to separate the presenter from the audience and the message” (Coursey, 2003 , para. 5). Third, we also explore the thesis that the visuality of PowerPoint presentations (which should enrich the message) is becoming THE message and that less of an audience's attention is being applied to a speaker's discussion of relevant content (DuFrene & Lehman, 2004 , p. 84).

There are divergent views about whether the teacher or presenter using PowerPoint is still the main actor and a Socratic-type figure in a learning play. One view is that “PowerPoint is teacher-centred. It puts the instructor at the center of the action” (Creed, 1997 ). As such, (s)he is a narrator tasked with framing the message or performance, both literally and perceptually. Opposed to this, is the view that the use of PowerPoint has reduced the role of the presenter to that of a stagehand (Blokzijl & Naeff, 2004 ) in which (s)he has been “effaced” by the visuality of the PowerPoint slide show (Crang, 2003 , p. 243). Consistent with this view, the role of the lecturer or presenter has changed: (s)he is a necessary, but annoying distraction, providing Muzak accompaniment to the lecture by means of an often “disembodied voice” (Crang, 2003 , p. 243). Indeed, Nunberg ( 1999 , p. 330) drew attention to the argument that the presenter is no longer needed because PowerPoint slides “have begun to take on a life of their own, as if they no longer needed talking heads to speak for them.” In this vein, Tufte ( 2003a ) argued that “rather than supplementing a presentation, [PowerPoint] has become a substitute for it” (p. 3).

Our view is that whether a PowerPoint presenter is the centre of attention or more of a stagehand will be a function of the communication ability of the presenter. Good presenters will most likely still be the centre of attention, using PowerPoint appropriately as a valuable communication aid to buttress their rhetoric. Poor presenters, such as nervous freshman students making their first assessable class presentation, will most likely be stagehands, with PowerPoint used as a dominating prop and their visual presence barely discernible.

What are the implications of interposing a PowerPoint presentation between an instructor and students? When we taught without PowerPoint or led a case discussion without PowerPoint or acted Socratic-like without PowerPoint, our relationship with students was unmediated and more human, more direct, less pre-meditated and less structured. The pedagogy involved depended on the particular situation, the process of interchange, the verbal and nonverbal communication, the repartee, the facial expressions, and the multitude of things that unfold during unmediated human relationships and dialogue. These are all “immediacy behaviours” which include such non-verbal actions as “eye contact, smiling, movement, adopting relaxed body positions, vocal expressiveness” and have been found to have a positive effect on student learning (see Hartnett, Römcke, & Yap, 2003 , p. 315). But when we subcontract our teaching to PowerPoint presentations, often we cannot see the faces of students. The ambient light is often low, and the focus of students is on the PowerPoint screen. It is not as easy to engage in effective “immediacy behaviours” with students, person-to-person, and to interest them vitally in the pursuit of knowledge.

Are educators at risk of falling into Freire's ( 1993 ) “banking education” trap by implicitly regarding education as an activity in which students simply withdraw dollops of something called “knowledge” in much the same way that money is withdrawn from a bank account? As a community of educators and students, are we acquiescing to an unthinking acceptance of PowerPoint's imposition of a conduit metaphor to frame (educational) communication in a way in which “language transfers thought to others” using words as a conduit (Reddy, 1993 , p. 167)? However, note that Reddy ( 1993 ) also cautioned that considering communication as a conduit metaphor “is leading us down a technological and social blind alley. That blind alley is mass communications systems coupled with mass neglect of the internal, human systems responsible for nine-tenths of the work in communicating” (p. 188). In this article we do not pursue the possible connection between the widespread deployment of PowerPoint in education and the implicit framing of educational communication by the conduit metaphor, but, at least according to Reddy, this merits further study.

What do we do if an unplanned, yet fruitful, discussion demands that a PowerPoint presentation be stopped dead in its tracks? Can we allow conversation and discussion to meander down a road with no known ultimate destination? Is it possible to ever discontinue a PowerPoint presentation or, in the best tradition of the theatre, must the “show go on?” Must a pre-planned schedule be followed rigidly because of an unwritten convention of PowerPoint that “no matter what, get through all the slides.” Or perhaps, even more chillingly, has the PowerPoint slideshow become the curriculum?

Rhetorical Elements

Teachers, public speakers, and business seminar presenters are rhetoricians, engaged in acts of persuasion: they seek to persuade or to educate, and to use PowerPoint as a visual aid to make “the logical structure of an argument more transparent” (Parker, 2001 , citing Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor of psychology, Steven Pinker, p. 6). Yet the knowledge most have of how to use PowerPoint effectively extends little beyond the general guidelines for using visual aids that have been outlined by Berko, Wolvin and Ray ( 1997 ) and Andrews and Baird ( 2000 ). Few lecturers or business seminar presenters seem adept at melding their verbal oratory with “visuality as an element of rhetorical invention” (Cyphert, 2004 , p. 81). And, as pointed out by Parker ( 2001 ), “instead of human contact” PowerPoint gives us a “human display ... we present to each other, instead of discussing” (p. 5, italics added). We exacerbate this problem by committing the “sin of triple delivery, where precisely the same text is seen on the screen, spoken aloud, and printed on the handout in front of you” (Parker, 2001 , p. 5).

There is a strong argument that the problems of PowerPoint arise from the contempt of many presenters for fundamental rhetorical principles and from their failure to ask such questions: “What does my audience need to know? What point am I trying to make? How do I make that point clearly, thoroughly, transparently? And is the organization of information effective for making my point clear and understandable?” (Shwom & Keller, 2003 , p. 4). Those who overlook these principles deserve “banishing into the wilderness of incoherence [because they] often lose their way in a thicket of points and sub-points [and compel a reader to] work too hard to decipher meaning” (Shwom & Keller, 2003 , pp. 4–5). One key rhetorical principle was proposed by Shwom and Keller ( 2003 ) for following by PowerPoint authors:

On each bullet point slide ... address only one main idea: a single discrete category with sub-items consistently related to that category. Do not use bullet points to present a sequence of ideas. In other words, use bullets to present inductive reasoning, not deductive reasoning (p. 8).

Additionally, many PowerPoint presenters fail to appreciate how rhetorical culture has been changed by PowerPoint communication. According to Cyphert ( 2005 ):

The whole notion of having a linear outline is actually a holdover from some pretty traditional—some would say archaic or even xenophobic—rhetorical presumptions. The sad thing is that PowerPoint offers tremendous tools for a speaker, but very, very few get past those dad-gummed bullet points. (response to question 10).

The linearity of PowerPoint and its pesky bullet points hold the prospect of seeming “too slow and boring to students used to MTV, instant messaging and MP3s” (Delaney, 2005 , p. R4, citing Tom Wilson, a technology-integration specialist at Hopkins High School, Minnetonka, Minnesota). Indeed, it suggests that Reddy's ( 1993 ) conduit metaphor has been given new breath by PowerPoint and is alive and well.

The metaphors that are associated with the use of PowerPoint merit reflection because the stance educators adopt with regard to the advantages and disadvantages of PowerPoint probably reflect the metaphors that imperceptibly fashion their attitudes. In assessing the way to use PowerPoint, it is important for educators to contemplate the fundamental metaphors that define their approach to teaching. We can identify four major metaphors that influence the way faculty members conceive teaching, by drawing on Fox ( 1983 ) and Lucas ( 2002 ). These are described in Amernic and Craig ( 2004 , p. 357) as:

the transfer conception: knowledge is a commodity to be transferred from one vessel to another, a concept consistent with Reddy's conduit metaphor ( 1993 );

the shaping conception: teaching is usually directed to developing the minds of students;

the travelling conception: the teacher leads students into new territory and, in doing so, gains new perspectives, too; and

the growing conception: the teacher is a nurturer.

Most users of PowerPoint appear to conceive their goals as educators to involve merely a one-way transmission of knowledge, rather than to promote the construction of knowledge and the analysis and synthesis of knowledge (Ramsden, 1992 ). This transfer, transportation, or conduit model of communication seems to fashion thinking by educators about PowerPoint: they conceive PowerPoint presentations as moving meaning across space in a way in which “the delivery, as opposed to the formulation of meaning” (Angus, 1998 , p. 21) is regarded as most important.

A major pedagogical issue with PowerPoint presentations is that receivers are “passively engaged” rather than “actively engaged.” Jones ( 2003 ) discussed the danger of making PowerPoint presentations available to students. Such practice is said to encourage “students to sit passively through the session since they may perceive they have ‘got the notes’” (p. 5). Tufte ( 2003b ) outlined the problems involved very strongly. They are summarized by Simons ( 2005 ) as follows:

It [PowerPoint] locks presenters into a linear, slide-by-slide format that discourages free association and creative thinking. It imposes artificial and potentially misleading hierarchies on information ... breaks information and data into fragments, making it more difficult to see the logical relationships between different sets of data. It encourages over-simplification by asking presenters to summarize key concepts in as few words as possible—e.g., bullet points—which can lead to gross generalizations, imprecise logic, superficial reasoning and, quite often, misleading conclusions. It imposes an authoritarian presenter/audience relationship rather than facilitating a give-and-take exchange of ideas and information. (p.5)

Some might argue that Tufte's case is exaggerated, that PowerPoint presentations can be paused for “contemplative effect, and they can serve as a springboard for conversation” (Cyphert, 2005 , question 13). Nonetheless, many PowerPoint presenters seem to embrace the transfer conception of education, in preference to the shaping, travelling, and growing conceptions. “If everyone has set their remarks in stone ahead of time (all using the same templates) then there is little room for comments of one to build upon another, or for a new idea to arise collaboratively ... Homogeneity is great for milk, but not for ideas” (Norvig, 2003 , p. 344). Educators using PowerPoint should give greater emphasis to working as partners with students, in designing learning activities with them, so that they encourage students to identify new ways of thinking for themselves. Most importantly, therefore, educators should reflect upon the explicit and implicit metaphors that help form the foundation of the cognitive world that is drawn upon in their use of PowerPoint.

PowerPoint Culture

In this section we examine three aspects of the “PowerPoint culture” in contemporary higher education institutions: power and ideology, cognition and psychology, and production influences.

Power and Ideology

What is the power of PowerPoint? This is an important question. The extent to which a PowerPoint presenter is in a position of power is often underestimated. Rose ( 2003 , p. 218, 2004 ) outlined five reasons why, in displaying slides, an academic has the potential to be a “powerful producer of knowledge.”

First, classes are given in spaces, such as lecture halls, that “encourage the practice of attention ... and in which attention is demanded” (Rose, 2003 , p. 218). We see this in the strong social convention governing audiences at PowerPoint presentations—to focus attention forward at the video screen and be quiet. Second, the display of slides is a powerful activity. Slides are often shown embedded in a luminescent square of light, surrounded by darkness. This seems to disallow any discussion of their truth status—and it privileges them by imposing a well-demarcated frame. Third, there is also a redirecting of the traditional flow of discourse in the lecture: the speaker “often seems compelled to turn towards the screen and to talk to the projection rather than to the audience” (Rose 2003 , p. 215). Fourth, slides “usually work to bestow authority on their expositor ... [who] mediates between the audience and the image by explaining it to them, and the apparent truth of the [slide] produces a truth-effect in the [expositor's] words as well” (Rose, 2003 , p. 216). Fifth, PowerPoint presentations “are not shown or seen the same way regardless of where they are screened; the way the [presenter] presents—and their audience views—images differently depend[s] on the location of their display ... [and] the speech and gestures” of the presenter (Rose, 2003 , p. 217).

An important aspect is the “visual uniformity” of PowerPoint. This may have ideological associations with the culture of its corporate creator, Microsoft—for example, in the subtle cognitive impacts of the aesthetic layout judgments made in default settings (Matless, 2003 ).

Cognition and Psychology

Ideally, lecturers should employ the most effective means to convey their message to students. But research into the effects and effectiveness of PowerPoint technology is rather poor. We are hampered, for example, by an underdeveloped understanding of the level of persuasiveness and psychological impact of PowerPoint as a new visual technology.

A lecture, like a court trial, ought to be regarded as a “search for truth and as a rhetorical contest” (Feigenson & Dunn, 2003 , p. 111). Consequently, there is a strong need for empirical research to address how various PowerPoint presentations have facilitative or prejudicial effects on audiences and how those audiences explain the perceptual, cognitive and emotional reasons for such effects (Feigenson & Dunn, 2003 , pp. 111–112). Currently, PowerPoint presenters have only a rudimentary appreciation of the conditions under which the visual technology they are using helps them to achieve their rhetorical aims.

However, research should focus not just on the visual technology involved. We need to understand also our audience's “perceptual, cognitive, and emotional capabilities, expectations, and habits” and to explore the relationships between audience and “visual technology” and “manipulations of that technology” in a better fashion (Feigenson & Dunn, 2003 , p. 112). In this vein a visual social semiotics approach, involving a study of signs, would help us to understand “how text and images work together to make meaning together for readers/users ... [and to] better understand the rhetorical, meaning-making potential” of PowerPoint presentations and imagery and make them more effective (Harrison, 2003 , p. 47). All this underscores the potential cognitive risks for both PowerPoint presenters and PowerPoint presentees. The cognitive world of both educators and students changes, perhaps radically, when PowerPoint becomes the default mode of discourse. We should at least attempt to become aware of the possibilities, both good and not-so-good, that this raises.

Production Influences

PowerPoint can be very subverting. Lecturers seem to spend disproportionate amounts of time mesmerized in tinkering with how to present their lecture—agonizing over the choice of design template, color scheme, page layout, and mode of slide transition. That is, they become engrossed in performing the production activities associated with the Microsoft PowerPoint software application rather than concentrate on how they will participate in “uniting the young and the old in the imaginative consideration of learning” (Whitehead, 1957/[1929] , p. 93). We need to be alert to the possibility that this production labour effort will interplay with the increasingly hyperactive and mediated demands on university faculty time (e.g., via email and the Internet) to preclude any semblance of a reflective academic life.

Orality, Visuality and Literacy

PowerPoint should be recognized as a new communication medium that is fundamentally changing the nature and dynamic of how we teach. For over four hundred years, as Postman ( 1993 ) noted, teaching settings have been characterized by a fine balance between two forms of learning: orality and the printed word . According to Postman ( 1993 ) orality fostered “gregariousness” and stressed “group learning, cooperation, and a sense of social responsibility”; and the printed word fostered “introspection and isolation” and stressed “individualized learning, competition, and personal autonomy” (p.17). Nonetheless, while teachers have tended to emphasize the visuality of print, they “have allowed orality its place in the classroom, and have therefore achieved a kind of pedagogical peace between these two forms of learning, so that what is valuable in each can be maximized” (Postman, 1993 , p. 17). What PowerPoint seems to have done is to disturb this pedagogical peace.

Orality, or at least, student-generated orality, seems to have been downgraded by the uni-directional nature of the discourse which accompanies most PowerPoint presentations. That discourse often has the hallmarks of a voice-over accompaniment to a visual display, usually of graphically enhanced printed words. The instructor risks being relegated from a centre stage role, to that of an incidental stagehand.

The use of projection to enhance the visuality of teaching has a long tradition in some disciplines: instructors in geography and art history have used 35 mm slides for about 100 years (Rose, 2003 , 2004 ). But the visual learning widely believed to be enhanced by PowerPoint seems to assume a false homogeneity: that PowerPoint is an appropriate, effective and amenable aid to learning, irrespective of discipline, learning objectives, and type of learner. For example, the visuality of PowerPoint seems much less likely to be amenable in teaching people to converse in foreign languages.

The form of learning we are gravitating to with PowerPoint is one of televisuality. This may be quite appropriate in the early 21st century. Young students of the “tech-savvy Play Station 2 generation” (Delaney, 2005 , p. R4) will be acculturated to such a mode. Many, if not most, will have been raised in homes bristling with the technology of television, interactive video games, DVD players, computers, and cell phones. The brevity and prevalence of PowerPoint's bullet points, abbreviations, and acronyms will resonate sympathetically with them, as they are likely to be voracious users of cell phone text messaging. Indeed, they would probably even find such use GR8 THK U. (This is commonly used Special Messaging Service [SMS] text for “Great, thank you.”) But this all comes at a price—the downgrading of orality and print.

There is also a profound impact on literacy. PowerPoint slides are often devoid of paragraphs, pronouns, punctuation, conjunctions, auxiliary verbs and articles. The obligation to form full sentences has become optional and the spelling of polysyllabic words has become a lost art in a sea of PowerPoint-induced abbreviations. (A similar criticism could be made of the use of overhead transparency slides. But we contend that the effect is much more pronounced with PowerPoint.) “The world is condensed into a few upbeat slides, with seven or so words on a line, seven lines on a slide” (Parker, 2001 , p. 2); and it is “a world where any complex thought must be broken into seven-word chunks, with colorful blobs between them” (Norvig, 2003 , p. 343). The use of language is imprecise and deserving of banishment into a “wilderness of incoherence,” for it causes audiences to “often lose their way in a thicket of points and sub-points” in “lists gone amuck” (Shwom & Keller, 2003 , pp. 4–5).

Parker ( 2001 , p. 6, citing Nass) argued that PowerPoint “empowers the provider of simple content ... but risks squeezing out the provider of process—that is to say, the rhetorician, the storyteller, the poet, the person whose thoughts cannot be arranged in the shape of a [PowerPoint] slide.” Parker ( 2001 ) recounted a telling anecdotal confession by Professor Nass about the capacity of PowerPoint to influence curriculum choices:

I hate to admit this but I actually removed a book from my syllabus last year because I couldn't figure out how to PowerPoint it. It's a lovely book called ‘Interface Culture,’ by Steven Johnson, but it's very discursive; the charm of it is the throwaways. When I read this book, I thought, my head's filled with ideas, and now I've got to write out exactly what those ideas are, and they're not neat. [Parker then observes that Nass] couldn't get the book into bullet points; every time he put something down, he realized that it wasn't quite right. Eventually, he abandoned the attempt, and instead of a lecture, he gave his students a recommendation. He told them it was a good book, urged them to read it, and moved on to the next bullet point (p. 6).

PowerPoint also effects how we expose students to a curriculum. Norvig ( 2003 ) argued that PowerPoint “makes it harder to have an open exchange between presenter and audience, to convey ideas that do not neatly fit into outline format” (p. 344). And Creed ( 1997 , Classroom assessment) makes several apposite points: first, “You may get less feedback from the class because your eyes and theirs are on the screen rather than looking at each other;” second, students don't have a chance to synthesize what they've heard; and third, the emphasis is on the quality of your presentation rather than your students' learning. Indeed, because of the facility for PowerPoint to be distributed in handout form at the commencement of classes and for PowerPoint presentations to be placed on the Web, students no longer need to listen carefully in class. Indeed, if lecturers simply read their PowerPoint presentations, there seems little point in them attending lectures at all.

All users of PowerPoint should respond to Postman's ( 1993 ) call and pause to reflect about any new technology, such as PowerPoint, and how it affects, however imperceptibly, their engagement with what and how they teach. They should engage in conversations and critique of new technologies, rather than to accept them blithely and unquestioningly.

As a society we should be mindful that PowerPoint, in concert with allied computer and Internet-based technology, is having a profound effect on higher education. PowerPoint is not merely a benign means of facilitating what educators have always done. Rather, it is changing much (perhaps most) of how we engage with our students and the disciplines which we profess. We should be curious as to why this is so. We should be eager to understand the assumptions and metaphors that subtly infuse PowerPoint. We should also be more aware of the culture, customs, and behaviour that are dragged along with PowerPoint and how they affect the way we think about our students, our audiences, ourselves, and our disciplines.

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The Role of Technology in Education_ Benefits, Challenges, and Impact on Students

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The Role of Technology in Education: Benefits, Challenges, and Impact on Students In today's rapidly evolving world, technology has become a crucial aspect of education, shaping the way students learn and preparing them for future careers. Importance of Technology in Education: Technology is not just a crisis-management tool; it is a powerful educational asset. By incorporating digital tools into classrooms, teachers can enhance student engagement, improve lesson plans, and facilitate personalized learning, fostering essential 21st-century skills. Benefits of Technology in Education: 1. Increased Collaboration and Communication: a. Technology fosters collaboration, allowing students to work together on projects and communicate with teachers easily. b. Online lessons and learning games promote teamwork and problem-solving, creating inclusive learning environments.

2. Personalized Learning Opportunities: a. Technology enables 24/7 access to educational resources, offering flexibility in learning. b. Teachers can tailor lessons to individual student interests and strengths, allowing students to learn at their own pace. 3. Curiosity Driven by Engaging Content: a. Engaging content, such as AR, videos, and podcasts, sparks curiosity and enhances academic success. b. Students can submit assignments with multimedia elements, promoting creativity and global interaction. 4. Improved Teacher Productivity and Efficiency: a. Technology enhances teacher productivity by providing digital tools to expand learning opportunities. b. It reduces costs associated with physical materials, streamlines educational programs, and allows for personalized instruction. Educational Technology Challenges: While the benefits of technology in education are evident, challenges exist in its implementation and use. Concerns include limited access to emerging technologies, worries about excessive screen time, and the effectiveness of teachers in utilizing technology. KeyX Technologies in Education: In the realm of educational technology, KeyX Technologies emerges as a valuable asset for the education industry. This innovative platform addresses challenges and enhances the positive impact of technology in education. 1-Content Development and Evaluation: ● KeyX Technologies provides a platform for educators to develop and evaluate online educational content. ● It encourages a diverse range of perspectives on topics, fostering critical thinking and a well-rounded education. 2- Access and Equity: ● KeyX ensures that educational resources are accessible to all students, irrespective of their geographical location. ● The platform supports initiatives to bridge the digital divide by providing equal learning opportunities. 3- Teacher Competency Development: ● KeyX offers courses, such as "Education Program and Policy Implementation" and "Teaching Science in Elementary School," to equip educators with essential competencies in incorporating technology effectively. ● It promotes continuous learning and professional development for teachers to stay abreast of technological advancements. 4- Flexibility and Adaptability: ● KeyX Technologies encourages flexibility during challenging times, allowing educators to adapt and transition seamlessly to online teaching.

It empowers teachers to explore solutions for effective online course delivery without overwhelming them. Conclusion: ● In conclusion, the integration of technology in education is indispensable for preparing students for the future. While challenges exist, innovative platforms like KeyX Technologies play a pivotal role in addressing these challenges, ensuring that technology in education remains a powerful tool for enhancing learning outcomes and creating a more inclusive and equitable educational landscape. Visit more:- https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7140656339990609920 For more details contact us:- Contact No:- +91 6387153176 Website:- Facebook:- https://www.facebook.com/keyxtechnologies Instagram:- https://www.instagram.com/keyxtechnologies https://www.keyxtechnologies.com

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The Impact of Supplementing PowerPoint with Detailed Notes and Explanatory Videos on Student Attendance and Performance in a Physiology Module in Medicine

Mohammed h. abdulla.

1 Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Western Gateway Building, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland

Eleanor O’Sullivan

2 Department of Oral Surgery, Cork University Dental School and Hospital, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland

PowerPoint is widely used in higher education with reported advantages on student learning. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of detailed notes and videos as a supplement to PowerPoint slides on student attendance and performance. First-year medical students’ opinion on whether the supplementary material assisted their learning of Physiology in addition to demographics was collected in a survey. Attendance was similar for participants who used notes and videos to those who did not, for male vs. female and for participants from biomedical vs. non-biomedical backgrounds. However, within the non-biomedical cohort, attendance of male respondents was significantly higher (95 ± 3 vs. 81 ± 6%, P  < 0.05), although both groups used notes and videos. Similarly, attendance of female participants of biomedical background was higher ( P  < 0.05) than female participants of non-biomedical background ( biomedical vs. non-biomedical : 94 ± 3 vs. 81 ± 6%) even though both cohorts used notes and videos. Providing notes and videos had no adverse impact on attendance (90 ± 2%, 8 lectures) and tended to enhance exam scores for low-performing students in the class when compared with those of previous years’ cohorts ( 2018 vs. 2017 and 2016 : 61 ± 5% vs. 55 ± 6% and 47 ± 8%, respectively). There was an increase in the immediate gain of knowledge following watching/listening to videos ( after vs. before : 65 ± 3% vs. 48 ± 3%). The survey revealed a positive student perception of supplementary material mainly because they felt it reduced the time required to search for relevant information.

Introduction

PowerPoint is a widely used teaching tool in higher education for many years now. One of the benefits of this technology is its potential to enhance students’ engagement and empower effective learning [ 1 – 3 ]. Moreover, this technology helps students to organise their notes if they use it as a starting point to expand their knowledge from assigned textbooks. However, many students use PowerPoint as their sole study source even though all learning objectives might not have been covered in a lecture. Moreover, due to time constraints, teachers tend to list the important points in the lecture as bullet points and leave students to take notes. However, it is reported that most students are poor note takers, typically recording less than 50% of critical points in a lecture [ 4 ]. One possible solution to this issue is to provide supplementary material with each lecture. This material expands on the information provided in the lecture rather than just reiterating the lecture content. Previous research indicated that this approach improved students’ learning experience by enhancing their immediate recall and academic performance [ 5 – 7 ].

In addition to PowerPoint presentations, students can be provided with supplementary notes that expand on what is mentioned in the slides. Previous studies indicated that students who were provided with detailed notes, i.e. notes that contain main ideas in addition to supporting details, performed better in their exams than students who reviewed their own notes [ 8 – 10 ]. Moreover, Kobayashi [ 11 ] showed that low-performing students gained greater benefits from this approach compared with higher performance students. The effect of explanatory notes on students’ learning of Physiology in medicine and their attitude towards using them as a learning and review material was examined in the present study.

Similarly, supplementary videos that explain important concepts can be introduced as a complementary learning tool to PowerPoint slides. Indeed, videos add visual and auditory elements that cannot be found in the text notes. They can enhance student understanding of main concepts when more time is needed to explain these concepts than is available during a lecture. Indeed, these videos can also act as an effective revision tool at exam time [ 5 ]. The videos can be interactive by introducing pre- and post-video quizzes. A recent study indicated that students who used interactive videos with instructor’s explanations scored higher in the post-video test compared with a pre-video test [ 12 ]. Similarly, the use of conceptual videos was found to enhance students’ understanding of calculus in a previous study by Swedberg [ 13 ].

Information about the effect of supplementary notes and explanatory videos on medical students’ learning of Physiology is lacking in the literature. The aim of this study was to examine students’ attitude and behaviour towards the use of supplementary notes and videos in addition to PowerPoint slides in a programme that is known to be limited in time. We hypothesise that this approach assists students’ learning by providing detailed explanations of the main concepts in the form of text or as an interactive video.

Research Questions

The focus of the study was on two questions regarding the use of supplementary notes and pre-recorded videos in conjunction with PowerPoint slides:

• Does the use of supplementary notes and videos enhance understanding of core concepts and therefore improve exam scores?
• What is the students’ attitude towards the use of supplementary notes and videos as a learning and revision tool?

Participants and Setting

This study involved first-year graduate entry to medicine students in UCC in Fundamentals in Medicine II (module code GM1002). The study was conducted over a 9-week period from January to March 2018. The graduate entry to medicine class ( n  = 82) includes students of different ages (21–35 years), region of origin (European, EU; and non-European, non-EU) and undergraduate degree backgrounds (biomedical and non-biomedical). The EU students are mainly from Ireland while the non-EU students are from Africa, Asia, Middle East and North America. This study was approved by the Social Research Ethics Committee (SREC) in UCC (Log 2018-028). Teaching comprised a series of 8 traditional lectures of approximately 50 min long, delivered by one instructor in the Department of Physiology in UCC. For this module, lecture attendance was encouraged, but not compulsory; students were not required to sign a daily attendance register.

Lecture material, including PowerPoint slides, written notes and videos, was made available to students ahead of the actual lecture time with a comprehensive list of learning objectives. The PowerPoint slides were constructed with a focus on main points without using too much text, using figures and diagrams when relevant. Further details on important points on the slides and explanations of any figures and diagrams were inserted at the bottom of each slide (supplementary notes) using the PowerPoint space allocated for notes, i.e. the notes pane. In addition, clinical scenarios and interactive questions related to the main concept on the slide were included.

Explanatory videos were recorded by the instructor ahead of lectures using Quick time player on a MacBook Pro, using the PowerPoint slides as a background. PowerPoint provides a pen option whereby the pointer can be changed into a pen or a highlighter to write, draw on the slides or highlight important points. Videos were utilised for two particular concepts in cardiovascular Physiology that required detailed explanation, i.e. electrocardiography (ECG) and electrical and mechanical events during the cardiac cycle. Students’ feedback from previous years indicated that students frequently struggle with these concepts in this module. The videos, which averaged approximately 27 min, were uploaded to blackboard. Blackboard is a web-based server software platform to which module material can be uploaded for student use. Links to these videos were embedded in between pre- and post-video tests for self-assessment using blackboard quiz options.

Quantitative Assessment of the Effect of Supplementary Videos/Notes on Student Learning

As mentioned above, pre- and post-video tests were utilised to examine students’ performance before and after watching explanatory videos. This approach was intended to provide a higher level of interaction compared with a passive approach of only watching/listening to the videos [ 14 ]. In this study, six multiple-choice questions (MCQ) were provided to allow students to assess their understanding of a concept followed by a video explaining that concept. After viewing the video, the students completed a post-test comprised of identical questions to the pre-test but randomised in order. Once the test was finished, blackboard provided students with an exit report summarising their test score and giving detailed feedback on why a given answer should be selected. Data from two videos were analysed and used in the present study.

Quantitative assessment of students’ performance in the final exam following the use of explanatory notes was also studied. Eleven MCQs were chosen from the 2017 and 2018 end of module and end of year exams based on whether the question content was related ( n  = 5 MCQs) or not ( n  = 6 MCQs) to the explanatory notes attached to PowerPoint slides. The responses were compared with the identical questions in 2016 where no explanatory notes were given. The MCQs related to explanatory notes aimed to assess three of the Bloom’s taxonomy categories, namely:

• Knowledge recall (i.e. provided nearly verbatim in the notes pane). There was only one MCQ under this category.
• Comprehension (i.e. provided, but not verbatim, in the notes pane). There were 2 MCQs under this category.
• Application (i.e. not provided in the notes pane and required students to solve a new problem using information they had to comprehend from the notes pane). There were 2 MCQs under this category.

To minimize the effect of having different students over the years with varied academic ability on any possible change in performance, student performance on identical MCQ questions across the same study period from the Pharmacology content in this module was analysed. The Pharmacology part was taught consistently to the same cohort of students and in parallel to Physiology but without the use of the intervention used in this study.

Students’ Self-Reported Perception of Learning

A survey with both Likert-type and non-Likert type questions was utilised at the end of the module to examine students’ perception of supplementary notes and pre-recorded videos and their perceived effectiveness on students’ learning of core concepts in cardiovascular Physiology lectures, utilising Google Forms ( https://www.google.com/forms/about ) web-based survey options. The survey questionnaire took approximately 10 min to complete and participation was voluntary and anonymous. Also, failure to participate in the survey did not result in any negative consequences for the student and no extra credits were offered for its completion. Participants were asked to consent the use of the survey data as part of a research project. The survey link was sent to students via students’ university email and they were given 4 weeks to complete the questionnaire. A total of 68 (83%) participants completed the survey.

The first part of the survey consisted of demographic questions on gender, age, nationality and undergraduate background. Students also reported their attendance to the 8 cardiovascular Physiology lectures in this module. The second part included attitudinal questions regarding the usefulness or otherwise of the supplementary notes and pre-recorded videos to students’ learning using a Likert scale ranging from very useful/strongly agree (5) to not useful at all/strongly disagree (1). This was followed by checkbox-type questions exploring why students thought the supplementary notes were useful or otherwise to their learning of Physiology in this module. In order to arrange the responses into particular themes, students were provided with a list of suggested answers but were also given a free text option if their reason for the use or otherwise of notes/videos is not included in the list. There were two checkbox questions in the survey regarding notes, the first one was “Why do you think the supplementary notes attached to the PowerPoint slides were useful (Please select all that apply from the list below)” while the second one was “Why do you think the supplementary notes attached to the PowerPoint slides were NOT useful (Please select all that apply from the list below)”.

Students’ response regarding the use of explanatory videos was obtained using a short answer text question to respond to the statement “Please insert any comments you have about your usage of explanatory blackboard videos”. In addition, students’ explanations for lack of use of these videos were obtained by asking students to pick the most relevant answer for this question “Please indicate the reason(s) for lack of usage of supplementary blackboard videos (Select all that apply from the list below)” from a suggested list of answers. Finally, the survey ended with open text question inviting general comments about students’ perception of supplementary notes/videos in this module.

Statistical Analysis

The informational and attitudinal survey questions were analysed by gender, region of origin and biomedical background using chi-square contingency analysis using GraphPad Prism (GraphPad v6 Software Inc., San Diego, CA, USA). Similarly, the self-reported attendance in this module was compared between female and male subgroups of either EU and non-EU, biomedical and non-biomedical degree or < 25 and 25–35 years participants using parametric and non-parametric data analysis using unpaired student’s t test and Mann Whitney test respectively. Students’ performance in the pre- and post-video tests was compared using a paired student’s t test. To compare students’ performance in exams over 3 years (2016, 2017 and 2018) and between questions related/not related to supplementary PowerPoint notes, a repeated measure two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used. Data are expressed as mean ± standard error of the mean (S.E.M.) with significance at P  < 0.05.

The Effects of Demographic Variables on Students’ Attendance

Demographic information as well as self-reported lecture attendance is presented in Table ​ Table1. 1 . The 82 students in the GM1002 class were comprised of 45 (55%) females and 37 (45%) males. A total of 68 students (83% of the class) participated in the survey of which 37 (54%) were females and 31 (46%) were males. The age of survey participants was almost equally divided between those aged < 25 years or 25–35 years. Non-EU students showed a higher participation rate than EU students (54 vs. 46%). According to the survey, there were fewer students from non-biomedical compared with biomedical degree background (43 vs. 57%). The attendance in this part of the module was not recorded by the lecturer and therefore the attendance data were solely self-reported. The survey showed an average attendance of almost 90% of cardiovascular Physiology lectures in this module with similar attendance rates reported by female and male participants and among students aged < 25 years compared with 25–35 years. Analysis of attendance by gender and age category showed a tendency for higher attendance by male participant of < 25 years old compared with females of that category (92 ± 4 vs. 82 ± 6%, n.s.). Conversely, females aged 25–35 years tended to have higher attendance rates than male participants of that age category. While the overall attendance of biomedical and non-biomedical participants was similar, male non-biomedical degree students had a significantly higher attendance rate than female non-biomedical degree students (95 ± 3 vs. 81 ± 6%; P  < 0.05). Furthermore, attendance of female participants of biomedical background was higher ( P  < 0.05) than the attendance of fellow female participants of non-biomedical background (94 ± 3 vs. 81 ± 6%). The attendance was not adversely impacted by providing supplementary videos and detailed notes. Analysis of self-reported attendance showed similar attendance of users and non-users of supplementary videos (90 ± 2 vs. 84 ± 6%).

Self-reported demographic data of survey participants and answers to attitudinal question regarding the usefulness or otherwise of supplementary notes/videos. A Likert scale was used to rank usefulness of the supplementary notes or degree of agreement that explanatory videos assisted students’ understanding of core concepts. Usefulness rank was set as 5 for very useful, 4 for useful, 3 for neutral, 2 for not useful and 1 for not useful at all. Agreement rank was set as 5 for strongly agree, 4 for agree, 3 for neither agree nor disagree, 2 for disagree and 1 for strongly disagree. * P  < 0.05 non-biomedical vs. biomedical participants, # P < 0.05 female vs. male participants

Self-reported information about frequency of viewing/listening to explanatory videos in the different age, gender, nationality and undergraduate degree groups is shown in Table ​ Table1. 1 . There was a similar number of participants in the male vs. female, < 25 vs. 25–35 years and EU vs. non-EU categories who watched or listened to pre-recorded videos. However, there was a higher number ( P  < 0.05) of students of non-biomedical background who watched or listened to videos compared with their biomedical peers (93 vs. 72%).

The Effects of Demographic Variables on Self-Reported Perception of Supplementary Videos/Notes

The response to attitudinal questions regarding the utilisation of supplementary videos/notes is presented in Table ​ Table1. 1 . Two Likert scale questions were analysed from the survey questions. The first was “Viewing the supplementary videos helped me to better understand the material presented in the lecture” while the second question was “How useful did you find the supplementary notes attached to the PowerPoint slides in learning cardiovascular Physiology concepts in this module”. There was a similar attitude regarding the use of videos/notes in this part of the module by the different age, gender, nationality and undergraduate background groups. The data showed that most of the students (91%, average response 4.3/5) indicated that explanatory videos/notes helped them to develop a better understanding of the key concepts in this part of the module and were useful to students’ learning.

The Effect of Supplementary Videos/Notes on Students’ Performance

Figure ​ Figure1 1 illustrates the impact of explanatory PowerPoint notes on the students’ performance. As no explanatory notes were provided in 2016, it was used for comparison with student performance in 2017 and 2018 where notes were provided. To examine any possible effect of explanatory notes on different academic performers, the class was divided into thirds based on students’ overall mark in end of module and end of year exams. As demonstrated in Fig. ​ Fig.1, 1 , there was no significant difference in the overall student performance in 2017 and 2018 compared with 2016 for all questions directly related to the explanatory notes provided with PowerPoint slides or in questions not related to explanatory notes. However, the lower third students’ performance in identical questions in 2017 and 2018 showed a trend towards a higher performance in notes-related questions by almost 17% and 29% respectively compared with the performance in 2016. In order to exclude the effect of having different students’ academic level between the 3 years, a parallel analysis of students’ performance in 14 identical Pharmacology MCQs across the same period was used as shown in Fig.  2 . Students had similar academic performance in 2017 and 2018 compared with 2016. Likewise, the performance of the lower third students in this exam did not show any significant changes in 2017 (50 ± 4%) or 2018 (50 ± 5%) compared with 2016 (57 ± 4%).

Student performance in the end of module exam over 3 years (2016, 2017 and 2018). The upper panel demonstrates the performance for all students in this module over the 3 years. The middle and lower panels present the performance of upper and lower thirds of the class in this exam respectively. It should be noted that no supplementary notes were used in teaching this module in 2016

Student performance in a parallel end of year Pharmacology exam across 3 years (2016, 2017 and 2018). The same cohort of students were studied and identical items were utilised across the years

The effect of supplementary videos on students’ performance is presented in Fig.  3a . The average performance of all students who used these videos in the post-video test was increased by more than 30% ( P  < 0.05) compared with the pre-video test. This significantly enhanced performance was seen for both upper and lower third performers in this class. However, the highest gain of more than 40% ( P  < 0.05) was seen for the upper third performers compared with 24% ( P  < 0.05) for the lower third performers in these tests. The usefulness of supplementary videos pre- and post-tests was further demonstrated by students’ attitudinal response to the question “How useful did you find the pre-/post-video test (e.g. before and after the Wiggers’ diagram or ECG vectors video)”. The results indicated that more than 70% of respondents ( n  = 55) to this question indicated that pre- and post-video test is either “Very useful” or “Useful” to them. Over 25% of the students gave a “Neutral” response while 4% felt that the pre-/post-video test was “Not useful” (Fig. ​ (Fig.3b 3b ).

Student performance ( a ) and attitude ( b ) in using the pre- and post-video tests. a Students’ performance data were collected from two pre-recorded explanatory videos with test questions that are MCQ style. A total of 11 questions were analysed from the two videos for 49 participants. * P  < 0.05 post- vs. pre-test. b Students’ attitude regarding the pre- and post-video tests. A Likert style survey question about the usefulness of pre- and post-video tests was analysed for 55 (81%) responses. Students responded to the question “How useful did you find the pre-/post-video test”

Student Opinion on the Use of Supplementary Videos/Notes

Analysis of responses to the open-ended (23 responses, 34%) and checkbox (62 responses, 91%) questions regarding the use of supplementary videos and notes respectively is presented in Fig.  4 . Students felt the videos aided learning by (i) consolidating learning from the lectures and assisting knowledge retention (41%), (ii) providing a visual element to learning (27%), (iii) being a repository review resource (18%), (iv) allowing pause and replay (9%) and (v) reducing the time required to search for information online (5%) (Fig. ​ (Fig.4a 4a ).

Students’ comments on the use of supplementary videos ( a ) and notes ( b ). a Students responded to the open text question “Please insert any comments you have about your usage of supplementary videos” by listing their opinion regarding supplementary videos use in this part of the module (22 responses). b Student responded to the question “Please indicate the reason(s) for lack of usage of videos” by selecting all that that apply from a list. c Students responded to the question “Why do you think the supplementary notes attached to the PowerPoint slides were useful” by selecting from a list of suggested answers (62 responses). It should be noted that students were allowed to select more than one answer for the second question and this explains why there is a total of 147 responses in the bar chart of this question

Thirteen students (19%) indicated that they had not used the pre-recorded videos in this study. According to these students, they did not use videos in this module because (i) the concepts illustrated in the videos were explained in lectures (72%), (ii) time is limited in this module (17%), (iii) viewing/listening to videos is not their favourite learning style (15%), (iv) they did not know they were there (8%) and (v) the videos contained too much information/too long (8%) (Fig. ​ (Fig.4b 4b ).

When asked why they think the supplementary notes attached to the PowerPoint slides were useful, almost 77% of the responses to this question was that it is because they lessen the need to look for relevant information from external sources. The second most common reason given (60%) was that these notes are an available review resource at times of exam preparation. The next important reason for the usefulness of notes according to 55% of the responses was that these notes provided more detailed explanation of the slides than could be covered during a lecture. Furthermore, around 45% of the responses agreed that these notes were useful because they lessen the need to take notes during the lecture (Fig. ​ (Fig.4c). 4c ). Finally, there were few comments using “others” option with one student commented “Really good (notes) for providing context to students from a non-science background”, another said “If anything was missed when listening to the lecturer, the supplemental notes could cover myself” while a third student commented “… Good learning aids for concepts I maybe didn’t fully grasp at the time of the lecture”. Finally, there was one response in this survey who indicated lack of use of supplementary notes due to limited time to go through supplementary material in this course.

In this article, we showed that providing supplementary notes and videos along with PowerPoint slides assisted students’ understanding of cardiovascular Physiology in a medical programme and did not affect lecture attendance. This study revealed that the use of explanatory notes enhanced exam performance especially for low-performing students. Similarly, the use of conceptual videos in this module enhanced students’ immediate gain of knowledge as shown by enhanced performance in post-video test compared with pre-video test. Students valued the utilisation of supplementary videos and notes as a learning and revision tool in this module. The main reason that the supplementary videos were helpful, as per students’ feedback, is that the videos consolidated their learning from the lectures and helped their retention of knowledge. On the other hand, students thought that notes were useful mainly because they lessen the need to look for relevant information from external sources within the limited time available to study in this programme.

The Effects of Demographic Variables on Students’ Attendance and Perception of Videos/Notes

The survey results are representative of the class as 83% participated in the survey and the gender distribution of participants was similar to the overall class gender distribution. The attendance of students during the period of the study was examined to identify any differences related to the varied gender, age, nationality and undergraduate degree background. It should be noted that full attendance is required in this module and it is checked sporadically but not routinely. The self-reported attendance data showed no significant differences in attendance of the demographic groups. Interestingly, the data showed that female students from a non-biomedical background had poorer attendance compared with male non-biomedical students or to their female biomedical counterparts. Ellaway et al. [ 15 ] examined the impact of combining students of biomedical degree background with non-biomedical degree background. They highlighted the challenges imposed on non-science students both socially and academically and suggested that support should be provided to those students. It is possible that lower attendance of this subgroup is related to these challenges.

The present study demonstrated that providing students with detailed notes and supplementary videos did not impact upon their lecture attendance. The average attendance in the cardiovascular Physiology part of the GM1002 module was as high as 90%. The finding that attendance of this cohort of students was not affected by having detailed notes and explanatory videos available before the lectures is in line with previous reports [ 16 , 17 ].

The Effect of Supplementary Notes on Students’ Performance

PowerPoint is widely utilised in today’s higher education teaching but there is an ongoing question as to whether students should be provided with notes. Looking at data from this study as well as the literature [ 18 – 20 ], the authors are in favour of using supplementary notes at least in time-pressured medical programmes such as the graduate entry to medicine. Students in the accelerated programmes are under pressure to develop as much foundational knowledge as they can, while a reasonable number of them are from non-biological background. However, the authors are aware of the potential implications of this approach on students’ independent learning strategies and the possibility that it might detract from the goal of preparing them to become independent life-long learners. However, this programme is well enriched with several avenues for self-directed learning and problem-based exercises that are completely driven by students themselves.

Furthermore, the type of notes could vary between detailed notes and those that have main points only [ 20 , 21 ]. It is suggested that students provided with detailed notes can achieve higher recall of information and test performance than students provided with no notes [ 8 ]. Students usually take notes during lectures to ensure they do not miss important information and utilise these notes as a study source when preparing for exams. However, a previous study showed that students do miss critical points in this process [ 22 ]. Therefore, the present study examined the impact of providing detailed notes attached to each concept description in PowerPoint slides on student learning of Physiology in the graduate entry to medicine programme. The notes were provided with almost every slide of the PowerPoint presentation of lectures in this study. Although this study utilised limited number of MCQs to study performance, it compared identical MCQs across years. These MCQs were sought to assess three Bloom’s taxonomy categories, namely, knowledge recall, comprehension and application. The final exam scores of the lower third performers in the class were enhanced by almost 30% in 2018 compared with 2016 in questions related to supplementary notes, particularly those under Bloom’s application category. This indicates that enhancement in performance of this cohort was not simply due to recall of rote learning of answers provided. In addition, the authors are not aware of any extracurricular activities for students in this course. As such, there appears to be no external factor that would have detracted from Physiology learning in 2016. The finding of improved performance of this cohort was supported by a previous study showing that low-performing students gained greater benefits from detailed notes compared with high-performing students [ 11 ].

The overall class performance was only marginally enhanced after introducing detailed notes. This indicates that providing detailed notes was not the only factor in determining exam performance in this class. One important determining factor for usefulness of supplementary notes is the time at which these notes are used during the course as students use notes differently depending on the time of the year as shown by a previous study [ 23 ]. Grabe and Christopherson [ 23 ] found that the students’ use of the supplementary notes peaked during the time when the corresponding unit of content was being presented in the class and was less towards the exam time.

The detailed notes were received positively by students according to the survey feedback. One student mentioned “I like to use the notes under the slides for study as they condense the relevant information” while another student commented “I do like having the notes underneath the slides so I don't have to worry about taking notes and can focus on listening in class instead”. There was also another comment “I love the supplementary notes and think that the slide structure is easy to understand (great pictures with few, but relevant, explanations)”. Interestingly, one student pointed out that these notes were useful to students of a non-biological background “Having a non-science background, the additional notes/videos etc. really help to make the content more accessible and easier to understand”. The notes in this study served as a repository for learning and revising the key concepts at exam time, particularly if students miss valuable information during the lecture. It should be noted that one student indicated a lack of use of supplementary notes due to limited time in this module.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Providing Detailed Supplementary Notes

This study suggests that detailed notes serve as an important learning and revision tool for students. However, this intervention may also have a number of potential disadvantages, namely (i) it possibly promotes passive learning [ 24 ], and (ii) may encourage students’ absence from lectures [ 21 ]. However, students in this study were not discouraged from taking their own notes but were given supplementary notes as a repository. In addition, these notes included explanations of diagrams and figures on the PowerPoint slides to save students the time needed to search for explanations of these diagrams and figures. Furthermore, students’ attendance was not adversely affected by having these explanatory notes. This is in agreement with a previous study which indicated that students’ attendance can be improved by providing lecture notes before the lecture time [ 25 ]. Students’ self-reported attendance in the present study showed a very good attendance rate despite the provision of detailed notes and supplementary videos before lectures. It can be suggested, based on the attendance profile of students in this course [ 16 ], that a negative impact of providing detailed notes on attendance is unlikely.

The Effect of Supplementary Videos on Students’ Performance

The present study demonstrated an enhanced short-term gain of knowledge on the basis of performance in post- vs. pre-video test. Literature on the use of videos has demonstrated beneficial results on students’ learning in biology courses [ 5 , 26 – 28 ]. A blended mode similar to the one utilised in this study using videos in addition to traditional face-to-face lectures offered positive outcomes and enhanced students’ learning experience [ 28 ]. The videos in this study were made interactive through the pre- and post-video tests. Moreover, students can control their watching/listening experience by speeding up or slowing down and by stopping and replaying these videos when needed. In addition, the pen option on PowerPoint was used to highlight important points. In a previous study [ 14 ], interactive videos were showed to be satisfactorily received by students and were more effective in improving students’ performance than non-interactive videos. Finally, the present study showed that supplementary videos did not inversely impact students’ attendance; this is in line with a recent study in a biology course [ 29 ].

When students were asked why they felt videos were useful, they mentioned learning consolidation and enhanced retention of knowledge which was in line with quantitative data from post- vs. pre-video test results. The second reason given by students was that these videos add a visual element to learning. Some students focused on the benefits of videos as a review resource while others found these videos useful due to their interactive nature and because they save time searching for explanatory videos online. These views are in line with previous reports on the use of videos in teaching [ 5 , 30 ]. That said, 19% of respondents in this study said they did not use the videos. The most common reason for the lack of use was that students thought the videos simply explained concepts that are already covered in the lecture. Some students felt that time pressures in this module made it difficult to utilise supplementary resources besides PowerPoint slides.

Student feedback from the survey questionnaire showed that most of the students valued the videos and felt that the videos improved their understanding of core concepts in this part of the module. For example, one student commented “It was difficult to fully understand everything just by looking at the PowerPoint slides - however the video was able to help with this” while another student mentioned “If I needed to go back and understand a concept better, it would be easily accessible on blackboard” . A student also responded, “Thank you for taking the time to make sure we understood the material, providing additional resources (videos) and allowing us time to identify gaps in our knowledge”.

The research findings and questions that emerged from this study have implications for Physiology teaching in the medical programmes. The first observation is that students from a non-biological background utilised supplementary videos more than students from a biological background. This points to the importance of supplementary material in supporting students from non-biological background during their preclinical years. It is worth noting that the provision of videos in addition to detailed notes did not adversely impact on students’ attendance. Moreover, students’ attitude towards the use of this approach was overwhelmingly favourable. The feedback from the questionnaire showed a positive attitude by students towards the use of detailed notes and explanatory videos in addition to PowerPoint presentation.

Limitations and Future Research

A number of limitations to this study must be acknowledged. Firstly, there was no control group (i.e. students not provided with notes/videos) for direct comparison of performance. That said, every effort was made to maintain consistency across the years by utilising exactly the same questions and comparing performance of content outside Physiology for the same cohort of students. The Pharmacology content used for comparison was taught consistently across the 3 years without the intervention used in Physiology. Secondly, the present study did not examine the effect of providing detailed notes and explanatory videos on students’ note-taking practices or the impact of supplementary notes and videos on classroom interaction. However, classroom observation showed that this student cohort had higher level of engagement in interactive classroom exercises during lectures, tutorials and practical sessions throughout the module. Thirdly, the present study only examined one part of the module in one programme in medicine, i.e. the graduate entry programme. This may limit generalizability of any results from this study to that particular programme. Future research should address the impact of note access in a different medical programme to see if these results can be reproduced.

Conclusions

This study supports the provision of detailed explanatory notes and videos in addition to PowerPoint lecture slides. We demonstrated that students’ attendance in this first-year medical degree course was not adversely impacted by making these additional resources available before lectures. In terms of academic performance, the supplementary notes seemed to be particularly useful to the low-performing students in this cohort more than highly achieving students. Videos on another hand were useful for short-term recall of information. Finally, students in this class liked the use of supplementary notes/videos and found them useful to their learning of cardiovascular Physiology as part of this programme.

Compliance with Ethical Standards

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

This study was approved by the Social Research Ethics Committee (SREC) in UCC (Log 2018-028).

Consent was required before taking part in the survey (Supplementary material). Participation in the survey was voluntary and anonymous.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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#WhyIChoseEducation: ‘My Teachers Had a Big Impact on Me, and I Wanted to be That Person for Other Students,’ Says Meghan Larson

Meghan Larson’s experience as a K-12 student was not an easy one. 

After missing two months of middle school when Hurricane Matthew struck eastern North Carolina in 2016, she missed three months of her freshman year when Hurricane Florence caused her high school’s ceiling to collapse and spent most of the next few years in remote learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Instead of dissuading her from a career in education, those challenges made Larson more determined to give students the opportunities she missed. 

“My teachers had a big impact on me, and I wanted to be that person for other students,” said Larson, a middle grades English language arts and social studies education major . “[Those experiences] were so bad, and they were so draining mentally for a teenager, but I also knew students across the entire country were also going the same thing as I was, and every time I thought about doing something else, I was just always pulled back into education because that’s what I loved.”

Although Larson took many of her classes online, she said she was inspired by the way her teachers still took the time to get to know her on a personal level, to ask her about her goals and provide support. She also received assistance from her college advisor, who told her about the NC State College of Education’s Transformational Scholarships Program , which provides scholarships totaling $40,000 over four years to promising students from eastern North Carolina who will return to the region to teach after graduating.

During her interview for the program, she talked about the challenges her town faced, but also about how she wanted to go back and make a difference.

“That’s an interview I remember to this day,” Larson said. “I remember every detail of it; it made me feel like an adult for the first time and made me feel like I was on the right path.”

As a Transformational Scholar, Larson has appreciated the support she has received from Transformational Scholarships Program Director Trisha Mackey , as well as the opportunities she has received to go on school visits across eastern North Carolina, network with NC State’s Educational Leadership Academy mentors and even meet with North Carolina legislators. 

“I’ve gotten a lot of chances to showcase where I’m from and my passions,” Larson said.

At the beginning of this academic year, Larson was elected president of the college’s Educational Council, which oversees all student organizations in the college. Their mission this year is to be the current leaders for future teachers. 

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Why I Chose Education: 

When I was at my pre-K graduation — I was like four years old — they asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up when we walked across the stage in our little cap and gowns. In the microphone, I said, I wanted to be a “pincipal” because I was scared. I said principal wrong. I’ve known since I was four that I wanted to be a teacher, and then I wanted to be in administration. 

I’m probably going to teach sixth grade or ninth grade English when I graduate, and then after that get my master’s and be a principal and then maybe move into school administration or the  school board and stuff like that. 

I want to make a difference in schools, and I know that it starts with teaching. But if I can make an impact on all the students, then I’m going to do that. 

What I Enjoy Most About the College of Education:

I’m just glad that I’m, one, in the best college in the state; two, that I am challenged constantly to become better; and three, just that I have the community that I have and the people who are around me. I have staff who care about me; I have deans who listen and I have friends who are going through it with me but also celebrating each other’s achievements. 

What Others Should Know About the College of Education:

I can give you a list of all of our accomplishments and everything we’re good at, but to really convince you, you’re just going to have to stop, take a look around and imagine yourself in this space. 

Why I Enjoy Most About Being a Transformational Scholar:

I don’t think that I would have done so well my first year if I didn’t have 15 people who have my back who were also going through the same thing. I had 15 new friends the first day I stepped foot on campus. And so the fact that I have that community in those peers, it’s just cool. 

I’m just grateful for that experience and that I get to tour like eastern North Carolina, all the time. It’s nice to have those experiences, and I’ve gotten so many opportunities. I’m studying abroad because of Transformational Scholars in less than two months. I’m a little scared about that, but I’m going to Ireland. 

I guess I wouldn’t have the sense of community that I have without it. 

The Last Person Who Inspired Me:

[College of Education Director of Outreach and Strategic partnerships] Lindsey Hubbard . I went on the We Teach for NC Spring Break trip with her last week. I just connect with her on a certain level; she inspires me to do better things as a student leader.

When we went on this trip, there were like 30 of us, and she was in charge of all of us the entire time. Seeing her plan the events and seeing her execute them and keeping her cool when things didn’t go right or we had to improvise and just seeing her empathy for everybody — she just inspires me in so many ways.

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​Why School Absences Have ‘Exploded’ Almost Everywhere

The pandemic changed families’ lives and the culture of education: “Our relationship with school became optional.”

By Sarah Mervosh and Francesca Paris

Sarah Mervosh reports on K-12 education, and Francesca Paris is a data reporter.

In Anchorage, affluent families set off on ski trips and other lengthy vacations, with the assumption that their children can keep up with schoolwork online.

In a working-class pocket of Michigan, school administrators have tried almost everything, including pajama day, to boost student attendance.

And across the country, students with heightened anxiety are opting to stay home rather than face the classroom.

In the four years since the pandemic closed schools, U.S. education has struggled to recover on a number of fronts, from learning loss , to enrollment , to student behavior .

But perhaps no issue has been as stubborn and pervasive as a sharp increase in student absenteeism, a problem that cuts across demographics and has continued long after schools reopened.

Nationally, an estimated 26 percent of public school students were considered chronically absent last school year, up from 15 percent before the pandemic, according to the most recent data, from 40 states and Washington, D.C., compiled by the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute . Chronic absence is typically defined as missing at least 10 percent of the school year, or about 18 days, for any reason.

Source: Upshot analysis of data from Nat Malkus, American Enterprise Institute. Districts are grouped into highest, middle and lowest third.

The increases have occurred in districts big and small, and across income and race. For districts in wealthier areas, chronic absenteeism rates have about doubled, to 19 percent in the 2022-23 school year from 10 percent before the pandemic, a New York Times analysis of the data found.

Poor communities, which started with elevated rates of student absenteeism, are facing an even bigger crisis: Around 32 percent of students in the poorest districts were chronically absent in the 2022-23 school year, up from 19 percent before the pandemic.

Even districts that reopened quickly during the pandemic, in fall 2020, have seen vast increases.

“The problem got worse for everybody in the same proportional way,” said Nat Malkus, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, who collected and studied the data.

Victoria, Texas reopened schools in August 2020, earlier than many other districts. Even so, student absenteeism in the district has doubled.

Kaylee Greenlee for The New York Times

The trends suggest that something fundamental has shifted in American childhood and the culture of school, in ways that may be long lasting. What was once a deeply ingrained habit — wake up, catch the bus, report to class — is now something far more tenuous.

“Our relationship with school became optional,” said Katie Rosanbalm, a psychologist and associate research professor with the Center for Child and Family Policy at Duke University.

The habit of daily attendance — and many families’ trust — was severed when schools shuttered in spring 2020. Even after schools reopened, things hardly snapped back to normal. Districts offered remote options, required Covid-19 quarantines and relaxed policies around attendance and grading .

Source: Nat Malkus, American Enterprise Institute . Includes districts with at least 1,500 students in 2019. Numbers are rounded. U.S. average is estimated.

Today, student absenteeism is a leading factor hindering the nation’s recovery from pandemic learning losses , educational experts say. Students can’t learn if they aren’t in school. And a rotating cast of absent classmates can negatively affect the achievement of even students who do show up, because teachers must slow down and adjust their approach to keep everyone on track.

“If we don’t address the absenteeism, then all is naught,” said Adam Clark, the superintendent of Mt. Diablo Unified, a socioeconomically and racially diverse district of 29,000 students in Northern California, where he said absenteeism has “exploded” to about 25 percent of students. That’s up from 12 percent before the pandemic.

U.S. students, overall, are not caught up from their pandemic losses. Absenteeism is one key reason.

Why Students Are Missing School

Schools everywhere are scrambling to improve attendance, but the new calculus among families is complex and multifaceted.

At South Anchorage High School in Anchorage, where students are largely white and middle-to-upper income, some families now go on ski trips during the school year, or take advantage of off-peak travel deals to vacation for two weeks in Hawaii, said Sara Miller, a counselor at the school.

For a smaller number of students at the school who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, the reasons are different, and more intractable. They often have to stay home to care for younger siblings, Ms. Miller said. On days they miss the bus, their parents are busy working or do not have a car to take them to school.

And because teachers are still expected to post class work online, often nothing more than a skeleton version of an assignment, families incorrectly think students are keeping up, Ms. Miller said.

Sara Miller, a counselor at South Anchorage High School for 20 years, now sees more absences from students across the socioeconomic spectrum.

Ash Adams for The New York Times

Across the country, students are staying home when sick , not only with Covid-19, but also with more routine colds and viruses.

And more students are struggling with their mental health, one reason for increased absenteeism in Mason, Ohio, an affluent suburb of Cincinnati, said Tracey Carson, a district spokeswoman. Because many parents can work remotely, their children can also stay home.

For Ashley Cooper, 31, of San Marcos, Texas, the pandemic fractured her trust in an education system that she said left her daughter to learn online, with little support, and then expected her to perform on grade level upon her return. Her daughter, who fell behind in math, has struggled with anxiety ever since, she said.

“There have been days where she’s been absolutely in tears — ‘Can’t do it. Mom, I don’t want to go,’” said Ms. Cooper, who has worked with the nonprofit Communities in Schools to improve her children’s school attendance. But she added, “as a mom, I feel like it’s OK to have a mental health day, to say, ‘I hear you and I listen. You are important.’”

Experts say missing school is both a symptom of pandemic-related challenges, and also a cause. Students who are behind academically may not want to attend, but being absent sets them further back. Anxious students may avoid school, but hiding out can fuel their anxiety.

And schools have also seen a rise in discipline problems since the pandemic, an issue intertwined with absenteeism.

Dr. Rosanbalm, the Duke psychologist, said both absenteeism and behavioral outbursts are examples of the human stress response, now playing out en masse in schools: fight (verbal or physical aggression) or flight (absenteeism).

“If kids are not here, they are not forming relationships,” said Quintin Shepherd, the superintendent in Victoria, Texas.

Quintin Shepherd, the superintendent in Victoria, Texas, first put his focus on student behavior, which he described as a “fire in the kitchen” after schools reopened in August 2020.

The district, which serves a mostly low-income and Hispanic student body of around 13,000, found success with a one-on-one coaching program that teaches coping strategies to the most disruptive students. In some cases, students went from having 20 classroom outbursts per year to fewer than five, Dr. Shepherd said.

But chronic absenteeism is yet to be conquered. About 30 percent of students are chronically absent this year, roughly double the rate before the pandemic.

Dr. Shepherd, who originally hoped student absenteeism would improve naturally with time, has begun to think that it is, in fact, at the root of many issues.

“If kids are not here, they are not forming relationships,” he said. “If they are not forming relationships, we should expect there will be behavior and discipline issues. If they are not here, they will not be academically learning and they will struggle. If they struggle with their coursework, you can expect violent behaviors.”

Teacher absences have also increased since the pandemic, and student absences mean less certainty about which friends and classmates will be there. That can lead to more absenteeism, said Michael A. Gottfried, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. His research has found that when 10 percent of a student’s classmates are absent on a given day, that student is more likely to be absent the following day.

Absent classmates can have a negative impact on the achievement and attendance of even the students who do show up.

Is This the New Normal?

In many ways, the challenge facing schools is one felt more broadly in American society: Have the cultural shifts from the pandemic become permanent?

In the work force, U.S. employees are still working from home at a rate that has remained largely unchanged since late 2022 . Companies have managed to “put the genie back in the bottle” to some extent by requiring a return to office a few days a week, said Nicholas Bloom, an economist at Stanford University who studies remote work. But hybrid office culture, he said, appears here to stay.

Some wonder whether it is time for schools to be more pragmatic.

Lakisha Young, the chief executive of the Oakland REACH, a parent advocacy group that works with low-income families in California, suggested a rigorous online option that students could use in emergencies, such as when a student misses the bus or has to care for a family member. “The goal should be, how do I ensure this kid is educated?” she said.

Relationships with adults at school and other classmates are crucial for attendance.

In the corporate world, companies have found some success appealing to a sense of social responsibility, where colleagues rely on each other to show up on the agreed-upon days.

A similar dynamic may be at play in schools, where experts say strong relationships are critical for attendance.

There is a sense of: “If I don’t show up, would people even miss the fact that I’m not there?” said Charlene M. Russell-Tucker, the commissioner of education in Connecticut.

In her state, a home visit program has yielded positive results , in part by working with families to address the specific reasons a student is missing school, but also by establishing a relationship with a caring adult. Other efforts — such as sending text messages or postcards to parents informing them of the number of accumulated absences — can also be effective.

Regina Murff has worked to re-establish the daily habit of school attendance for her sons, who are 6 and 12.

Sylvia Jarrus for The New York Times

In Ypsilanti, Mich., outside of Ann Arbor, a home visit helped Regina Murff, 44, feel less alone when she was struggling to get her children to school each morning.

After working at a nursing home during the pandemic, and later losing her sister to Covid-19, she said, there were days she found it difficult to get out of bed. Ms. Murff was also more willing to keep her children home when they were sick, for fear of accidentally spreading the virus.

But after a visit from her school district, and starting therapy herself, she has settled into a new routine. She helps her sons, 6 and 12, set out their outfits at night and she wakes up at 6 a.m. to ensure they get on the bus. If they are sick, she said, she knows to call the absence into school. “I’ve done a huge turnaround in my life,” she said.

But bringing about meaningful change for large numbers of students remains slow, difficult work .

Nationally, about 26 percent of students were considered chronically absent last school year, up from 15 percent before the pandemic.

The Ypsilanti school district has tried a bit of everything, said the superintendent, Alena Zachery-Ross. In addition to door knocks, officials are looking for ways to make school more appealing for the district’s 3,800 students, including more than 80 percent who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. They held themed dress-up days — ’70s day, pajama day — and gave away warm clothes after noticing a dip in attendance during winter months.

“We wondered, is it because you don’t have a coat, you don’t have boots?” said Dr. Zachery-Ross.

Still, absenteeism overall remains higher than it was before the pandemic. “We haven’t seen an answer,” she said.

Data provided by Nat Malkus, with the American Enterprise Institute. The data was originally published on the Return to Learn tracker and used for the report “ Long COVID for Public Schools: Chronic Absenteeism Before and After the Pandemic .”

The analysis for each year includes all districts with available data for that year, weighted by district size. Data are sourced from states, where available, and the U.S. Department of Education and NCES Common Core of Data.

For the 2018-19 school year, data was available for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. For 2022-23, it was available for 40 states and D.C., due to delays in state reporting.

Closure length status is based on the most in-person learning option available. Poverty is measured using the Census Bureau’s Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates. School size and minority population estimates are from NCES CCD.

How absenteeism is measured can vary state by state, which means comparisons across state lines may not be reliable.

An earlier version of this article misnamed a research center at Duke University. It is the Center for Child and Family Policy, not the Center of Child and Family Policy.

After DEI bill, this is what Utah’s college presidents fear will be the next target of lawmakers

“there’s deep concern among academics,” said university of utah president taylor randall..

(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) University of Utah President Taylor Randall looks over campus from a balcony on Wednesday, Oct. 18, 2023. Randall said on Thursday, March 21, 2024, that he believes general education curriculum at the state's public colleges and universities will be the next target of the Utah Legislature after the anti-DEI bill.

Utah’s higher education leaders are bracing for what will be “next in the firing line” after the overhaul of campus DEI programs — with several saying they feel that’s just the start of the state trying to assert more control over public colleges and universities.

The target they say is now being locked in: the curriculum that professors teach, mainly around general education classes.

“I think we ought to learn from the DEI thing and get out ahead of it in a meaningful way,” said University of Utah President Taylor Randall. “There’s deep concern among academics.”

Randall and other school presidents shared the same worries during a meeting last month of the Utah Board of Higher Education , as members talked about the recent legislative session and what’s expected to come in the interim.

Geoff Landward, who had serving as the interim commissioner over higher education for the state and was officially named to the post during the meeting — subject to Utah Senate confirmation — said those fears are justified. About state lawmakers, he said: “They are watching.”

The U. was the focus of a bill that came up late in the legislative session — and failed — that would have forced the school to establish an independent School of General Education to instruct all students for their required introductory coursework. Sen. John Johnson, R-North Ogden, who ran the legislation, outlined that he wanted the focus on western civilization, mainly European communities, and to specifically include “the rise of Christianity.”

There were also to be several courses on the “principles, ideals, and institutions of law, liberty and civic virtue that underpin the American constitutional order.”

Randall spoke out about the measure during the one committee hearing, where it didn’t move forward after a 2-5 vote. And the Utah System of Higher Education issued a rare rebuke of the legislation, saying that lawmakers should work directly with university and college presidents to solve issues.

The bill would have been an unprecedented move by the Legislature to dictate specific college curriculum. And officials don’t believe they’ve seen the end of it.

Landward said the idea was to start with the U. and then “it would be expanded to the entire system.”

Randall said the U.’s general education curriculum already includes 85% of what Johnson wanted. The president said there also are broad options available for students that cover “viewpoint diversity” — a large focus of the DEI bill.

But, he said, legislators have told him they would like to see a more unified experience that all students get when completing the general education requirements. And there was some discussion, Randall noted, that the current offerings are indoctrinating students to a certain perspective. Professors at the U. have spoken out against that.

Utah Valley University President Astrid Tuminez also challenged the idea. “I think the characterization that general education is an indoctrination of minority views is wrong,” she said. “The bulk of what we offer is classic.”

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Astrid Tuminez, president of Utah Valley University, speaks during a news conference on Tuesday, July 13, 2021.

Still, Randall suggested the curriculum focus would follow a similar path as the DEI measure, which is when he called the issue “next in the firing line.” The diversity bill was first brought up late in the 2023 legislative session, and failed, before being resurrected this year, passed and signed into law by Gov. Spencer Cox.

HB261 prohibits the eight public colleges and universities in the state from using the words “diversity, equity and inclusion,” or DEI, in the name of a central campus office; those must be transitioned to “student success and support centers.” They are also required to open any specific race- or gender-based programs to all students. And any questions about diversity or diversity statements are prohibited in the hiring process for faculty and staff.

The measure extends, too, to K-12 schools and government offices.

Both Landward and Randall said the push here came out of national conversations from Republicans.

Landward said higher education staff worked tirelessly behind the scenes to help shape Utah’s bill and soften it. The original draft, he said, was a full ban of anything DEI-related, including eliminating those staff positions. And it included limits on curriculum before those were negotiated out, he said.

But the bill does require faculty over mandatory university courses to publish their syllabi online “on the institution’s website in an online database readily searchable by the public,” according to the text of HB261.

To many, that also signals the start of more rigorous vetting of curriculum by the state.

“The publication of syllabi has some worried,” said Weber State President Brad Mortensen.

The commissioner said he was satisfied with the final version, but he warned college presidents to follow the measure or risk possibly facing more strict DEI requirements next year “because they (lawmakers) are unhappy with our compliance.”

Currently, the Utah System of Higher Education is drafting a document with attorneys to help schools comply with the law; and Landward acknowledged that it would take time to implement the changes.

So far, Utah Valley University has changed the name of its DEI center — the first in the state to do so — to the Office of Institutional Engagement and Effectiveness. Other college presidents said during the meeting that they have started shifting staff around and restructuring their offices.

“We’re pivoting,” said retiring Salt Lake Community College President Deneece Huftalin.

But, she said, the bill and the anticipation of what’s to come is causing stress. She worries that students of color won’t get the message that they are welcome at SLCC. Some faculty are leaving over it.

She added: “There’s a lot of fear still.”

(Chris Samuels | The Salt Lake Tribune) Salt Lake Community College President Deneece Huftalin speaks on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2022.

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ASU professors explore impact of STEM education in US prisons

Their work has been documented in a new book released this march.

"STEM Education in U.S. Prisons" is a collective effort of ASU professors sharing their insights and experiences in building science curricula and navigating various challenges with prison education. Book cover courtesy of Joe Lockard

Arizona State University professors  Joe Lockard and  Tsafrir Mor have spent years educating inside prisons. 

From poetry workshops to biology, providing high-quality education for incarcerated people has been a large part of their careers as educators.

Now, they have documented prison education programs across the country in “STEM Education in U.S. Prisons,” published March 2024.

Lockard, an associate professor in the Department of English, founded the ASU Prison Education Program in 2009, which provides education to those incarcerated in Arizona prisons.

What started as an idea from Lockard and Mor became reality because volunteers gave time to teach in prisons. The program now partners with the Arizona Department of Corrections and five prisons in Arizona.

“ASU’s Prison Biology Education Program is a cooperative endeavor between faculty and students from many schools and centers across the university,” Mor said. “The program would not be sustainable without the passion, sense of service and duty of the many postdocs, graduate and undergraduate students that contributed to it their talents, their expertise, and not less importantly their very valuable time.”

In addition to biology, the program has taught  classes in philosophy, accounting, creative writing, Chinese and more.

Both Lockard and Mor, a professor in the School of Life Sciences, now serve on the program's advisory committee.

“Education is a universal human right, no matter what you have done,” Lockard said. “It’s the basic way we improve ourselves, and we do want that improvement.”

Lockard taught a weekly poetry class in Florence State Prison for 10 years. While there, another educator was leading a calculus class of 25 students. Lockard was fascinated by how people so undervalued were doing work in advanced calculus. He wondered how the same principles of teaching poetry could translate to STEM fields.

“STEM Education in U.S. Prisons” is a collective effort of Lockard, Mor and other educators who are teaching prison programs, including ASU Assistant Teaching Professor Steven Hart . 

Contributors share their experiences building science curricula and navigating various challenges, such as adapting to high-security prison environments that include strict limitations on accessing and using lab equipment.

“Science education is rising to the challenge of providing solid intellectual content to prison education. For that reason, it is exceedingly valuable,” Lockard said.   

Chapters also include personal stories from incarcerated or formerly incarcerated individuals who benefited from prison education.

Question: What was the idea behind the book?

Lockard: The rationale behind the book is that if we want credible college degrees in prisons, we will need to teach science. Nobody has been thinking about how we deliver science education in prisons. There’s virtually no literature and only a few science-oriented prison education programs. We wanted to gather knowledge that is out there to help create those programs.

Mor: We also wanted to hear the voices of those incarcerated on how studying science, both inside and upon release, affected their lives. We wanted to hear from science teachers on how they did it. 

Q: What was the writing process like?

Mor: It was a challenge from the start figuring out how to recruit papers for this and find people who would write. There are no organizations or national conferences on this topic where you can find a group of papers in one spot. 

Hart: The writing was challenging because it was outside my and the other students' comfort zones. We had all been adept at technical writing, but not this kind of writing. Even though many of us were brought to the program because we were passionate about pedagogy and teaching, we’re not pedagogy scholars. It took a lot of work, and we’re all very proud of our contributions.

Q: What part of the book are you most excited about people reading?

Lockard: The last chapter is a call to teach in prisons. After going through all this discussion, we needed to state the primary purpose. It was to recruit science teachers to go out and teach science in prisons. So, that call is for scientific, educational and social activism. After reading this book, go out there and do something.

Mor: Beyond our chapter, some sections were written by people from the inside that probably have the most emotional value. They are expressive in writing, and they show what the value is. Some are still incarcerated, some are in the process of getting released and some are outside of prison. They show firsthand experience of being inside and on the receiving end of science education.

Hart: There’s a part where we talk about our laboratory activities. I think that often when you think of biology education in prison, you think they will not do experiments. At first, we didn’t, but as the course evolved and the students were eager for more, we went through the extra effort and got several lab experiments approved, brought in and performed.

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2024-25 FAFSA changes: What it means for you

Confirmation Deadline Extended

NOTE: The University of Cincinnati has extended the fall 2024  confirmation deadline  for Uptown first-year students from May 1, 2024, to  June 1, 2024 , at 5 p.m. EST. 

The U.S. Department of Education has made changes to the FAFSA process for 2024-25 to simplify and streamline the process for students. However, these changes have caused a delay in processing impacting colleges and universities across the country. Whether or not you think you will qualify for aid, it is important for all students to submit the FAFSA as this is also used for institutional and state aid.

What is FAFSA?

FAFSA stands for Free Application for Federal Student Aid, and it is how students apply for federal aid such as federal grants, work-study funds and student loans. Completing the FAFSA is free and encouraged for all students and families, whether or not you feel you need financial aid .

FAFSA delay: What does this mean for students?

Confirmation deadline extension.

All first-year students who have been admitted to UC's Uptown campus for the Fall 2024 term will now be able to confirm their admission to University of Cincinnati until June 1, 2024 at 5 p.m. EST.

This extension is being provided so that students relying on financial aid awards can be certain they have this information prior to making a final college selection.

Are any other deadlines changing?

  To accommodate a confirmation deadline extension, University of Cincinnati Housing will now accept housing applications until June 4, 2024 at 5 p.m. EST.  

Students must be confirmed  in order to apply for housing. 

When can students expect their financial aid award from UC?

Due to FAFSA processing delays, students will likely not receive their full financial aid offer from University of Cincinnati until after April 1, 2024. Please be assured that University of Cincinnati will start issuing full financial aid offers as soon as we are able.  

Notable changes to the FAFSA for 2024-25

1. less questions to fill out.

The biggest change that impacts the FAFSA process is that the form now only has 46 questions. Previously, there were over 100 questions. This means the form should take significantly less time for students and families to fill out.

The FAFSA changes also include a direct data exchange with the IRS, so you will no longer need to manually input your financial information.

2. Student Aid Index

To determine the amount of aid a student will receive, the FAFSA will now be using a new formula called the Student Aid Index (SAI) .

The information included on your FAFSA application determines your SAI, which calculates need-based financial aid. This replaces the Expected Family Contribution (EFC) formula.

3. Expanded Pell Grant recipients

A Pell Grant is a program from the federal government that aims to help low-income families afford to send their student to college. Unlike loans, grants are not paid back.

With the changes to the new FAFSA formula, the U.S. Department of Education estimates more than 600,000 new students will now be eligible to receive Federal Pell Grants.

4. No sibling discounts

In previous years, households with multiple people attending college was a factor in calculating the amount of financial aid a student would receive. That is no longer the case in the new FAFSA process.

2024-25 FAFSA is now available

It is important to complete the FAFSA as soon as possible to have access to the most financial aid available. Learn more about these changes and begin the FAFSA process today.

NOTE : Our Enrollment Services team is seeing a large increase in call volume and questions related to FAFSA. Please be patient as we work to provide the advice and information you're seeking.

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Corporate Training and Professional Education Instructor Jay Powers Gives Insightful Presentation on Leadership and Success

• Tatiana Del Valle
• March 28, 2024
• Leadership and Management
• Text-based Story

The event GROW Pasco 2024 was the backdrop for retired Colonel and University of South Florida instructor Jay Powers, wherein he guided entrepreneurs and leaders toward success earlier this month using the expertise he developed as a U.S. Army Green Beret and leader within Joint Special Operations. 

GROW Pasco is an event designed to equip local entrepreneurs and executives for growth in the evolving business landscape. Hosted by the SMARTstart entrepreneurship program at Pasco EDC, it provides educational and networking opportunities for business owners in the area. With a full schedule of speakers, including business and community leaders, and breakout sessions throughout the day, attendees learned how to leverage everything from marketing and social media to artificial intelligence. 

USF’s Office of Corporate Training and Professional Education attended to absorb more knowledge, connect with others in the local community, and see unique perspectives on entrepreneurial success.

Weaving Leadership with Self-Care

Powers emphasized key aspects of leadership and organizational growth in his presentation, “Lead Your Way to Entrepreneurial Success,” and coupled these observations with valuable perspectives he’s gained as COO at Tampa Bay Wave, a renowned non-profit accelerator dedicated to tech company growth and the development of Tampa Bay's tech ecosystem. 

He honed in on the similarities and differences between the characteristics of successful entrepreneurs and leaders. Good leaders have strengths such as delegation, integrity, empathy, and respect, while entrepreneurs have characteristics such as flexibility, curiosity, persistence, and innovative thinking. Both should have self-awareness to reflect on their actions and how they affect others. 

“There’s no single approach to leadership that will work for every person and situation, that's why it's difficult,” Powers said. “It’s important to get feedback to know how you’re truly impacting people.”

He believes people are the critical resource for any organization to succeed, so leaders should strive to create environments where people can thrive.

He also stressed the importance of balancing your business efforts with the other essential areas of your life. Be sure to prioritize sleep, exercise, family, and other parts of your personal life to ensure you bring the best version of yourself to your organization. “If you take the time to invest in it, family can be one of your biggest sources of resilience,” he said. 

Ultimately, Powers had two major takeaways:

One: Identify when you need to do less and lead more.

Two: Take a long-term approach to balance.

By getting to know your team, prioritizing feedback, giving people space to take initiative, and taking care of yourself, you can set yourself up with a strong foundation for success both in business and your life. 

The impact of his speech was evident in the long line of attendees who patiently waited to chat with him after the presentation. View the full presentation here .

Level Up Your Skills

For a unique opportunity to learn from an experienced leadership practitioner, join Powers for the next session of his course, “Executive Leadership Lessons,” starting Friday, April 5. Designed to accommodate the schedules of busy professionals, this course provides an overview of how to build positive environments, encourage employee input, give and receive feedback, and build trust. 

Register here or contact David Hill, associate director of the Office of Corporate Training and Professional Education, at [email protected] for more information. 

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USF Corporate Training and Professional Education empowers people to craft their future without limits through engaging professional growth learning and certification programs. Its programs focus on an array of topics – human resources, project management, paralegal, process improvement, leadership skills, technology, and much more.

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K-State doctoral students receive awards for research presentations at Capitol Graduate Research Summit

Friday, March 29, 2024

Two graduate students, Jaymi Peterson and Ramona Weber, were K-State award recipients at the annual Capitol Graduate Research Summit at the State Capitol in Topeka.

MANHATTAN — Two Kansas State University graduate students were recognized for their outstanding research poster presentations at the annual Capitol Graduate Research Summit , or CGRS, held at the State Capitol in Topeka on March 21. Ramona Weber, doctoral student in health and human sciences specializing in kinesiology, Hanover , presented "Effect of dietary nitrate supplementation on tumor oxygenation." Weber's major professor is David Poole, university distinguished professor of kinesiology. Jaymi Peterson, doctoral student in food, nutrition, dietetics and health, Chanute , presented "Effects of pH and wet cooking on sorghum starch digestibility, phenolic profile, and cell bioactivity." Her major professor is Weiqun (George) Wang, professor of food, nutrition, dietetics and health. Both Peterson and Weber received $500 scholarships from the Graduate School for their presentations. The CGRS — coordinated between Kansas' six state universities — is an annual showcase in which graduate students present posters of their research to state legislators and the public to showcase their work and promote the value of graduate education. This year, more than 40 students discussed the implications their work has for issues of interest to Kansas legislators and residents. Outstanding presentations received awards from the participating institutions. Additionally, BioKansas presented three awards. During her presentation, Weber spoke with faculty and graduate students from the University of Kansas Medical Center about the impact of breast cancer, a disease that affects approximately one in eight women. Weber said learning about the research and experiences of graduate students from other departments and universities demonstrated the value of interdisciplinary collaboration. They discussed the dietary aspects of her research, and how it could help improve the chemotherapy process. Prior to the summit, Weber contacted State Rep. Lisa Moser, who represents the 106th District which includes Hanover. Moser visited with Weber at the Capitol and discussed Weber's ongoing research in breast cancer, as well as the impact of breast cancer in rural communities. Weber noted that effective communication of research results, both within the scientific community and the public, is integral to her doctoral training. "There is a significant gap between the public and scientists, which often results in misinformation," she said. "Impactful communication of research can bridge this gap and foster a trusting relationship, enabling continued support for the advancement of science." Peterson also had the opportunity to speak with legislators. She said the process of preparing her research presentation taught her the value of learning to discuss her work in a variety of formats for different audiences, so that it can be relatable to everyone. "One legislator spoke with me in depth," she said. "They were interested to learn about their potential uses for health-foods. When I explained to them that a majority of the public doesn't know what sorghum is or how it could be potentially leveraged for the Kansas economy, the legislators were very interested to learn more." She said the legislators who she spoke with seemed surprised that, according to Peterson's research, cooking food samples for 10 minutes improved starch digestibility. By doing this, the nutritional profile of sorghum for food applications could improve. "They were pleased to learn more about sorghum and how we could use this undervalued cereal grain to better the Kansas economy," Peterson said. "They agreed with me that to better leverage sorghum for Kansas farmers, it is important to first educate the public on sorghum polyphenols and their potential health benefits." Weber and Peterson were two of ten K-State graduate students who presented their research at this year's CGRS were selected to represent K-State based on their presentation at the university's Research and the State poster forum, which took place Oct. 24. They included Brooke Balderson, doctoral student in health and human sciences — couple and family therapy, Manhattan ; Savannah Stewart, doctoral student in food science, Valley Center ; Holly Ellis, master's student in architecture, Grimes, Iowa ; Andrea Salazar, doctoral student entomology, Ecuador ; Manivannan Selladurai, doctoral student in grain science, India ; Amirsalar Bagheri, doctoral student in chemical engineering, Iran ; Reza Nematirad, doctoral student in electrical and computer engineering, Iran ; and Fidelis Onwuagba, master's student in geology, Nigeria . To learn more about the summit, its participants and their research, visit the Capitol Graduate Research Summit website .

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Division of Communications and Marketing 785-532-2535 [email protected]

Capitol Graduate Research Summit

Chanute, Hanover, Manhattan, and Valley Center, Kansas; and Grimes, Iowa.

Michael Sellman 785-532-6191 [email protected]

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Graduate Education

Office of graduate and postdoctoral education, 12 grad students named as finalists for 2024 three minute thesis competition.

Mar 26, 2024

After six intense preliminary rounds, twelve exceptional scholars have emerged from a pool of 65 talented candidates, earning their place as finalists in Georgia Tech's highly anticipated annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. On Friday, April 5, 2024, these finalists will hit the stage, harnessing their research expertise, to deliver compelling presentations in a three-minute format.

Congratulations to the following twelve finalists:

Karina Bhattacharya MID Industrial Design 

Vinodhini Comandur, Ph.D. Aerospace Engineering 

Mo Jarin, Ph.D. Environmental Engineering 

Anamik Jhunjhunwala, Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering 

Valeria Juarez, Ph.D. Biomedical Engineering 

Alexandra Patterson, Ph.D. Bioengineering 

Jeffrey Pattison, Ph.D. Aerospace Engineering 

Kantwon Rogers, Ph.D. Computer Science 

Mallika Senthil, MS Biomedical Engineering 

Wenting Shi, Ph.D. Chemistry and Biochemistry 

Shreyas Srivathsan, Ph.D. Aerospace Engineering 

Raghav Tandon, Ph.D. Machine Learning 

This year’s 3MT competition takes place on Friday, April 5, 2024, at 5:30 p.m. in the Atlantic Theater in the John Lewis Student Center. The entire Georgia Tech community is encouraged to attend the competition, which occurs as the finale of the 2024 Grad Student Appreciation Week. 3MT will also be streamed online and can be viewed at https://gatech.zoom.us/j/98696536715 .  Audience members and online viewers can vote for their favorite presenter to win the People’s Choice Award.  

Ph.D. winners can win up to $2,000 in research travel grants. The master's winner will receive a $1,000 research travel grant.   

Tech’s 3MT competition is coordinated by the Office of Graduate Education in partnership with the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), The Naugle Communications Center, and the Language Institute.  

For more information, visit grad.gatech.edu/3mt . 

Brittani Hill | Marketing and Communications Manager 

Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Education 

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March 2024: Faculty Scholarship & Impact

Etienne Toussaint ( with Gregory S. Parks ) Black Faces in White Spaces: The Rise of the Black Law Review Editor in Chief , LSSE February 13, 2024

Etienne Toussaint Abolitionism as a Question of Citizenship , LPE Blog February 29, 2024

Richland County Reveals Manner of Death of Female Alvin S. Glenn Detainee WIS (ft. Madalyn Wasilczuk ) March 4, 2024

Why Waymo robotaxis won’t be taking passengers to SFO, or on Bay Area freeways, anytime soon San Francisco Chronicle (ft. Bryant Walker Smith ) March 8, 20245

What does the future of driverless taxi service in Los Angeles look like? It’s already here LA Times (ft. Bryant Walker Smith ) March 8, 2024

Next Autopilot trial to test Tesla's blame-the-driver defense Reuters (ft. Bryant Walker Smith ) March 11, 2024

The Technology “Handoff” May Mean Legal Trouble For Tesla Clean Technica (ft. Bryant Walker Smith ) March 13, 2024

'Huge swaths' of SC wetlands now vulnerable due to weakened federal protections Post & Courier (ft. Josh Eagle ) March 13, 2024

Policy expert advises against embracing charter schools in search for education solutions Sentinel Express (ft. Derek Black ) March 14, 2024

Tesla’s Autopilot lands it in legal trouble in US Politico Pro (ft. Bryant Walker Smith ) March 18, 2024

What led up to tragic West Portal crash? Here’s what S.F. police know — and what’s being investigated San Francisco Chronicle (ft. Bryant Walker Smith ) March 20, 2024

Why are Americans fighting over no-fault divorce? Maybe they can't agree what marriage is for The Conversation ( Marcia Zug ) March 21, 2024

Presentations

Scott Bauries & Derek Black Fifty Years Later: Dick Riley's Standing Impact on the S.C. Constitution (Co-Moderators) CLE & Symposium March 1, 2024

Madalyn Wasilczuk Data: Causes of Death Categorization (Discussant) Carceral Death Data Collective Conference, Loyola New Orleans School of Law March 1, 2024

Aparna Polavarapu Human Rights, Human Duties: Making a Rights-Based Case for Community-Based Restorative Justice 2024 Symposium on Restorative Justice at William & Mary Law School March 1, 2024

Meghan E. Brooks Presuming Enough? Keeping the PACT Act's Promise  Faculty Exchange Workshop at Georgia State University College of Law  March 4, 2024

Kevin Brown Caste Analogy Remix: The Benefits for the Black Community from Comparing their Liberation Struggle to that of Dalits in India Presentation to the Indiana University Maurer Law School faculty March 6, 2024

Bryant Walker Smith A Discussion of NetChoice with Alan Gura and Bryant Walker Smith The Federalist Society - Columbia Chapter March 7, 2024

Kevin Brown Critical Race Theory Explained "Defend Democracy Demand Diversity Defeat Poverty" Diversity & Inclusion Symposium March 14, 2024

Aleksandra Chauhan Juvenile Defense 101: Fundamentals of Juvenile Defense South Carolina Commission on Indigent Defense March 15, 2024

William Hubbard Democracy at Risk: Can Understanding Our Past Protect Our Future? (moderator) American Bar Association March 16, 2024

Aleksandra Chauhan "What to do with children who are subjected to human trafficking in a court setting" - Specialty Court Human Trafficking: From Prosecution to Survivor Support Symposium (presented by the Human Trafficking Institute) March 18, 2024

Bryant Walker Smith Expert Presentation UN's Global Forum for Road Traffic Safety March 18-22, 2024

William Hubbard Democracy at Risk: Can Understanding Our Past Protect Our Future? William Hubbard Conference on Law & Education Webinar March 19, 2024

Kevin Brown Critical Race Theory Explained University of San Diego School of Law March 21, 2024

Elizabeth Chambliss 3rd Annual Access to Justice Research Roundtable Arizona State University School of Social and Family Dynamics March 22-23, 2024

Elizabeth Chambliss The Making of Lawyers’ Careers: Authors & Readers (Reader) William Hubbard Conference on Law & Education, Stanford Law School March 25, 2024

William Hubbard Upholding the Rule of Law: The Special Responsibility of Lawyers William Hubbard Conference on Law & Education, Stanford Law School March 25-26, 2024

Etienne Toussaint The Duty to Protect Food Sovereignty Washington and Lee University School of Law's Faculty Scholarship Colloquium March 25, 2024

Scholarship

Jaclyn Cherry Chapter Four, Tax-Exempt Law: Internal Revenue Code §§ 501(c)(7), (3), (2), (4),   The Law of Fraternities and Sororities  (Carolina Academic Press), March/April 2024. 

Aleksandra Chauhan Senate Bill 266 on the South Carolina law and statistics on status offenders Senate Judiciary Subcomittee March 20, 2024

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