Student Use and Appreciation of Voice-over PowerPoint's in an Independent Study Curriculum 

Mark A. W. Andrews, Ph.D.*, Thomas D. Corso, Ph.D., The Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Erie, PA, 16509 U.S.A.

Purpose
Independent learning requires motivation and discipline, but reading textbooks and viewing other resources can be tedious. To better engage students, we have started production and use of voice-over PowerPoint presentations (VOPP’s).

Methods
While videotape and streaming video are widely used, we had previously observed specific benefits with VOPP’s including ease of navigation and repetition, and the ability to quickly access specific information. Also, a 50 minute lecture requires only 15-20 minutes with VOPP’s, as “dead time” between slides is decreased, and students pause only when needed.

Here we report on the use of biochemistry VOPP’s during the 2006 Fall semester. VOPP’s were distributed via intranet for use and downloading. While some VOPP’s were scripted, others relied upon faculty ad-lib to keep the presentation fresh. Each VOPP is “free standing,” not requiring use of previous or consequent VOPP’s. Since the PowerPoint presentations existed from lecture-based courses, production time for each VOPP was only 2 to 6 hours (for voice-over), and corrective editing is easily accomplished one slide at a time.

Results
Students commented that they enjoyed using the VOPP’s, and, remarkably, no complaints were registered. Student survey following course completion indicated frequent use of VOPP’s, with 21 of 30 using them, and 19 of these 21 considering the VOPP’s to be a valuable educational asset. Furthermore, 19 of 21 indicated VOPP’s were easy to use, navigate and understand, and 18 agreed that the VOPP's increase their knowledge and understanding. Written comments were also overwhelmingly positive

Future Directions
We are planning additional future use of VOPP’s.