Power to make or break a point

The days of chalk and talk are long gone. But, says Susan Bassnett, reliance on modern technology is not always the best option

To PowerPoint or not to PowerPoint? that is the question. It is asked frequently as student expectations of technology become ever more sophisticated and lecturers become more aware of the need for audiovisual aids to get their message across. The days of chalk and talk are long gone, and generations used to interactive whiteboards from primary school are going to university expecting technical competence from staff. Presenting material effectively and professionally, in a manner that conveys a good grasp of the subject, is fundamental.

These days, the most frequently asked question from my postgraduates off to give a conference paper is whether they would be best advised to give a PowerPoint presentation. There is really no simple answer. People have to decide what teaching aids to use in relation to their own competencies and, most crucially, their sense of security. For if you are not in full control of your medium, your message is unlikely to be put across convincingly to anyone. I have lost count of the number of times I have sat expectantly waiting for someone to start a presentation only to hear that the technology has somehow failed, that the video is not working, that the disc is incompatible, that the material so carefully prepared for PowerPoint delivery cannot be accessed by the system. When this happens, there is the inevitable shuffling of chairs, the (usually vain) attempts to help by members of the audience, the chair's attempts to calm the anxious speaker. Incredibly some speakers don't bother to bring a hard copy, trusting blindly to the powers of electronic media.

My advice to anyone who asks is pragmatic: are you absolutely certain that you know how to a) use the technology; b) cope with it failing; c) deliver a talk at zero notice if it does fail? If the answer to these questions is yes, then you have the confidence to go anywhere and deal with whatever fate throws at you, though it is advisable to have a hard copy of an electronic presentation and it is essential to check out the technical details, ideally with a local technician, if there is anyone around, plenty of time before you are scheduled to speak. If you know in advance that you are going to have a problem, you will still have time to sort it out or, if the worst happens, to come up with an alternative.

But the PowerPoint question also conceals other broader pedagogical issues.

Not all material lends itself to the rather rigid structuring of a preset presentation. You may also want audience participation and feedback during the lecture, and if this veers off at a tangent, you will not have the same flexibility that you can employ with notes or overheads, where you can add or subtract as you think fit.

Personally, I would always rather just use notes because I know better how to pace myself and how to manage the audience response. Having taught with notes and overheads for nearly 30 years and had positive feedback from students, I find myself less excited about PowerPoint than perhaps I should be. Colleagues who have gone on PowerPoint training courses, however, often come back so convinced of the usefulness of this form of presenting that they ditch lecture notes and declare themselves newly converted. It's up to you. Go on a course, learn how to use the medium, think about whether it's right for you, then go one better than Hamlet and take a decision.

Susan Bassnett is professor at the Centre for Translation and Comparative Cultural Studies, Warwick University.