Standardizing Virtual Curriculum – Examination of Slide Content to Improve Student Utilization

Abstract

Background/Objective:

The COVID-19 pandemic forced educational institutions to adapt their courses for a completely virtual experience within a matter of weeks. Instructors rose to the challenge although many were lacking experience in virtual instruction and had modest framework to guide their content creation. Several studies have been conducted examining the efficacy of virtual courses however, guidance for content creation is still not widespread. This study aimed to examine guidance for creation of virtual slide decks to determine if standardizing slide decks would improve student interaction with course materials.

Methods:

This research used a retrospective analysis of Indiana University School of Medicine slide decks utilizing guidance from the IUPUI Center for Teaching and Learning to determine how existing slide decks aligned with pedagogical recommendations. Content examined included number of slides with more than six bullets, number of bullets with more than ten words, and graphic utilization. Overall number of slides and recording length were also analyzed. Number of “plays” was used as a metric to determine what content students accessed more frequently to examine the relationship between slide deck content and utilization.

Results:

The relationship between bullets with more than ten words and number of plays demonstrated a negatively trending relationship whereby slide shows containing more slides exceeding ten words per bullet were played fewer times. Metrics concerning graphic utilization, slides with more than six bullets, recording length, and overall slide number did not yield conclusive results.

Conclusion and Potential Impact:

This study demonstrated that the negatively trending relationship between content utilization and exceeding ten words per bullet should be further explored. Examining this and other data points utilizing more accurate metrics will better elucidate the relationship between slide deck content and student utilization. This research will provide guidelines for instructors to streamline content delivery and improve the virtual education experience.