A Seven-Step Technique on PowerPoint Slide Preparation for Anatomy Lectures: A Cognitive Load Theory Approach

Abstract

Lecturing remains a main teaching method in anatomy education, despite being argued as ineffective in promoting understanding and higher-order cognitive skills. Designing and preparing anatomy lecture slides is a challenging task, as anatomy is a content-driven subject that involves complex three-dimensional diagrams. Overly wordy, overcrowded slides and poor organisation of text and pictorial materials are among the problems related to anatomy lecture slide preparation. These unorganised and problematic slides impose a high cognitive load on students and thus hinder learning. Hence, this paper elaborates on the strategies for lecture slide preparation that were formerly mentioned by the authors in a lecturing guideline known as the cognitive load theory lecture model. The strategies were organised into seven steps: (a) step 1: select plain background slides; (b) step 2: use headings and subheadings; (c) step 3: use visual cues and signals; (d) step 4: select a proper font type and size; (e) step 5: use text treatment; (f) step 6: choose a suitable colour scheme; and (g) step 7: synchronise all sub-elements. This paper also provides tested examples for each step to facilitate comprehension of the lecture content while applying the strategies.