Improving communication skills: Using PechaKucha style in engineering courses

Abstract

In an effort to improve oral communication skills in engineering students, Muskingum University, a traditional liberal arts institution, tested the PechaKucha presentation style. In this style, students were required to present their design and/or research projects in 6 minutes and forty seconds. The presentation included 20 slides with duration of 20 seconds each. This style was used in two different courses with different kinds of projects. Senior students presented their research project for the Electromagnetics course, and sophomore students used the style to present their design projects in Statics and Dynamics course. After the presentations, students were required to answer a questionnaire were they compared their experience using PechaKucha style with traditional Power Point presentations. Details of the assessment tool and results of the student's questionnaire are presented and explained in detail. © 2011 American Society for Engineering Education.