Recall of lecture information: a question of what, when and where

Abstract

In this paper we report on a study in which both immediate and long-term (4-month delay) recall of lecture information was tested in a group of preclinical medical students. Comparisons were made of the recall of visually and verbally presented lecture information and of information presented during different time periods in the lecture. A clear superiority of visual information over verbal information was found in both immediate and long-term recall. Information presented between the fifteenth and thirtieth minutes of the lecture was recalled best whereas the worst recall was found for information presented in the first 15 minutes. The seating position of the student in the lecture theatre was also found to be associated with the level of immediate recall but this may be a reflection of motivational factors which determine where students choose to sit rather than of seating position per se. The overall pattern of results indicate that the level of recall of lecture information by medical students is therefore a function of what type of information is presented, when during the lecture it is presented and where the student sits in the lecture theatre.

¿Aprendo más trabajando solo o en pareja? ¿Aprendo más estando cerca o lejos de la pizarra?

“…Por ejemplo, Giles et al [Giles y col. 1982] estudiaron la memoria inmediata de los alumnos en relación con su posición en el aula, y concluyeron que la posición en la que se sienta el alumno en el aula está directamente relacionada con su nivel de memoria. En psicología educativa ya se han estudiado las ventajas del aprendizaje al estar cerca del profesor:…”

“…Uno podría llegar a pensar que la relación entre la posición donde se sienta un alumno y su nota no es casual, dado que esta relación puede ser un reflejo de factores de su estado deánimo, que determina dónde se sienta el alumno, y no debido a la posición per se [Giles y col. 1982]. Sin embargo, se han desarrollado algunos estudios en los cuales los profesores determinaban dónde se iba a sentar cada alumno: los alumnos de las primeras filas, intermedias, y filas finales obtuvieron un 80 %, 71,6 % y 68,1 % respectivamente en el examen [Rennels y Chaudhari 1988].…”

Immediate and delayed recall of information presented in a live and a televised lecture

“…Previous work has shown that a number of variables can influence the extent to which information is recalled from lectures. These include the type of note‐taking, the way the information is presented and the time during the lecture when information is presented (Howe 1975; Razell & Weinman 1977; Giles et al 1982).…”

A prospective study of perceptions and preferences of medical students regarding teaching aids in teaching Pharmacology in a Medical College from India

“…Microsoft PowerPoint is now the most popular package used out of all electronic presentations [4,5] and of course, the distribution of preprinted support material and handouts [6].…”