Ithaca College

Professor Kal Telage, senior author, in collaboration with graduate research assistant Crystal Wheeler and two colleagues, professors Barbara Johnson and Janet Wigglesworth, presented a paper at the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions in Baltimore, Maryland, in October 2008. The paper was titled, "Creating Attentional Inertia for Student Learning."

This is one of many student-learning research projects being conducted at CyberLab for Digitized Instruction Research and Development at Ithaca College. The lab was developed and is directed by professor Kal M. Telage of the Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology in HSHP.

This study focused on the ability to enhance classroom learning using powerful visual imagery using PowerPoint to create attentional inertia and visual momentum. The lecture content was incorporated into PowerPoint slides in the context of learning strategies developed by Professor Telage. Lecture content was visually embedded within visual effects that included selected foreground background colors, animated text and graphics, and integrated concept maps. Although captured and edited video clips were not used in this study, they are routinely used in his PowerPoint class presentations.

The exact same lecture content was also presented to another group in a strictly oral presentation. Learning comparisons between groups indicated statistically significant greater learning when visualization was included. The visual group also correctly answered more questions that required integrating information. Professor Telage concludes that students connect the information dots better when they see them!

For more information, please contact Kal M. Telage (telage@ithaca.edu).