Impact of PowerPoint and Chalkboard teaching in Physiotherapy Undergraduates.

Background: A teacher's basic tool for displaying lectures are through blackboards, pegboards, bulletin boards, transparencies with an overhead projector (TOHP), PowerPoint presentation and walk and talk. Nowadays PowerPoint presentation is commonly used as it has ability to present the information in a clear, organized and simpler manner. The present study was carried out to find out the best method of teaching amongst the undergraduate Physiotherapy students. Objective: To compare the impact of the PowerPoint multimedia presentation and chalkboard in teaching by assessing the knowledge based on the marks obtained in the pretest and posttest. Methodology: 40 students were divided into two groups and a selected content-based lecture in pharmacology was delivered. For one group lecture was delivered using PowerPoint presentation, for second group using Chalkboard. Single - best Multiple Choice Questions [MCQs] paper was used for assessing the knowledge gained. The differences in the marks obtained in the two groups were analyzed Results: Students who attended the class on chalkboard obtained significantly higher score in single best MCQ examination compared to those students who attended the same content based lecture on the PowerPoint. Conclusion: The chalkboard method of teaching was found more suitable tool of teaching and learning than PowerPoint for small group.