Presentation vs. Performance: Effects of lecturing style in Higher Education on student preference and student learning

Conventional lecture approaches view the process as a teacher-led method of imparting knowledge ("presentation" lecture), whereas modern theories suggest that the teaching methods employed should aim to inspire the student to learn rather than simply provide them with knowledge ("performance" lecture). The aim of the current research project was to compare the presentation lecture with the performance lecture by assessing student preferences and student learning. Comparisons within and across student cohorts revealed greater retention, understanding, and preference for the material covered in the performance lectures relative to the material covered in the presentation lectures. These findings suggest that Higher Education should aim to employ a greater use of the methods utilised in the performance lecture in order to enhance learning. Future research should focus on further exploring the relative effectiveness of each of these individual performance methods in order to establish the best possible approach to teaching in Higher Education.