Middle Tennessee Psychological Association

Spring 2020 Meeting

April 25, 2020 Online
Middle Tennessee State University Web Page

Note: MTPA will be a virtual conference for 2020.

We are only accepting poster presentations. Please use the online submission form so we can build the program.

You will need to submit your poster as a pdf file by April 23, 2020. Submit your poster presentation via email to Dr. William Langston at william.langston@mtsu.edu.

There will be no live events on MTSU's campus; please do not try to go to this meeting.


Middle Tennessee State University will be hosting the Middle Tennessee Psychological Association’s 2020 spring meeting. The meeting provides an excellent opportunity for undergraduate and graduate students to present their efforts to colleagues from other colleges and universities.

 Note: Dr. Fisk's lecture has been postponed to the 2021 MTPA conference on April 24, 2021

KEYNOTE SPEAKER:
Gary Fisk, Ph.D.
Georgia Southwestern State University
Department of Psychology

Getting More Power Out of PowerPoint Presentations: An Evidence-Based Approach


Abstract

PowerPoint presentations are a standard feature of most college and high school courses. However, educational outcome studies show that this technology does not consistently improve student learning, thereby raising doubts about the effectiveness of prevailing practices. This presentation will address the question of why "death by PowerPoint" occurs. The research is a scholarship of teaching and learning project that provides a student-centered viewpoint of the sensory, cognitive, and motivational influences of PowerPoint presentations. Recommendations will be made for designing presentations in ways that will increase student engagement and critical thinking. These ideas are broadly applicable to anyone who gives presentations, especially scientific presentations. The research process behind this project will also be addressed in order to illustrate key features of the scientific method to an audience of undergraduate researchers.

About Gary Fisk

Gary D. Fisk is a Professor of Psychology at Georgia Southwestern State University. He received his Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where he studied behavioral neuroscience. His research background includes neurobiology, rehabilitation medicine, and experimental psychology. A professional passion is using technology to support and encourage student learning. Examples include instructional web pages, Flash-based animations, online learning management systems, and PowerPoint software. In his free time, he enjoys gardening, community theater, and homebrewing.

Email: gary.fisk@gsw.edu
Phone (office): 229-931-2296; messages: 229-931-2311
Web: https://www.garyfisk.com 

Guidelines and Information

  • There is no need to register for the event; your submission is your registration. There are no registration fees for 2020.
  • The submission deadline is April 17, 2020. All submissions received by the deadline will be accepted for presentation. A final program will be available online by April 20, 2020.
  • The research should have been conducted by an undergraduate or graduate student. If a faculty member is a co-author, the student should be first author. The student researcher will be expected to make the poster.
  • Papers on completed research, ongoing research, or theoretical reviews are encouraged.
  • Presenters may only present a poster describing their research.

Past MTPA Programs