Technology’s Effect on College Lectures and its Evolution from Chalkboards and Whiteboards to Visual Presentations

Today’s typical college student attends a variety of courses, all of which feature a lecture given by a professor educated in the subject.  The way the lecture is presented however depends on the preference of the professor, who chooses between blackboard and chalk, whiteboard and dry-erase marker, or a visual PowerPoint.  Certain classes make this decision easier as the majority of the time, subjects like Math, Physics and Chemistry feature chalkboards while English, History, and Biology tend to utilize dry-erase whiteboards.  But with the technological phenomenon of PowerPoint growing in popularity year after year, professors are breaking down the stereotypical wall of customary teaching methods and beginning to use PowerPoint as they please.  So are we approaching an era of college lectures that are chalkboard-less and whiteboard-less, and eventually adopt visual presentations?  With necessary input from my Calculus and Music professors, and two advisors from the University Career Center the main questions of “Which method of presentation do you prefer and why?” and “What does the future of lectures look like?” were answered in significant detail.