Visual aids engage listeners in the topic of discussion. The visual aids should allow and encourage students or co-workers to take notes. Immediately, the learner is using three senses: seeing, hearing and touching. They are now engaged. For example, if you are discussing the growth stages of a rose, the student both sees and hears the steps presented on the screen and can write them down. Repetition using different senses increases retention.
Because this new generation of college students and workers are technology driven, they are stimulated by sight and by doing. They are conditioned to see an image on a screen and act to advance to another website or discover further information. They know the jargon, and they know how to find answers quickly and efficiently. Visual aids in class will allow them to better recall an image and recognize it as they search for further information or study the material for a test. The image is embedded in their brain for easy recall and further retention.
For those who require visual aids to enhance their learning, a lecture without notes or examples hinders their ability to understand the topic of discussion. A professor who verbally explains the steps of a particular math problem without demonstrating each step on the board as he explains will lose many of his listeners. A visual aid serves to explain what is being said. It clarifies and increases understanding.
Visual aids require the learner to participate in her learning experience. If possible, visual aids should allow students to practice the theory being discussed. For example, if your visual aid is a chemistry experiment or math problem, allow students to take turns pouring chemicals or completing steps of the problem. This teaches students to apply what they are seeing and hearing in a public setting where there is pressure to answer correctly.