Faculty Center Electronic Workbook

Tips on Teaching with Slide Presentations

  1. Slide presentations (e.g., PowerPoint) tend to be teacher-centered. Design for greater classroom interaction.
  2. PowerPoint-based lectures tell you nothing about student learning. Design for feedback.
  3. Slide shows do little to model how students should interact with the material on their own. Include student activities or demonstrations to overcome this.
  4. PowerPoint was designed to promote simple persuasive arguments. Design for critical engagement, not just for exposure to a “point.”
  5. Presentation graphics should be about learning, not about presentation.
  6. PowerPoint presentations should help students organize their notes, not just “be” the notes.
  7. Potential benefits of using presentation graphics include :
    1. Engaging multiple learning styles,
    2. Increasing visual impact,
    3. Improving audience focus,
    4. Providing annotations and highlights,
    5. Analyzing and synthesizing complexities,
    6. Enriching curriculum with interdisciplinarity,
    7. Increasing spontaneity and interactivity, and
    8. Increasing wonder.

Slide Presentation How-To’s

  1. Create new presentation
  2. Templates and objects
  3. Add slide
  4. Insert text box
  5. Create or change objects
  6. Drawing toolbar
  7. Move and resize objects
  8. Content issues and progressive build
  9. Copy text box
  10. Copy objects
  11. Delete objects
  12. Add color to objects
  13. Outline text box
  14. Change font
  15. Add shapes
  16. Add color and texture to shapes
  1. Add clip art
  2. Insert picture from file
  3. Copy picture from web
  4. Cropping pictures
  5. Layering images
  6. Add charts
  7. Add or delete information on charts
  8. Change type of chart
  9. Add a table
  10. Adjust cells in table
  11. Format tables
  12. Add transition
  13. Timing transitions
  14. Animations
  15. Animating text or charts
  16. Presenting the slide show

General Presentation Tips

  1. Text must be clearly readable from the back of the room.  Too much text or too small a font will be difficult to read.
  2. Light text on dark backgrounds will strain the eyes.  Minimize this contrast.
  3. Transitions and animations should be used sparingly and consistently to avoid distractions.
  4. The basic format should be consistent and minimal.
  5. Know the effects of color and tone on your audience.
  6. Use graphics and pictures to illustrate and enhance the message, not just for prettiness.
  7. Don’t just read the slides.
  8. Be aware of your position and movement in relation to the screen.
  9. Don’t forget that you are the presenter, not the technology.