DCU Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning1 Effective Use of Teaching Aids Session 1 Basic Teaching Skills Course for Recently-Appointed Academic Staff

DCU Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning2 TASK - Introductions Stage One zFind a partner, preferably someone you don’t know. zFind out a few things about them, e.g.: mWho they are, mWhich school/unit they work in, mWhat they do. zTime for task - 5 minutes Stage Two z Prepare a brief presentation to introduce the person to the group, and illustrate it with with either: mflipchart, or moverhead transparencies. z Time for task - 10 minutes. Stage Three z Make your presentation to the whole group.

DCU Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning3 Learning Outcomes By the end of this session, you should be able to: zChoose the most appropriate visual aid for your purpose and context, zUse the black-/white-board effectively, zMake the most of the overhead projector, zProduce a basic presentation with MS Powerpoint,  Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of other media.

DCU Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning4 Why use teaching aids? Teaching aids are useful to: zreinforce what you are saying, zensure that your point is understood, zsignal what is important/essential, zenable students to visualise or experience something that is impractical to see or do in real life, zengage students’ other senses in the learning process, zfacilitate different learning styles.

DCU Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning5 30% of what we SEE We Learn and Retain: 10% of what we READ 20% of what we HEAR 50% of what we HEAR and SEE Higher levels of retention can be achieved through active involvement in learning.

DCU Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning6 WHITE-/BLACKBOARD Advantages zNo advanced preparation required, zexcept when displaying a complex table/chart/ diagram. zTechnology is not dependent on electricity or other possible glitches. zCan be used by students for problem-solving, etc. Disadvantages z Time-consuming if you have a lot to write. z Handwriting may be difficult to read (legibility, size, glare, etc.). z Turn your back on audience. z Cleaning the board (chalk dust, permanent marker, etc.) z Can’t go back to something you’ve erased.

DCU Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning7 WHITE-/BLACKBOARD TIPS zGet to the lecture hall early to make sure that the board has been cleaned. zBring your own chalk/markers and eraser. zIf you have problems with keeping your writing level, draw horizontal lines in advance using a pencil and metre stick. zDraw complex diagrams, charts, etc. in advance and cover with a piece of newsprint until needed.

DCU Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning8 OVERHEAD PROJECTOR Advantages zAllows you to prepare all your slides in advance. zParticularly suited for complex diagrams, charts and illustrations. zCan build up information point-by-point through the use of overlays. zDon’t have to turn your back on the audience. Disadvantages z A blown bulb or power failure can spoil all your hard work. z Image quality can also be a problem. z Can be disorienting to manipulate transparencies on projector plate.

DCU Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning9 OVERHEAD PROJECTOR Preparing Transparencies zBy hand, or zComputer application (eg. MS PowerPoint, MS Word, HTML documents) zPrinting - colour or B/W zPrinter (laser or inkjet), or zPhotocopier

DCU Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning10 OVERHEAD PROJECTOR Selecting Text zAvoid overcrowding zAvoid continuous prose zBullet or numbered points preferred zKILLS Keep It Legible, Lean and Simple

DCU Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning11 OVERHEAD PROJECTOR Please observe the rules prohibiting the combustion of vegetable material and the exhalation of noxious fumes in this auditorium. NO SMOKING Keep words to a minimum:

DCU Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning12 OVERHEAD PROJECTOR Tables are best avoided:

DCU Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning13 OVERHEAD PROJECTOR Use Charts/Graphs instead:

DCU Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning14 OVERHEAD PROJECTOR Choosing a Font zSize - minimum 20pt (5mm high) zSans serif fonts preferred Examples: z 14 pt Tahoma z 20 pt Tahoma z 28 pt Tahoma z 36 pt Tahoma  Times New Roman zArial zComic Sans

DCU Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning15 OVERHEAD PROJECTOR Style Notes for Transparencies zAllow a margin of 5 cm (2”) all round. zAvoid TOO MUCH UPPERCASE TEXT zFor emphasis, use bold or underlining instead of italics zKeep titles systematic and consistent zJustification - left or centred zAvoid light text on dark background.

DCU Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning16 OVERHEAD PROJECTOR During the Lecture z Keep used and unused slides in separate piles. z Cover the slide with a piece of cardboard and slide it down to reveal text as you go. z Use a pen on the OHP glass rather than pointing to the screen. Beforehand zGet to the room early to make sure the OHP is working. zCheck the aim and focus. zWalk to the back of the room to see whether the smallest print is readable. zRelax (if possible).

DCU Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning17 DATA PROJECTOR (portable) How to connect your Laptop to a portable data projector: zAttach one end of the data cable to the serial port of the laptop. zAttach the other end to the RGB IN port of the data projector. zSwitch the data projector on followed by the laptop. zPress the 'Fn' and the appropriate function key to display.

DCU Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning18 DATA PROJECTOR (fixed) A FEW DAYS BEFORE zContact Education Services Helpdesk to have your account authorised for log on. NOTE: Available in certain classrooms only

DCU Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning19 DATA PROJECTOR (fixed) JUST BEFORE YOUR LECTURE/TUTORIAL zLog on as normal. zOpen PowerPoint (or other application) and access files on your designated network drive, or zOpen web browser, type in the URL and queue up what you want to present. zMinimise window until you are ready to use. For further information, see:

DCU Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning20 Other Media FLIPCHART When to USE: zif electricity is unavailable, zto enable students to illustrate group reports, zto provide a written record of points made by students. TIPS z Check the room and equipment beforehand. z Get your own pad of newsprint. z Write out important pages in advance. z Don’t put too much on a page. z Carry a collection of felt-tip pens and check that they haven’t dried out. z Bring along some Blutack.

DCU Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning21 Other Media AUDIO TAPES or CDs When to USE: zParticularly suited for language learning, media studies, English literature, etc. zValuable when referring to recorded historical events (e.g. Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech). zBackground music can also be played before class starts and during group activities. TIPS z Check the room and equipment beforehand. z Can it be heard from the back of the room? z Find the right spot on the tape/CD and queue it up in advance. z Don’t play more than a few minutes of audio at one time. z Break up longer clips into segments, interspersed with discussion or other activities.

DCU Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning22 Other Media VIDEO TAPES or DVDs When to USE: zAdds a dimension not available through audio alone - helps students to visualise. zEssential when illustrating things that are impractical to do in real life. zParticularly suited for language learning, media studies, engineering, etc. zValuable when referring to recorded historical events. TIPS Same as for CDs/audio tapes z Check equipment beforehand. z Can images be seen from the back of the room? z Queue up the tape in advance. z Break viewing into short segments, interspersed with discussion or activities.

DCU Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning23 Making the most of the DATA PROJECTOR A brief introduction to MS PowerPoint Further information can be found on the CSD web-site:

DCU Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning24 TASK: Choosing Media Stage One zWork individually. zThink of a lecture/ tutorial you will be giving. What media will you use to support it? zTime for task - 2 minutes. Stage Two z Form triads. z Share you plans with each other. Why did you choose specific media? z Time for task - 5 minutes. Stage Three z Raise problems/issues in plenary session.

DCU Office of the Dean of Teaching and Learning25 TASK: Stop - Start - Continue zWork individually. zTake out a piece of paper, and answer the following: lSTOP - What would you like me to stop doing? lSTART - What would you like the facilitator to start doing? lCONTINUE - What would you like the facilitator to continue doing? zFold over and hand in on your way out.