Best Practices for Designing Presentations for Students presented by: Nicole Ellison Instructional Designer

Agenda – PPT vs. Other tools – Pros/cons of PPT – 12 best practices for design you can’t live without!

Death by PowerPoint “Death by PowerPoint” by Don McMillian

PPT vs. Other tools PowerPoint We know it well We have it Easy to use We love to hate it Other Presentation tools Prezi SlideCaptain Haiku Deck Flowboard

Your typical content presentation is… intended to Enhance interest, clarity and retention Illustrate concepts Reinforce content But students can struggle… Deriving meaning from bullet points can be challenging Students might not take notes

What are the goals? To keep your learners focused and attentive To engage your learners with the content And we want our learners to retain the content so they may utilize it later in their profession. Make your message stick! Make your message stick! Infographic Make your message stick! Make your message stick! Infographic

12 DESIGN BEST PRACTICES YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT! And now our feature….

Best Practices 1. Choosing a theme Keep it simple Choose something on a white or light background Avoid flashy designs or busy colors

Best Practices 2. Fo n t s Limit font variety Make sure it is large enough to read Use sans serif fonts (like this one) DO NOT TYPE IN ALL CAPS.

Best Practices 3. Color Use sparingly Make sure your text is legible. Don’t use color for emphasis (use bold instead). Don’t use a colored or distracting/clashing background

Best Practices 4. Text/Content Keep text on one slide to a minimum Explain visuals/graphics Use the notes area of a PPT to explain your bullets. Consider alternatives to bullets Utilize space on slide well

Best Practices 5. Images/graphics Illustrate concepts through visuals such as: –Images, Maps, tables, diagrams, flow charts, or graphs Only use visuals that support your content Obey copyright laws, cite your source.

Memory and Retention… Father Guido’s 5 minute University

Best Practices 6. Length Keep it as short as you possibly can Chunk your content Think about attention span- Are you still awake?

Best Practices 7. Interaction Break up content with questions for live audience or reflection (online students) Include a quiz question before your next slide. Include a brief quiz at the end of the presentation

Best Practices 8. Notes and Notetaking Make your PPT available for printing. Include notes (generate PDF with notes)

Best Practices 9. Errors Mistakes happen especially when you are in a hurry…But don’t forget to: Do a spell check Check your facts Have another person/colleague look at it before you go live.

Best Practices 10. Animations/transitions Just don’t do it. It detracts from content It can get very busy, very quickly

Best Practices 11. Narration Consider adding narration to your presentation Increases interest, retention, and understanding (if done properly) Adobe Presenter is an add-in for PPT

Best Practices and 12. Use of Video If possible include the link of where the video can be found Keep copyright and fair use in mind. Cite your sources. Provide transcripts or closed captioning whenever possible

Let’s Recap 1.Theme 2.Fonts 3.Color 4.Text/Content 5.Images/Graphics 6.Length 7.Interaction 8.Notes 9.Errors 10. Animation 11. Narration 12. Use of Video

What is on your last slide? Give them something to ponder (a real head scratcher) Key takeaways Something motivating or positive All of the above

Design tips from the masters

Questions/Comments? For more resources check out… – Free PPT Templates Free PPT Templates – Idea Paper #46 Effective Lecturing Idea Paper #46 Effective Lecturing – 6 Alternatives to Bullet lists 6 Alternatives to Bullet lists – 7 Resources for better PowerPoints 7 Resources for better PowerPoints

Thanks! Nicole Ellison