Best Practices for Designing Presentations for Students

presented by: Nicole EllisonInstructional 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 McMillianhttp://tinyurl.com/a89xwcw

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! Infographic

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. Fonts• 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 Practices5. 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• http://youtu.be/c00GPvns31U

Best Practices

6. Length • Keep it as short as you possibly can

• Chunk your content

• Think about attention span- Are you still awake?

Best Practices7. Interaction

• Break up content with questions forlive 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 Practices10. Animations/transitions

• Just don’t do it.

• It detracts from content• It can get very busy, very quickly

Best Practices11. 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

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– Idea Paper #46 Effective Lecturing– 6 Alternatives to Bullet lists– 7 Resources for better PowerPoints

Thanks!

Nicole Ellisonnellison@regis.edu