Putting Power in PowerPoint

Are you new to using PowerPoint in the classroom? Do you feel that you need improve your usage? Do students sit glassy-eyed during your presentations?

PowerPoint does not necessarily lead to increased student learning. It is not magic. Learning outcomes will not be improved just because a technology is used. When teachers use PowerPoint, results not only depend on the software but also on the course design (the learning outcomes), the learning activities, and the way that the technology supports course learning outcomes.

Here are a few suggestions for using PowerPoint that will enable you to create a positive experience in the Classroom—and possibly help your student ratings go up! (A random sampling of students indicated that they wish more professors would use the following tips.)

Practice. Practice using PowerPoint in your office before using it in your classroom. Know how to start the program, open your file, start the slideshow, and advance through the slides.
Key phrases. Use the key phrases in your PowerPoint to guide the order and direction of your discussion. This will build a logical flow to the information you are giving to your students.
Focus. Use PowerPoint to focus your teaching on interaction and active learning with your students. Do not just stand there and read your slides to the class. Students uniformly agree that a class where the teacher merely reads from slides is exceptionally boring.
Don’t turn your back. Face the class during your discussion. Refrain from turning your back on the class or talking toward the screen.
Laser pointers. Use a laser pointer to point to the screen when it is necessary. Refrain from touching the screen.
Light. Keep some of the lights on. If possible, darken only the lights in the front of the room. This makes it easier for the students to see the screen and still be able to take notes. All lights off equals sleeping students.
One presentation at a time. Present all of your information in just one PowerPoint. Do not use several presentations open at one time and bounce back and forth between them.
Be original. Use PowerPoint presentations from textbook publishers with caution. Delete or add slides so the PowerPoint has only the information that you want it to have.
Guiding activities with PowerPoint. Use PowerPoint to incorporate active learning in your classroom. Use it to ask questions that focus attention on a topic, for a think/pair/share activity, or to identify muddiest points of that day’s lecture.

Designing your PowerPoint

Think of a gourmet restaurant. When your server brings you your appetizer the food is laid out so that it is pleasing to the eye. The appetizer is tasty and helps you to look forward to the main course. Your PowerPoint should function as the appetizer by being appealing and also by serving as a primer for the main course—your lecture.

Here are some basic guidelines to follow when designing your PowerPoint:

Design–The design of your presentation will be the first thing that students notice. If it is unprofessional and sloppy students will get the message that your preparation was, or perhaps that you are, unprofessional and sloppy. Follow these guidelines to help promote interest in your presentation and what you have to say.

Use the same design throughout the presentation. Switching to different types of slides is distracting.
Avoid templates that are too busy or glitzy.
Use dark text on a light background or light text on a dark background.
Red is a difficult color to read. Rather than highlighting words in red, underline the word with a red line.

Text–It is important to choose what you write on your PowerPoint wisely. Too many words make it hard to read and will have students reading rather than listening to what you are saying. Too few words and your PowerPoint will not be very helpful. Check out these pointers to strike a happy medium.

Do not write everything that you plan to say during the class. PowerPoint is a good medium for graphics and to create a quick overview.
Only include main ideas and key phrases. PowerPoint should support your class lecture, not be your class lecture.
Titles should be of a font size around 34 to 50 points.
Body text should be a font size of about 26 to 32 points.
Be sure that no text is smaller than 18 points as it is difficult to read.
Use a common font style throughout the presentations. If you must change fonts use no more than 3 font styles in any given presentation.
Use sans serif fonts rather than fonts with a serif. Also, avoid using all capital letters as it is difficult to read. Use all caps only to emphasize one or two words at a time.
Do not use script fonts. They are very difficult to read.
When using bullet points follow these simple guidelines:
- Use no more than 6 words per bullet.
- There should be only 6 bullets per page.
- Don’t use more than 6 text-only slides in a row.
Try to intersperse your text with charts and graphics.

Art and Graphics–The phrase a picture is worth a thousand words is never more true than in a PowerPoint presentation. Use art and graphics to enhance your overall message. But be careful, if the graphic doesn’t add to the subject it is better to leave it out.

Use art, charts, and tables whenever appropriate.
Avoid using art that does not add to, or help explain the content of the lecture.
Use color photos rather than clip art, as clip art looks dated and unprofessional.
There should be only one picture per slide, more than that is too busy.
Avoid grainy or blurry pictures. It is better to not use a picture than to use a picture that is poor quality.
Do not smother your graphics with text.
Whenever possible use graphs instead of tables as they are easier to read.
Avoid graphs that are too busy. Only include the necessary information on your graphs.
Rather than using a key to label your graphics, try using labels.

Animations and Transitions–Technology has made it possible to do all kinds of fun things with PowerPoint. However, using animations and transitioning from one slide to another needs to be done with care. Crazy or obnoxious animations can cheapen your presentation. A good rule of thumb is to keep it professional. Check out the ideas below for more ideas on how to make a smooth transition.

Always err on the side of restraint.
Keep them simple and consistent throughout the presentation.
Fades and dissolves are a more professional use of animations and transitions than many of the other options.
Ask yourself why you want to include the animation. If the answer is because it looks neat, don’t use it.

For a further explanation of these principles you can view the following 8 minute movie that explains these principles in a little more detail.

Design Principles for PowerPoint

Tutorials

• Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 Tutorials
• Microsoft PowerPoint 2007 Training Videos
• Microsoft PowerPoint 2003 Tutorials
• Microsoft PowerPoint2003 Training Videos

Quick Start Guides

• Creating a Photo Album in PowerPoint 2007 (PDF file)
• Creating a Photo Album in PowerPoint 2003 (PDF file)
• Adding Photos to an Existing Photo Album in PowerPoint 2003 (PDF file)
• Inserting a Sound File into PowerPoint 2007 (Flash movie)
• Inserting a Movie into PowerPoint 2007 (Flash movie)
• Inserting a Sound File into PowerPoint 2003 (Flash movie)
• Inserting a Movie into PowerPoint 2003 (Flash movie)

PowerPoint Templates (for Windows Office 2007)

Note: If you are using Internet Explorer to download these templates for PowerPoint 2007, right click on the desired template and then select Save Target As. Change the extension from .zip to .potx. This is critical! Save the template in your desired location. Double click the file to open it in PowerPoint 2007.

• BYU Template 1
• BYU Template 2
• BYU Template 3
• BYU Template 4
• BYU Template 5

PowerPoint Templates (for Macintosh 2004 and Windows Office 2003)