Purposes for Using PowerPoint

• Why use PowerPoint?

• Does our use of technology in the classroom promote student learning?

• When is PowerPoint unnecessary?

Effective PowerPoint Presentations

• What makes a PowerPoint presentation effective from a design standpoint?

• What are characteristics of ineffectively designed PowerPoint presentations?

Why is Design Important?

• Enhances the effectiveness of your presentations

• Helps communicate your main points • Recent study*: Students place high

value on PowerPoint in areas of learning and motivation * Tang, Thomas Li-Ping, and M. Jill Austin "Students’ perceptions of teaching technologies, application of technologies, and academic performance." Computers & Education 53.4 (2009): 1241-1255.

Best Practices for PPT Design

• Simplicity• Readability• Interactivity

Simplicity

• Notes function vs information overload on screen• Studies have shown “More is not better” in terms of

using technology to teach• Avoid Information Overload

o PowerPoint expert Cliff Atkinson, author of Beyond Bullet Points says, "When you overload your audience, you shut down the dialogue that's an important part of decision-making."

o He points to research by educational psychologists: "When you remove interesting but irrelevant words and pictures from a screen, you can increase the audience's ability to remember the information by 189% and the ability to apply the information by 109%.”

Simplicity

• Notes function vs information overload on screen

• “More is not better” in using technology to teach

Simplicity:Information Overload

• PowerPoint expert Cliff Atkinson, author of Beyond Bullet Points:

"When you overload your audience, you shut down the dialogue that's an important part of decision-making."

Simplicity:Information Overload

• Atkinson:

"When you remove interesting but irrelevant words and pictures from a screen, you can increase the audience's ability to remember the information by 189% and the ability to apply the information by 109%.”

Simplicity: Less is More

• Keep words at a minimum o 6 x 6 guide; no more than 6 points per

slide and 6 words per point

• Keep slides at a minimumo 3 slides per minute max

Simplicity: Less is More

• Keep fonts simpleo 2 max per page, including variations on

a single font o bold and regular of Arial = 2 fontso portability of fonts & substitutions

Simplicity: Less is More

• White space is your friend

• Avoid pictures or graphics in background

• Avoid brightly colored backgrounds

Simplicity: Skip the Tricks

• Minimize or avoid animated texts, sounds, and fancy transitions 

• Can be effective in certain situations, but often distract your audience from your main points

Simplicity: Graphics

• Word art: When words become art, and when that’s not necessarily a good thing

 

Simplicity: Graphics

• Options for creating graphics, charts, and diagrams:o “Smart Art” in PowerPointoWeb 2.0 program (free):

• gliffy: http://www.gliffy.com/

 

Simplicity: Graphics

• http://sxc.hu/

• site for illustrations & photos

 

① Contrast

② Repetition

③ Alignment

④ Proximity

Also known to graphic designers as “CRAP” or “PARC” Principles

Readability: Basic Design Theory

Readability: Contrast

• Strong contrast adds “visual interest” and keeps your students’ attention

• Makes content more attractive

• Highlights the most important concepts

• Difference implies importance

 

Readability: Contrast

• Strong contrast adds “visual interest” and keeps your students’ attention

• Makes content more attractive

• Highlights the most important concepts

• Difference implies importance

 

Readability: Contrast

• Using colors to create contrasto Black text on white background

oWhite text on black background

 

Readability: Repetition

• Repetition involves repeating design concepts on each page

• Creates unity and consistency

• Professional design practice: branding

• Templateso In PowerPoint

o Five sample templates on HWI site branded for Farmer School of Business

 

Readability: Alignment

• Nothing should be placed on a page arbitrarily

• Every element should have some visual connection with another element on the page

• Creates a clean, fresh, sophisticated look

 

Readability: Alignment

• Ideally every object (graphics, photos, or text) should be aligned with other objects

• Includes vertical and horizontal alignment

 

Readability: Alignment

• Ideally every object (graphics, photos, or text) should be aligned with other objects

• Includes vertical and horizontal alignment

 

Horizontal alignment

Vertical alignment

Readability: Proximity

• Group similar items togethero Similar to paragraphing in writing

• Helps readers organize information

• Using bullets and templates to achieve “proximity” in design

 

Readability: Type Size

• Make sure your fonts are legible and large enough

• “Floor test" for readability

 

Readability: Type Size

• Preview your presentation in the classroom

• Should be able to read the slides from the back of the room

 

Readability: Type Style

• Avoid all caps• serif vs. sans serif

 

Readability: Focal Point

• Related to contrast and white space

• Use design consciously to create and emphasize your message

 

Readability: Focal Point

• Images• Eyes move

from top to bottom, left to right

• Logos usually at lower right

 

Interactivity: Student Learning

• Inquiry-based learning • Interactive PowerPoint: An oxymoron?• Ideas for interactivity

o pose questionso Fill in responses o Have students take notes responding to questions

on PPT o Post notes to Bb site

• Other ideas to make PPT more interactive?