PREPARING GOOD LOOKING DOCUMENTS
Slide Show: PowerPoint for Learning
Peter Murdoch
March 2014
The University of Adelaide
Slide Show: PowerPoint for Learning
Developing PowerPoint slide shows for use in lectures
or online can be time consuming and frustrating.
This session will raise a number of the issues you
need to consider and provide some tips to help you
prepare good looking slide shows.
We will also make time to discuss some of the issues
you have in working with PowerPoint.
Slide 1
The University of Adelaide
Template design and set-up
Using a template can save time, allow for collaboration
and help unify your course presentations
Identify your needs and sketch out a design
Choosing a design and layout
• simple or complex; check colours for accessibility
Setting up masters and basic styles
• choose fonts and set up styles for readability
Setting up for access and output in other formats
• logical, style-based document structure
• how will slides look if printed; reset if needed
Slide 2
The University of Adelaide
Example layouts
Slide 3
The University of Adelaide
Use suitable fonts

• Arial

• Comic Sans
• Arial Narrow
• Trebuchet
• Algerian
• Verdana
• Magneto
• Georgia
Slide 4
The University of Adelaide
Condensing the content
Purpose of the slides
• How much information do you need to present
– guiding the topic or explaining complex concepts
• structure for effectiveness in the lecture and/or
for post-lecture revision
Breaking up the content
• reduce to 'bite size'; don't lose crucial information
• split over multiple slides; repeat the heading or use
a joining phrase
• cite and reference copyright material; include
copyright warning notice/s
Slide 5
The University of Adelaide
Controlling type and placement
Visual presentation impacts on the ease of access and on
readability; start simple and then experiment
Slide headings
• one line or two; split into main heading & subheading
Text blocks on the slide
• format for information flow and readability
Positioning and alignment
• use align and grouping for positioning items
• Use the arrow keys to move elements; + Ctrl key for
finer movements, + shift key to restrict direction
• If adjusting with object 'handles' use the Alt key
Slide 6
The University of Adelaide
Formatting text blocks
HEADING
HEADING
Intro intro intro intro intro
intro intro intro intro intro
Intro intro intro intro intro
intro intro intro intro intro
Subheading
Text text text text text text
text text text text text text
Subheading
Text text text text text text
text text text text text text
Slide 7
Subheading
Text text text text text
text text text text text
Subheading
Text text text text text
text text text text text
The University of Adelaide
Formatting text blocks
Whole paragraphs set in bold type
do not necessarily provide the right
amount of emphasis to bring to the
reader’s attention the importance
of the point being made.
MAIN HEADING
Subheading 1
Whole paragraphs set in bold type
do not necessarily provide the right
amount of emphasis to bring to the
reader’s attention the importance of
the point being made.
Main Heading
Slide 8
Subheading 2
Subheading 3
SUBHEADING 1
Subheading 2
SUBHEADING 3
The University of Adelaide
Arranging text
The Align & Group options
can be found in Arrange
on the Home or the
Drawing Tools: Format
tabs
Slide 9
The University of Adelaide
Adding images and transitions
Images and transitions can enhance a presentation, but
avoid both their overuse and misuse
Why use images?
• to add 'colour', support a concept, or elicit a response
• is an image a better way to show the information
Prepare suitable images
• rescale images to suit; use bmp, gif, png & jpg
Use transitions appropriately
• to show steps in a process or to reveal responses
Slide 10
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Photo from Stock.XCHNG
www.sxc.hu
Slide 11
Resolution
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Resolution
Slide 12
The University of Adelaide
Resolution
300 dpi
72 ppi
Slide 13
The University of Adelaide
Photo University of Adelaide
Slide 14
JPEG degradation
The University of Adelaide
Adding multimedia elements
Audio grabs | Video clips | Web links
• multimedia should have a purpose for its inclusion
• you can create multimedia yourself or source from
elsewhere
• check for any copyright requirements
• check if you need to link to an external 'player’
Slide 15
The University of Adelaide
Creating packaged learning modules
• features such as audio narration and interactive quizzes
can be combined with a PowerPoint slide show to create
modules for independent learning
• you can use third-party software to add these features
and to export your slides as a packaged learning object
e.g. Articulate and Adobe Presenter.
• find examples of audio-narrated slides and interactive
modules to see how others have approached their
design and creation
Slide 16
The University of Adelaide
Show time: sharing your slides
Providing access
• what to make available
• in what formats
Copyright and distribution issues
• are there copyright materials to manage
Evaluate for continued improvements
• seek peer and user feedback
Slide 17
The University of Adelaide
Summary
The features of a well designed PowerPoint presentation
include
• having a clear purpose for learning
• having the slides support the presentation or enable
engagement
• a clear and thoughtfully constructed visual appearance
Start simple when developing PowerPoint presentations
and with experience tackle more complex designs.
Slide 18
The University of Adelaide
Thank You
© The University of Adelaide 2014
Slide 19
The University of Adelaide