A Handbook for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education Enhancing academic and Practice

Lecturing to large groups
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and for a very small minority of students this may be the only way to manage their
behaviour.
EFFECTIVE USE OF POWERPOINT
PowerPoint in lecture presentations
PowerPoint can be a very effective tool for enlivening the lecture. It is easy to import
graphics, photographs, charts, graphs, audio and video clips, and to insert live web links.
Used well, it can generate interest and provide rich and varied information.
Unfortunately, PowerPoint presentations frequently exclude these features, and simply
end up as long sequences of slides, each containing lists of bullet points through which
the lecturer works in pedestrian fashion. A list of bullet points per se need not be a
problem; a bullet point can be a useful starting point, providing a basis for elaboration
and illustration with examples. Slides with bullet points, interspersed with other types
of material, can work exceptionally well. However, lectures that use only slides with
bullet point lists, often with more slides than is reasonable in the time available, do little
to hold student interest. This can be exacerbated when the lecturer does little more than
read out the bullet points. What is the lecturer contributing to learning that the students
would not get from reading it for themselves? Furthermore, Sweller (2007) concluded
from his research on cognitive loading that speaking the same words that are written
decreases the ability to understand what is being presented. Because of this, he has been
quoted (The Times, 18 April 2007) as saying that PowerPoint is a disaster and should be
ditched. But the criticism would only be valid if the text on the slides is simply read out,
which is rare.
To use PowerPoint effectively in lectures:
• Keep the number of slides to a minimum. Use slides to enhance and illustrate the
presentation: if a slide does not really add anything, do not include it.
• Avoid using complex background images which detract attention. Ensure a good
colour contrast between text and background.
• Do not use over-complex graphs.
• Use a sans serif font such as Arial or Verdana.
• Try to avoid lectures which use only slides with bullet points.
• Consider use of animations within PowerPoint to build graphic explanations of
complex ideas if they enhance understanding.
• Import and use digitised images, sound or video material within the presentation, as
appropriate and compliant with copyright.
• Use the active buttons feature or use the hyperlink function to allow non-linear
progression through the material. This is particularly effective for question-andanswer
slides, where clicking on the different answers to a posed question will take
you to different slides, and then return you to the questions slide.