Better Than Bullet Points

Creating Engaging e-Learning with PowerPoint

Jane Bozarth

• Publisher: Pfeiffer
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN: 9781118674277
• eBook ISBN: 9781118674123
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Human Resource Management
• Index: Business

Featuring a complete update of the previous edition to reflect the new and expanded tools of PowerPoint 2013. By providing in-depth guidance, specific instructions, and helpful exercises, the book helps everyday trainers to create potent e-learning through the readily available popular desktop application. Established expert Jane Bozarth guides readers through the powerful new and updated features of the soon-to-be-released 2013 version, covering everything from text to art, animation to interactivity. If you have PowerPoint, this book will immediately put free real-world tools in your hands. Also features many online tools, including relevant technical design elements from older PowerPoint versions as well as a wealth of additional tools, templates, and examples.

SECTION ONE: FOUNDATIONS
Chapter One: Creating E-Learning with PowerPoint
Chapter Two: It's About Design, Not Software

SECTION TWO: INTERFACE AND CONTENT
Chapter Three: The Graphic User Interface and Course Architecture
Chapter 4 Designing for Impact
Chapter Five: Creating and Editing Art
Chapter Six: Animation
Chapter Seven: Interactivity
Chapter Eight: Add-Ons, Blending, Performance Support, and Job Aids
Chapter Nine: Adding Narration and Multimedia

SECTION THREE: DELIVERY AND SUPPORT
Chapter Ten: Saving, Uploading, and Distributing
Appendix: PowerPoint Basics
References and Other Sources
Other Resources

Section 1

Foundations

Chapter 1

Creating e-Learning with PowerPoint

There’s an urban myth that humans use only 2 percent of their brains. While that’s never been substantiated, the idea does seem to bear out in regard to PowerPoint: most users employ just a fraction of PowerPoint’s capabilities. Those of us in training know that an awful lot of classroom PowerPoint shows are just mind-numbing screen after screen of bulleted text. Adventuresome trainers may add some decorative elements like spinning slide transitions, pretty clip art, or animated text. In its worst application, poorly designed PowerPoint shows are uploaded to the web and called “e-learning.” But they aren’t “e-learning” programs. They are e-presentations or e-lectures or e-reading, but there’s no learning there anywhere. Likewise, those who think PowerPoint can’t be used to create good e-learning programs have likely only seen PowerPoint at its worst: slide after slide of bulleted lists, dizzying irrelevant animation, and decorative rather than meaningful graphics. (For that matter, many e-learning programs, regardless of the authoring tool used, suffer from the same problems. Search Google for a common topic like “online safety training” and see what you find.)

In user testing, Microsoft found that nine out of every ten features that customer wanted to see added to Office products were already in the program.

Ina Fried, www.CNEDnews.com, September 2005

It’s a shame that PowerPoint is so often badly used or underused because it can be so much more than a presentation tool. For those interested in e-learning, it can often replicate what is otherwise done with expensive authoring tools. With PowerPoint, some imagination, and some patience, you can create interesting, engaging online courses with meaningful interactivity. Figures 1.1 through 1.7 show some examples of PowerPoint’s potential.

Examples

Multiple-Choice Quizzes

Figure 1.1. Multiple-Choice Quiz

Source: Simon Drane. Component images. www.crocodile-clips.com

Matching Exercises

Figure 1.2. Matching Exercise

Game-Show-Type Quiz

Figure 1.3. Jeopardy-Type Quiz

Mazes

Figure 1.4. Maze

Source: Nick D’Alessandro, University of Tasmania. © Commonwealth of Australia. From an online PowerPoint manual available at www.agsci.utas.edu.au/ppmultimedia/. Authored by Nicholas D’Alessandro, Simon James, Anna McEldowney, and Ruth Osborne, University of Tasmania. Copyright notice: Commonwealth of Australia. Copyright Regulations 1969. This material has been reproduced and communicated to you by or on behalf of the University of Tasmania pursuant to Part VB of the Copyright Act 1968 (the Act). The material in this communication may be subject to copyright under the Act. Any further reproduction or communication of this material by you may be the subject of copyright protection under the Act.

Case Studies

Figure 1.5. Case Study

Simulations with Branching Decision Making, with Embedded Audio and Video Clips

Figure 1.6. Simulation with Branching Decision Making

Animations That Teach

Figure 1.7. Animation Illustrating Concept

Source: www.onr.navy/mil

Let’s Get Started

The rest of this book takes you on a step-by-step walk through the process of developing e-learning with PowerPoint. The chart below provides an overview of the basic process for creating an e-learning program with PowerPoint, while Table 1.1 offers a checklist (there’s a printable version on the website for this book) of the process in more detail.

Chart 1.1. Process Overview

Table 1.1. Development Checklist

Identify your learners. Determine objectives. Adapt existing classroom program (if applicable). Choose strategies. Choose treatment. Create main file folder and subfolders for images, media, etc. Develop the storyboard. Create graphic user interface (GUI) and slide and title masters. Include “how to use this program” information for new learners. Add art and text. Add animation. Add interactivity. Add narration and multimedia. Save everything! Add other elements: documents, characters, external quizzes and sites, pre- and post-work, “blended” components, job aids Add a site map Save everything! Convert to Flash, HTML5, MP4, or other medium (optional). Upload to web or LMS. Test. Launch.

The website offers narrated explanations, “you try” tutorials, examples of items like working animations and interactions, and templates for game design.

Versions

Many basics of PowerPoint have remained the same over time. Perhaps the biggest change came with the release of PowerPoint 2007, which introduced the new “ribbon” interface. Even this meant finding the new locations for familiar tools, rather than learning all the commands from scratch. PowerPoint 2010 brought some changes to authoring and version control, ability to export as a WMV video file, easy means of inserting a video with player controls, a change in how audio was edited, and a few enhancements to art capabilities.

The biggest visible change to PowerPoint 2013 is the new default widescreen 16:9 ratio, shown in Figure 1.8. It’s more appropriate for newer laptops and many devices, thus creating slides now more rectangular than square (At this time, though, the old 4:3 format still ideally fits the iPad.).

Figure 1.8. New 16:9 Default Screen Ratio in PowerPoint 2013

While this change makes sense, it’s going to bring challenges to PowerPoint users. For one thing, old slides won’t just “work” as they usually do across other versions of PowerPoint. Importing old presentations will result in a stretched look as images, text, and background are pulled to fit the rectangular frame. You can reset the slide to the old format b...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Contents
• Title
• Copyright
• Website Contents
• List of Figures and Tables
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction
• Section 1: Foundations
• Section 2: Interface and Content
• Section 3: Delivery and Support
• Appendix: PowerPoint Basics
• References and Other Sources
• Other Resources
• Index
• About the Author