![]()
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
Matching Exercises
Game-Show-Type Quiz
Mazes
Case Studies
Simulations with Branching Decision Making, with Embedded Audio and Video Clips
Animations That Teach
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.
Table 1.1. Development Checklist
Adapt existing classroom program (if applicable). Create main file folder and subfolders for images, media, etc. Create graphic user interface (GUI) and slide and title masters. Include “how to use this program” information for new learners. Add narration and multimedia. Add other elements: documents, characters, external quizzes and sites, pre- and post-work, “blended” components, job aids Convert to Flash, HTML5, MP4, or other medium (optional). |
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.).
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...
