Using Power Point in education is nothing new. It is not just useful when making presentations at work. It is also a great learning tool. In fact, statistics reveal that 6 million teachers use this program on a daily basis. However, it is not revealed just how successful they are in creating a presentation that will both engage and educate their students.
While it is a great tool, some are not convinced that you can create a complete course using only this program. Some people think that all you can afford to create is a simple course. There are those who doubt how engaging and interesting the course can be made. At least, if this is the only tool you will use.
It may be true that a Power Point program is very simple. It is also nothing like the new and more sophisticated learning management systems. However, you can still use this to your advantage. You just have to make sure that you understand the different qualities that it has so you can take advantage of it.
Of course, that does not mean that when you use this, you cannot combine it with other tools. If you are content with a simple course, it is still possible to make it engaging. But if you want it to be more sophisticated, you can always use other learning tools.
Tips when creating a course through Power Point
Here are some tips that will help you create the best course through a Power Point.
First of all, you have to make sure that you have an outline of what you will put on every slide. This will give you direction and will help you finish the course a lot faster. It will also help you identify and plan ahead when it comes to what each slide will need to appear engaging and interactive.
Among the things that you need will be the overall theme of the course (e.g. the template). You have to decide on a unifying theme for all the slides – like the color, font, etc. Not only that, you have to check the text. What will each slide hold in terms of content?
You should also decide on the audio. Power Point presentations will allow you to include background music or audio elements to put the learners in the mood. Even animations, videos, and other interactive elements can be added. You can put pop-ups to give the slide some activity. Use images and other visual effects that will help capture the interest of the learners.
You can decide to put all of these together before starting the presentation or you can gather them as you go through one slide after another. You should also use hyperlink across the slides to help the learners go back to previous content that will refresh their memories.
The more the learners are physically involved during the lesson, even if it is just clicking on links, it will make the course more engaging.
Just make sure that you understand the limitations of Power Point programs – like the file size, etc. These are minimal issues that will not keep you from creating a complete and effective course.