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PowerPoint and Audio

Before you commit yourself to using PowerPoint + audio - Keep in mind:

1. What advantage does PowerPoint with audio have over other media you might choose?

Advantages

• Easy way to convert lecture to online delivery
• Mostly familiar technology
• Less time-consuming than creating interactive content
• Reusable 

Disadvantages

• Not an engaging way to present material – more boring and difficult to follow than a live lecture
• No interactivity
• Large file sizes – very frustrating for students with slower internet connections
• For lecture review (i.e., students attend lecture and access the audio afterward to study), students may prefer audio only, without PPT because it’s more portable

2. Does PowerPoint with a audio accomplish your pedagogical goals?

If you are just delivering content to students, is there an existing source of content (book, web site, paper, notes page) that you could use? Is there a way of combining information delivery with some form of interaction?

3. All audio should have a written transcript for the benefit of students with hearing difficulties or whose learning styles are not primarily auditory.

4. Students must be able to control the playback of the recording.

Either record separate audio tracks for each individual slide and ask students to click to start the audio, or use a tool that creates a clickable “table of contents” so students can jump to clearly labeled parts of the presentation.

5. Files need to be compressed; uncompressed PowerPoint with audio has huge file sizes.

For information on file size download times, see Blackboard File Sizes. For information on compressing PowerPoint files, see PowerPoint Minimizer.

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