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(Illustration by Frits Ahlefeldt)

Download the handout from our PowerPoint training session (updated 14/11/2012) for more details. You can find an AU-branded PowerPoint template on the University brand identity page.

PowerPoint can be used poorly, or used well. Many people are put off by PowerPoint because they have been subjected to poorly-designed or poorly-presented slide shows. This is understandable; however, it is possible to avoid the pitfalls of what is popularly called ‘Death by PowerPoint'. Below are some tips:

• Make eye contact with your students, just as you would in an ordinary seminar or lecture. Don't let the presentation form a barrier between you and the students.
• Make sure that everything in the presentation will be readable, even from the back of the classroom. This relates to colour of font and background, font size, and font style.
• Some of the design templates that come with PowerPoint are poorly-designed for readability and style, so be selective. The presentation templates and Auto Content Wizard (which structure content) are not recommended for academic use.
• Avoid reading directly from the slide – if a presentation consists of the lecturer just reading the text that is in the slide, the students may feel that they might as well have been given a printed handout and read it themselves. The slides may give the outline of the lecture topics but should not comprise the text of the lecture itself.
• Avoid use of:
            o garish colours, or too many different colours
            o background images in the design template that are too ‘busy' and interfere with readability of the text
            o fonts that are difficult to read, or too many different fonts (sans-serif fonts such as Arial are usually preferred)
            o text animation that is slow, excessive, or flashy (animation used judiciously for emphasis can be effective, as long as it is not over-used)
            o clipart that has an amateurish style
            o graphics that don't contribute to communication of the message
            o annoying sound effects
            o too much text on one slide or fonts that are too small

Branching structure – contingent teaching

A PowerPoint presentation doesn't have to be linear. You might want to embed ‘action buttons' to enable you to jump from one part of the presentation to another, depending on need. Here are some useful resources:

• Branching scenario created using action buttons:
• Higher Education Academy paper describing the navigation in multiple directions from a central slide:
• Example presentation:
• Interactive (non-linear) PowerPoint: 

Approaches to handouts

It can be useful for students to have some kind of documentation from the presentation because it can free them from trying to write down every detail of the lecture, thus allowing them to focus more on the meaning of what you are saying. For factual information that is very detailed, this can help ensure that students are getting the correct information, rather than relying on faulty note-taking. There are several ways you can approach handouts and notes, so choose the one that best suits your needs.

• Of course, the entire presentation in PowerPoint form or in web page form can be mounted on Blackboard. This is the default position for many people, but it is not necessarily the best approach in all cases, so consider other options as well.
• There are three approaches to distributing notes and handouts. They can be printed for distribution during class (to aid note-taking), put on Blackboard prior to the lecture (for students to preview), or put on Blackboard after the lecture (to aid revising). The advantage of posting something to Blackboard is that it will always be available, so students can't lose it.
• If you provide lecture notes, you don't necessarily have to include the entire script of the lecture. It could be an outline or selected key points and details.
• Printed handouts of the slides, especially the format with blank lines, are useful for note-taking during lecture.
• You may prefer to include speakers' notes giving the content of your lecture in more detail, but it is not necessary and may not be desirable in all cases.
• Rather than the slides themselves, a selected outline of key points in Word format can be mounted on Blackboard or given as a handout.
• Depending on the content, you may wish to give students a skeleton structure of the lecture in advance, which they will have to fill in during lecture.