Best Practices for Creating Online Presentations
Do you have content you would like to share online with colleagues? Are you giving a presentation
before a group and want to reach a larger audience?
Certain elements are common to all presentations:
content (e.g., a core set of PowerPoint slides)
learning objectives,
concise audio script
audio resources (e.g., microphone)
The simplest procedure for converting a PowerPoint-based presentation into content that can be
accessed online or through mobile devices is to use screen capture software which records PowerPoint
slides and audio. Techsmith’s Camtasia Studio, Adobe Captivate and Articulate Presenter are examples
of this type of software. Best practices for creating a presentation, capturing audio and converting the
content for online viewing are described below.
POWER POINT SLIDES
PowerPoint slides are a clear and easy way to organize your materials. You may already have a
presentation that can be modified for use online. Sustaining audience interest is critical. As a rule of
thumb, 45-50 slides should equal about one hour of content. Consider breaking the content into
smaller chunks if slides number 40 or more.
Guidelines for creating informative, attractive slides:
Use dark print against white (or very light) background
Use simple backgrounds
Use sans serif fonts (Ariel 32 pt. is a good choice)
Avoid using red or green (problem for color blind viewers)
Avoid text-heavy slides; chunk information across several slides
Use shapes or other graphics to display ideas or processes rather than text
Graphics/pictures on slides: Images should be large and clearly drawn
Design elements (e.g., animations) should support learning rather than distract the audience
Below are examples of text and graphics-heavy slides that have been modified for better
comprehension
Figure 1a Too much information on this slide
Figure 1b Slide contents streamlined
Summarize points;
avoid reading slide
contents verbatim
Omit footnotes on
slides
Figure 2a Too many images for one slide
Three images
overwhelm slide
Divide images over
two or more slides
Figures 2b and 2c
a) Using videos and live connections to websites during PowerPoint presentations:
Use caution – technical difficulties in launching these can derail your presentation
Consider using an introductory video prior to beginning (looping the video) and then
edit into the online content using the screen capture software. Videos can also be
edited into the body of content as needed with this software
Use screen captures of websites and add them into the PowerPoint presentation, rather
than attempting live connections before an audience. Web addresses can be listed in
handouts or in supporting documentation online
Organizing Content: Creating Learning Objectives
Of all the activities involved in the instructional design process, developing objectives is one of the
most critical. A learning objective is a clear, concise description of what the learner will be able to do at
the end of the course. Also, well-written objectives can often serve as the basis for assessment (e.g.,
post test questions).
When composing your learning objectives:
determine the overall goal of the learning module (acquisition of skills, knowledge, attitudes)
determine what students must do to demonstrate goal achievement
Use action words to state objectives: "After completing this course, you will be able to:" Then use
specific terms such as understand, explain, list, determine, distinguish, and list. Finally, describe the
conditions for demonstrating mastery.
Here are two sample objectives:
After completing this course, you will be able to name and describe the two main approaches to
developing controls.
After completing this course and given a list of steps, you will be able to identify the correct sequence of
steps required to achieve a specific outcome.
Use of Third Party Materials
If you are including any Third Party Material in your presentation, it is your responsibility to ensure that
no copyright, trademark, trade secret, publicity or privacy rights, or other intellectual property rights
are being violated.
Creating and Recording Audio for Online Content
You may have used the Slide Notes feature in creating PowerPoint presentations for live delivery. For
clarity and ease in recording audio for online use, it’s to write a full audio script organized by slide. Also
the conditions under which the audio is recorded directly impact audio quality. Typically audio is
captured in one of two ways:
Recording During a Live Presentation
While it is possible to record during a live presentation, typically these conditions do not produce the
best results. The audio resources must be configured to allow for broadcast to the audience and
provide direct input into a recording device. We recommend talking with the audio specialist at the
location of the presentation.
You may wish to hold questions to the end of your presentation for ease of editing. If you wish to
include the Q&A, note that audience member would also need to be miked, or you would want to
repeat the question so that it can be properly recorded. Alternately, questions can be included in a
separate text document.
Preparing an Individual Recording
The quality of the microphone (USB microphone is recommended) and the recording location (e.g.
soundbooth, library) are major factors in producing a good audio track. Also,
Experiment with microphone placement
Use a script and practice before recording with different audio levels
Enunciate carefully and monitor audio levels as you record
When recording, include ten seconds or so of silence both before and after reading the script
for each slide ―editing will be much easier.
Review the software you’ve selected for suggestions on improving the audio
Select software options relating to audio enhancements
Final Considerations and Selecting the Output Format
1) Enhance the tutorial by creating a table of contents with the software
2) Select an output format that corresponds to how you plan to use the recording:
MP4/Quicktime—best for delivery on iTunes University, mobile applications
Posting to a website or a learning management system (LMS) ― select ‘SCORM’ during final
production in order to maximize accessibility across delivery platforms.