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When is a Powerpoint file the same thing as a lecture?

Never.

Peter Norvig's Powerpoint version of the Gettysburg Address
One of the most common mistakes I see in online courses that have been converted from face-to-face is the use of Powerpoint files as replacements for what was an in-class presentation complete with live audio and a real person talking. Sure, it's tempting to think that all you need to do is upload the Powerpoint file to your online course and you are done. Your students will login, go through the trouble of downloading your file and opening it in Powerpoint or some other application. They may marvel at your choice of template as long as they haven't seen it before, but they will find one important thing missing with the presentation – You. Without your voice, the Powerpoint file is at best just an outline or rough sketch of your presentation and may lead to more confusion than learning. Most of the solitary Powerpoint files I see were not inspired by the kinds of design examples you'll find on Presentation Zen, so the absence of a presenter to expand on the points and clarify anything that might not make sense is significant. If you can't add narration to the presentation, it's probably better to spend a few minutes to write a summary of the important points and leave the Powerpoint file out completely.

On the other hand, audio narration does have some limitations. I prefer several short presentations rather than one that seems to go on and on. The recommendations from those who are creating MOOCs is to keep the presentations to around 10 minutes and add a question at the end. I think that is a good starting point. TED presentations are another model to consider - the longer talks are limited to 18 minutes. Long enough to cover plenty of detail, but short enough to keep people interested and make it watchable without investing an hour of time.

This video from Stanford has many good ideas about recording video lectures, both for flipped classrooms and online classes:


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