Over 30 million PowerPoint presentations are made each and every day.  So I had to chuckle when Rebecca Shuman of Slate magazine called digital presentations the “scourge of higher education.” Not to be out done, PowerPoint itself is the “Comic sans of instructional tools.”  A tool so dreaded, it is the equivalent of the world’s most infamous font. Yikes!

Fair enough – we’ve all sat through presentations that make a trip to the dentist look like fun.  Those presentations with too many words, in too small fonts, with early Internet clip art being read verbatim to you and 250 of closest friends in a large auditorium.

So how can PowerPoint be redeemed in higher education?

When used effectively, this tool adds effective visual interest to a classroom, reminds students of lecture highlights (so they don’t have to transcribe a lecture) and even act as a study aid.

PowerPoint presentations are the #1 type of content recorded in lecture capture systems. The right lecture capture solution can enhance your presentations, make it easier for students to access your content, and even increase learner engagement.  All with little to no effort on your part.

How?  Any solution you select should include a plug in for lecture capture and active learning. Once added to your PowerPoint interface, you can:

  1. Create new presentations
  2. Add questions and polls to your presentation
  3. Share presentations with one click
  4. Teach as you always do in class from PowerPoint

Your content and activities are recorded and students have access to the course content anytime, anywhere. Students are more active and engaged during your presentations and have increased access to materials round the clock. You don’t have to change how you teach or learn a new tech solution.  It’s a win-win.

Can lecture capture save PowerPoint? If you select Echo360 – the only solution with the PowerPoint plug in – you and your students may just become PowerPoint devotees yet…