R-MC Faculty Teaching Toolkit: PowerPoint

The popular presentation tool PowerPoint can be used to record presentations with audio and/or video commentary. 

Multiple steps are needed to process PowerPoint recordings: Creating the recording, uploading the recording to YouTube for closed captioning, possibly uploading the video to Google Drive or OneDrive to control sharing options, then linking the recording into Canvas. Because of these steps and the difficulty of editing in the PowerPoint recording, Canvas Studio is recommended for recording presentations.

These instructions are included for those who prefer to use a tool with which they are already familiar. 

This page includes information on:

• Accessing PowerPoint
• Pre-Recording Your Lectures
• PowerPoint Support

PowerPoint can be accessed as an application on any R-MC-owned computer, or through Sharepoint. 

• To access through your computer, navigate to the Windows icon ( | PC) or Apps folder (Finder ->Applications | Mac), and look for PowerPoint.
• To access through Sharepoint, navigate to https://gormc.sharepoint.com  and log in using your R-MC username and password. 
• If you do not have PowerPoint installed, all R-MC employees can install Microsoft Office on up to 5 computers, laptops, tablets, or smartphones (personal or work). Learn how (text)

A recorded lecture is also known as a screencast or a "lecture capture." Lectures can be recorded in advance and assigned for your students to watch. Lectures recorded in advance can be less technologically fraught than synchronous sessions in which everyone in class is logged on at the same time, can be viewed by students with less robust internet connections, and can be viewed multiple times to allow for content review. 

When recording lectures, remember that attention spans are short, and it may be better to assign multiple short lectures instead of one long recording. It is best to keep recordings under 10 minutes long. Learn how to Record Effective Microlectures.

Steps for Recording with PowerPoint:

Step 1: Test your Recording Devices

In addition to a computer and your PowerPoint file, you need a device to record your voice. The Library Information Desk has laptops, microphones and webcams available for checkout.

Make sure all your equipment is function (Learn how: text)

Step 2: Record your Lecture (voice and computer screen)

It is recommended you break a long lecture into segments, with each segment less than 10 minutes long when students view it. Name the video segments of the presentation in the form of "Topic X: Part 1", "Topic X: Part 2", etc.. Longer videos require you change a setting in your G-Suite Account (Need help accessing your R-MC G-Suite account? Learn how  video | text). 

• Using a PC computer: Record a PowerPoint presentation (video | text)
• Using a MAC: Record a PowerPoint presentation
  • Tutorial: QuickTime Player as recorder
  • If you use an older Mac OS than “Catalina”, refer to Apple Support. The older QuickTime Player has a different opening screen for the “Screen Recording” function.

Step 3: Upload the recorded lecture onto YouTube for easy access (Learn how: video | text).

• YouTube will provide closed captioning for your audio recording, though it is not always accurate and may not be accurate enough if students in your class have accommodations from the Office of Disability Support requiring closed captioning. If that is the case, you will need to edit the closed captioning to ensure its accuracy (Learn how: text).

PowerPoint has good documentation available in both video and text formats. Visit their support page to learn more (text guidelines are located under the videos).