UMConnect Presenter
Definition
UMConnect Presenter enables users to quickly and easily use Microsoft PowerPoint to turn PowerPoint presentations into dynamic, multimedia content delivered via the Flash format (SWF file) that can be published asynchronously on the Web or using other media such as a CD-ROM. UMConnect Presenter content can include audio, Flash video (FLV format), images (JPEG files), synchronized animations, Captivate files, and interactive quizzes and surveys.
Educational Uses
UMConnect Presenter presentations may be incorporated into classes in a number of ways. For example, it can be used to
- prepare students to participate more actively in a face-to-face course session by introducing course content in a narrated PowerPoint presentation they access asynchronously in advance;
- assess student comprehension and provide immediate feedback as they navigate through a body of didactic content by inserting quizzes at the end of each narrated presentation in a sequence of such presentations (students could be required to achieve a satisfactory score before proceeding to the next module);
- present content synchronously to a face-to-face audience in lieu of using PowerPoint or as an added component of a synchronous UMConnect Meeting session; and
- archive PowerPoint presentations delivered in a face-to-face class setting so that students can review the materials asynchronously.
Issues
Although UMConnect presentations can be accessed and displayed by virtually any system with Macromedia Flash Player 6.1 or higher, UMConnect Presenter for Microsoft PowerPoint (required to create Presenter files) is only available for machines operating under Microsoft Windows.
Examples
To see examples of how other instructors are using UMConnect Presenter, see the links below.
Cardiac Dysrythmias
This is a narrated slideshow by Karin Sherrill from Mesa Community College that includes an illustration of how some standard PowerPoint slide animations (e.g., "fly-in from bottom," "appear on click," etc.) and slide notes appear in UMConnect.
Improper Fractions
Melanie Kroening from Mesa Community College created this narrated slideshow. It includes a visible outline, quiz example, and embedded animations.
Research
The following research literature has been published about educational uses of electronic presentations.
Lowry, Roy B. "Electronic Presentation of Lectures: Effect Upon Student Performance." Royal Society of Chemistry, 1999. http://www.rsc.org/pdf/uchemed/papers/1999/31_lowry.pdf.
This paper provides an overview of effective techniques for gaining and sustaining student attention, including the use of simple animations and progressive revelation of procedural information.
Szabo, Attila, and Nigel Hastings. "Using IT in the Undergraduate Classroom: Should We Replace the Blackboard with PowerPoint?" Computers & Education 35 (2000): 175—187.
The authors compare student performances after exposure to traditional overheads, a PowerPoint lecture, and a scaffolded PowerPoint lecture. In this example, no performance differences were found in students exposed to the traditional overhead presentation and those exposed to the live PowerPoint-delivered lecture. Findings suggested, however, that PowerPoint delivery might aid recall and be particularly beneficial in presenting "specific instruction where dynamic models, animation, and variation of colour may definitively help in the better illustration of key concepts" (p. 187).
University of Washington Program for Educational Transformation through Technology. "Listening to the Learner: What Students Think of PowerPoint." http://depts.washington.edu/webed/presentations
/media/WebEd10-15-02_hi.ram.
This RealVideo presentation includes information about a survey of students' attitudes toward PowerPoint and recommendations about best practice in the design and administration of PowerPoint-delivered materials.
