Creating Narrated Presentations With PowerPoint (Windows)
Instructional Challenge
This document walks you through creating a narrated presentation to deliver content to students. The process has been developed to ensure a thoughtful design process and easy editing, recording, and updating of content. It leverages Microsoft PowerPoint to develop the content, Kaltura to store and caption it, and Canvas to make content available to students.
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Check Your Version of PowerPoint
These directions were written for Version 16 of Microsoft 365. A campus-wide version of Microsoft 365 is available to you at no cost. If you are running a previous version, please take a moment to update your version of Microsoft 365.
Set Microphone / Audio Levels (Windows 10)
- From the Windows Start button, go to Settings | System | Sound.
- Under Input, select the recording device you will use to record your audio.
- Speak into the device and check the Test your microphone section levels. If you need to increase volume, select App Volume and Device Preferences under Advanced sound options.
- Close the window.
Prepare for Recording
- It is best to have a script written out for each slide to aid in the recording process and refer to later in proofing the transcript. This will ensure that content is presented in a clear, short, and precise. As you record, you will make errors requiring you to re-record slide narration. Having content written down will make that process easier.
- Once the presentation script is ready, open the presentation in PowerPoint.
- Copy and paste the slide script into the Notes section for each slide.
- Ensure the following options are selected under the Slide Show tab: Play Narrations, Use Timings, and Show Media Controls.
Recording
- Before recording audio for all your slides, it is a good idea to check that your computer is configured correctly. To do so, select the Slide Show tab, then select Record Slide Show.
- Record the audio for the first slide.
- Press the ESC key to end the recording.
- From the Slide Show menu, select Play from Current Slide. You should hear the audio you recorded. If not, return to the Set Microphone /Audio Limits section above.
- With the audio recording confirmed, select the Slide Show tab, then select Record Slide Show.
- Select the Record button to record audio for that slide.
- If you make a mistake and need to record audio for that slide, continue recording the remaining slides. (After recording audio for all slides, exit the presentation mode. Navigate to the slide with the error. Select Record Slide Show again to re-record audio for that side. Select the Clear menu and select Clear Recordings on Current Slide. Re-record audio for that slide and select the Stop button to end the recording.)
- Select the next slide button to progress to the next slide and record the audio. Continue until audio for all slides has been recorded.
- Press the ESC key to end the recording.
Exporting and Publishing
- The easiest way to make your narrated presentation available to students is to export it as a video and place it in Kaltura.
- Select File | Export. Select Create a Video.
- Specify the size and quality of the video. Standard (480p) is recommended to ensure low-bandwidth viewing.
- Specify that you want to Use Recorded Timings and Narrations.
- Select Create Video.
- Select MPEG-4 Video under Save as Type.
- Specify the desired location for the saved file and click Save.
- Select File | Save to save a native PowerPoint version of your file to use later if changes are needed.
- In your browser, go to https://mediaspace.wisc.edu. Select ADD NEW | Media Upload menu. You will be prompted to log on with your UW-Madison NetID.
- Drag and drop your media file into the Upload Media box.
- In the Name box, enter the name of the video you want students to see.
- In the Description box, enter a brief description of the video to help students know what the video is about.
- In the Usage Rights box, designate any copyright licenses you want to attribute to the content. If you want to retain copyright to yourself or UW-Madison, select None (All Rights Reserved).
- Determine Publishing rights for the video. Private: only you can see the video. Unlisted: Media is available to anyone with a link. Published: Media will be available according to the entitlements on the published destination (i.e., Kaltura Channel).
- Select Save.
Making Video Accessible
Content uploaded for student use in your course needs to be made accessible. View the Making Course Video Content Accessible resource for directions.
Making Changes To Your Presentation
The process documented is designed to make updates to your narrated presentation easy. You will need to open your original PowerPoint file to make changes to an existing presentation. Make any changes to slide text and design as needed. To update audio, review the RECORDING section to re-record changes for any slide.