NUTSHELL NOTES "Teaching tips in a nutshell" - The University of Colorado at Denver's One-page Newsletter for Teaching Excellence

The 35-mm slide has a width-to-height ratio of 3 to 2. Illustrations intended for slides must be laid out in similar proportions in order to use all the slide's small area and make the best use of the projection system. (The colored overhead examples in NN, v. 4, n. 1 were so constructed.) Font height needs to be at least 3% of the longest dimension of the figure. This translates into minimal font sizes of about 16 points for a 5" x 7" graphic and 24 points for an 8.5" x 11" (page-sized) graphic.

In slide design, three guide-words apply: SIMPLICITY, CLARITY and EMPHASIS. A slide is used to transmit only a single idea. It is not a reference source, so simplify it by removing non-essential visual elements such as grids, borders or redundant labels. If you draw a graph, there is no purpose served by a label that states "Graph of...." or "Relationship of... to...." It is already obvious that the visual is a graph and displays a relationship.

After reaching the simplest design, check for clarity so that all parts of the slide will be large and dense enough to be visible. Be certain that the visual aids actually emphasize the point(s) to be made in speech. Emphasis can be changed by mere choices in line boldness. Suppose we draw a best-fit line through a series of data points on an X-Y graph, and the graph's axes are thicker than our best-fit line. We may intend to emphasize the data in our speech, but the axes, not the data, are what will get visually emphasized by this illustration.

In Steven Spielberg's film, Schindler's List, the most unforgettable scenes are of the child dressed in red in this otherwise black and white production. Sparing use of selected colors is likewise a powerful tool for emphasis of selected points in slides. Choose a bright, contrasting color, such as yellow set on a darker blue background or bright red set against drab colors. Then use the color solely to emphasize the most important points.

Just as we cannot easily understand a speaker who attempts to make several points at once, we cannot quickly comprehend a slide that attempts to emphasize multiple points. Make just one point per slide. In a formal presentation, it is not a good decision to tell all details with many slides. The "mystery format" that makes one work to acquire many clues to solve a mystery is good for teaching students how to do research, but the reverse format excels for presenting research to peers. For this, draw one or two comprehensive statements together from the lesser details, and get these major points onto slides to show near the beginning. Conveying conclusions early allows us to give a relaxed tour of our reasoning that an audience can understand. The sooner the audience can see a destination, the sooner they can comprehend and reflect on our reasoning without stumbling (or grumbling!).

Computers greatly simplify the production of high-quality 35-mm color slides. Help in preparing slides can be obtained in the Media Center in the Auraria Library. Contact Carolyne Janssen at 556-2455. Many of us want to employ the illustrations we use at conferences in our appropriate classes, and we should bring some of our own scholarship to our students. We only need to keep in mind the differences between the levels of our peers in conferences and our students in classes.