Unbulleting

Sometimes bullets are the best choice as a slide design. Often, though, they can detract from learning because students can’t read and listen at the same time.

Here are 5 alternatives to the traditional bullet points-based slide design. You can use #unbulleting to improve the slides-assisted lecture experience for students.

Assertion-evidence structure

Place a statement at the top of the slide and use the rest of the slide to visually prove the assertion. Don’t be afraid to write a complete sentence. This structure lends itself particularly well to charts and graphs.

Assertion-evidence technique. Popularized by Michael Alley, Joanna Garner and colleagues at Penn State.

Text-based treatment

Carefully selected words to act as a focal point for a particular point.

Text-based treatment. Just a few words and visuospatial positioning to get the point across so they can return their attention to you!

Full-screen image + title

Fill the entire screen with a bold graphic, and don’t forget to use the Title placeholder to write words on the screen. Make sure the text has sufficient contrast against the background of the slide.

Full-screen image plus text. Good for definition slides (as shown here) and GREAT for slides with an affective purpose.

Graphic + labels

A great way to orient students to parts of a whole, either a concept or a physical object. Animate the labels and appear them in the order you plan to talk about each piece.

Graphic + labels.

No slide at all

Topics that don’t lend themselves well to visual treatments, or that you don’t expect students to be able to repeat from memory, may not be enhanced by the addition of a slide. Consider this option when you want students just to listen rather than read.

Download and share the #unbulleting reference sheet

Originally published at Academic Slide Design.