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- Written by Brent A Duncan, PhD
SUMMARY: Discover why the 5x5 PowerPoint training wheels (five words per line, five lines per slide) fall short of engaging, professional presentations. The approach works to help beginners avoid text-heavy slides and learn the basics of PowerPoint design and operations. However, the results lack depth for complex topics, leading to monotony, oversimplification, and speaker dependence. Throw off the training wheels and learn how to use PowerPoint to develop powerful presentations that inform and persuade your audience. Learn tips for standalone slides to reach audiences who miss your talk: clear ideas, balanced visuals, and descriptive headings. Optimize Speaker’s Notes as your secret weapon for scripts, cues, FAQs, and notes--not for writing papers. Elevate your presentation skills within the PowerPoint design framework to blend text, visuals, multimedia, and data to ensure clarity, impact, and adaptability for diverse learning styles and communication goals.
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- Written by Brent A Duncan, PhD
I’ve noticed a lot of AI-generated content in the classroom and student assignments. While the university encourages us to explore AI as a tool to support our work, using AI to do our work violates the student code of conduct and makes us stupider. I asked Grok (xAI) to prepare a coaching script to help us understand how to use AI in a college classroom.
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- Written by Brent A Duncan, PhD
After chatting with Grok (xAI) about students using AI to do their homework, I recalled the storyline in Wall-e with humans who’ve become incompetent blobs [https://youtu.be/s-kdRdzxdZQ?si=W0fKhYyre0hIuzGU] after decades of AI-dependence. I asked, "Is it cool to say that students who use AI to do their homework are stealing from themselves by paying for an education that they're not getting while making themselves stupider?"
- Details
- Written by Brent A Duncan, PhD
I’ve noticed a lot of AI-generated content in the classroom and student assignments. While the university encourages us to explore AI as a tool to support our work, using AI to do our work violates the student code of conduct and makes us "stupider."
- Details
- Written by Brent A Duncan, PhD
Outlining before beginning a document or project acts as a roadmap for content creation. Outlining is a strategic approach that aids in the planning and execution of work while enhancing the overall quality, efficiency, and professionalism of the final output. In addition to simplifying projects for the author, the outline also provides a navigation structure that guides the audience through the work.
Here are some details about why outlining work is crucial: