PEDAGOGICAL OBJECTIVE
Promote collaborative and interactive learning through a shared slide deck in Google Slides.
ACADEMIC TECHNOLOGY TOOL
With Google Slides, you can create presentations and edit collaboratively in synchronous and asynchronous modes. It has useful accessibility features, too.
Featured Faculty:
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Alexandra Purdy
BIOCHEMISTRY-BIOPHYSICS, BIOLOGY
Description
In the Spring 2019 course Microbiology, students gave a research presentation on any topic they chose related to microbiology. The class used a single shared Google Slides file to compile the presentation slides from each student in the class. This is a good example of cooperative learning where students can interact with and comment on each other’s slides.
Final presentation slide deck in Google Slides.
Professor Purdy provided useful logistical guidelines for students working in the shared slide decks. Each student added an introductory slide with their name for their section, and they included references where appropriate. They were asked to not use a “theme” since that affects the entire deck (background color and font changes were fine).
How does this activity enhance teaching and learning?
- Cooperative Learning: Shared learning space has potential for cooperative learning: Each student in the class had their own learning space within the slides to create the individual presentation. Students contributed and developed their work gradually, but built a storehouse of knowledge together.
- Collaborative Learning: Students shared research findings with classmates, all within a single deck of slides. By observing the work of their classmates, students get to edit and refine their work.
- Interactive Learning: Next semester, professor Purdy plans to use the “comment” feature to build interactivity and discussion within the google slide presentation.
Campus Partners
Following participation in a year-long Center for Teaching and Learning program on Inclusive Teaching in STEM, Professor Purdy expanded these collaborative exercises to allow students to co-create review materials in this class using Google tools.
How to...
- Use Google Apps at Amherst
- Set up a shared Google Folder for your class
- Create Accessible Google Slides (courtesy University of Minnesota)
- Have students collaborate in shared Google Slides (courtesy Ditch That Textbook)
Published Spring 2020 by Academic Technology Services