The purpose of the present study was to examine the difference between a computer-mediated equivalence-based instruction (EBI) versus a human-mediated equivalence-based instruction. This study used two delivery methods to train stimulus relations across three stimulus classes with four members in each class per delivery method. The computer mediated EBI used Microsoft PowerPoint 2016 and the human-mediated training used printed stimuli on laminated paper cards delivered on a tabletop. Four participants were recruited from a university in southern Illinois. Results showed that the computer-mediated instruction was as effective as traditional human-mediated instructions. Implications for practitioners and suggestions for future research was discussed.

Many workplaces around the world use some kind of presentation software as an aid during presentations. At Westinghouse Fuel Service in Västerås they experienced that they didn´t know how to use this medium to its fullest extent. They wanted to increase awareness of presentation skills with PowerPoint among the employees, to improve their internal and external communication. A desire they are certainly not alone to have in the working life. My research studied how to design guidelines for the use of presentation software, so the users can easily absorb the message and find motivation to use the guidelines. In order to adapt the guidelines to their users, and thus create major opportunities for them to absorb the message, I based my study on the concepts legibility, readability and reading value. My research took place at the department at Westinghouse. The study was initiated with a literature review and a pilot-study that included situation analysis of present PowerPoint-presentations created by employees at the company, interviews with employees and observation of one presentation. Based on theories and conclusions from my pilot-study I designed the guidelines based on the concepts legibility, readability and reading value. I tested how the employees accepted the message and appreciated the design in a try-out. The results from the try-out were generally positive and all the subjects found value in reading the guidelines. The study shows how to design guidelines for presentations skills to make them legible, readable and to have a reading value. / På många arbetsplatser runt om i världen används något slags presentationsprogram som hjälpmedel under presentationer. På Westinghouse Fuel Service i Västerås upplevde man att man inte visste hur man skulle nyttja detta hjälpmedel till fullo. Man ville öka kunskapen om presentationsteknik med PowerPoint hos de anställda, för att kunna förbättra sin externa och interna kommunikation. En önskan som de med största sannolikhet inte är ensamma om att hysa i arbetslivet. Min studie gick ut på att undersöka hur man utformar riktlinjer för användande av presentationsprogram, så att läsarna lätt ska kunna ta dem till sig och även finna motivation att ta dem till sig. För att anpassa riktlinjerna till mottagarna, och på så sätt skapa stora förutsättningar för dem att ta budskapet i dem till sig, utgick jag från begreppen läslighet, läsbarhet och läsvärde i mina studier. Jag utförde mina studier på avdelningen på Westinghouse. Studien inleddes med en litteraturgenomgång och en förstudie som innefattade nulägesanalys av befintliga PowerPoint-presentationer skapade av anställda på företaget, intervjuer med de anställda och observation av en presentation. Med stöd av teorier och slutsatser jag drog av min förstudie utformade jag sedan riktlinjerna i form av en gestaltning. Denna utprovade jag sedan på några av de anställda där jag utgick från hur de upplevde materialet utifrån begreppen läslighet, läsbarhet och läsvärde. Resultatet från utprovningen var överlag positivt och samtliga testpersoner fann riktlinjerna läsvärda. Slutsatsen av studien visar hur man utformar riktlinjer för presentationsteknik för att göra dem läsliga, läsbara och läsvärda för användaren av dem.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-12T18:27:59Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 arquivo1039_1.pdf: 9249982 bytes, checksum: ce7191e5dffa6bb7e2eb1323656c346b (MD5) license.txt: 1748 bytes, checksum: 8a4605be74aa9ea9d79846c1fba20a33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Instituto Federal de Educação, Ciência e Tecnologia de Pernambuco / Neste início de século, as Apresentações em PowerPoint configuram-se como documentos complexos, sofisticados em termos de layout e cada vez mais disseminados em resposta a um novo cenário tecnológico e, particularmente, às novas versões do PowerPoint® lançadas sucessivamente desde 1984, quando o Presenter inaugurou o mercado e o uso de softwares de apresentação multimídia. A Apresentação em PowerPoint emergiu como gênero essencialmente ligado ao mundo do trabalho e às novas tecnologias, caracterizando-se por integrar imagens, palavras e outros elementos gráficos ou sonoros que se combinam e cooperam entre si no espaço da página para criar significados. Com o mesmo vigor que conquistam usuários há 27 anos, o software PowerPoint® e as onipresentes Apresentações em PowerPoint suscitam polêmicas ou questões de naturezas diversas em esferas diversas, inclusive no âmbito do ensino que põem em dúvida o seu valor pedagógico. Este estudo investiga a organização retórica de Apresentações em PowerPoint disponibilizadas em domínio público na Internet e particularmente voltadas para o ensino, ou PowerPoints Educativos, ancorando-se nas perspectivas dos estudos retóricos de gênero (MILLER, 2009; BAZERMAN, 2005); da multimodalidade na semiótica social (KRESS e VAN LEEUWEN, 2006; VAN LEEUWEN, 2005) e da Teoria da Estrutura Retórica TER (MANN e TABOADA, 2009; MANN, MATTHIESSEN e THOMPSON, 1992; MANN e THOMPSON, 1988) e aplicando o framework de John Bateman (2008) para análise de documentos multimodais. Os resultados sinalizam que os PowerPoints Educativos: a) variam dentro de um continuum entre um maior ou menor uso de recursos visuais na realização de sua organização retórica; b) apresentam de forma recorrente uma estrutura retórica centrada em relações que refletem o caráter pedagógico do gênero, sobretudo as de elaboração; e, finalmente, c) variam quanto à intensidade de uso do layout como recurso semiótico em si que sugere propósitos retóricos específicos

Stuttgart, FH, Diplomarb., 2002.

The standard method for presenting information in the military and political establishments of the US government is through the projection of data in bullet-style and/or graphical formats onto an illuminated screen, using some sort of first analogue, or now, digital media. Since the late 1990s, the most common and expected form of presentation is via the most commonly pre-installed software of presentation genre: Microsoft PowerPoint. This style of presentation has become the norm of communication, and in doing so, has replaced other methods of discursive and presentation. The art of the brief and in particular, the art of the PowerPoint has become a new standard of what was once group communication through oratory. This paper will attempt to show that PowerPoint slide-ware has reduced communication to mere presentation, negatively influencing the decision-making and critical thinking processes of individuals and organizations, particularly within the military and government. This is accomplished through the visual reception of the briefings themselves, where and when the theatrical nature of the presentation takes precedence over the content. And, in fact, this dramatic twist determines which ideas gain acceptance among audiences. This simple style of presentation is becoming indicative of a visual and leadership style of our era. This is the effect of a PowerPoint method of leadership, now de rigueur in the military and demonstrated by the current president and administration. The style of PowerPoint, both at the micro-level in particular presentations, and the macro-level, as demonstrated by people and organizations, ultimately works today as a form of control and discipline. And, in the end, it can become a convenient vehicle for furtherance of a specific ideology and propaganda campaigns. / Master of Arts

abstract: This action research study primarily examined how educative curriculum materials (i.e., curriculum materials that include supports for teacher learning) can improve a teacher’s knowledge base and ability to succeed in the classroom. The focus was on the impact of one type of educative curriculum material: PowerPoint presentations. Specifically, the study investigated if translating teacher’s manuals into digital presentations was valued by general education teachers responsible for teaching Engage NY math in kindergarten, first, second, and third grades. The study asked teacher participants to describe the impact (if any) of adding a digital presentation component to their lessons and investigated if they self-reported increased Pedagogical Content Knowledge (PCK), which is a teacher’s understanding of how to help students understand specific subject matter. Using questionnaires, interviews, and field notes, the following research questions were examined: 1) How do teachers describe the impact that pre-made digital slide share presentations (i.e., PowerPoint presentations) have on lesson planning, preparation, and pacing and 2) What impact does translating teacher’s manuals into digital slide share presentations (i.e., PowerPoint presentations) have on teacher’s pedagogical content knowledge? Results indicate that teacher participants found the presentations to be helpful and positively impacted their lesson planning, preparation, and pacing, and improved their perception of their own abilities when presenting Engage NY math content. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Leadership and Innovation 2019

This research project sought to measure how students in large-classroom environments respond to supplemental, out-of-class learning options. Is their performance positively impacted by tutoring or by online, always-accessible lessons? Above and beyond demographics and skills, what motivates students to engage in use of supplemental learning options? Responding to theories of ?just-in-time? learning and the learner-centered philosophy of distributed learning, this study put three out-of-class tools in place during the course of a fall semester to allow the learner to decide what form of out-of-class aid he or she would rely upon. Those three options included tutoring services, streaming voice-over-PowerPoint lessons, and short YouTube.com-hosted videos featuring the instructor. Over the course of the fall 2008 semester, students responded to two surveys intended to (1) capture their motivational approach and preferred study strategies and learning styles; and (2) capture measures of their usage of these tools and their reported perception of the tools. In tests of data to determine what led to the most improvement in student scores and what led to students? highest reported levels of satisfaction and perceived value with the course, the short, lab instructor-created videos hosted on YouTube.com were the only significant predictor among all three supplemental learning options. This finding provides broad-based support for ?just-in-time? theories of learning, in which information and help are readily available just as students are seeking that information and extra guidance. Therefore, instructors seeking to improve student performance may serve their students well by preparing materials to facilitate any-time access to course content needed to complete major assignments or prepare for exams. But there is a caveat to simply making any form of content available online or available any-time, any-place. This study advances the theory of always-available resources and learner-centered environments by further refining what type of media stimulates the most improvement in performance. The answer, in part, seems to hinge on what is most appealing to students (video plus audio, shorter material, content geared toward assignment specifics rather than broad-based lectures), and warrants future study.

Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Comunicação e Expressão. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Letras/Inglês e Literatura Correspondente. / Made available in DSpace on 2013-06-25T23:55:17Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 311498.pdf: 15706515 bytes, checksum: f6d490958014812ae73a9bcf43176039 (MD5) / PowerPoint-supported presentations have become an important event for creating and sharing scientific knowledge within and across disciplines (LaPorte et al., 2002; Kunkel, 2004; Tardy, 2005; Adams, 2006). Yet little is known about the ways semiotic resources enabled by PowerPoint technology of slide editing and management (e.g. slide dimensions, layout, colour) are combined with conventional resources of "research talks" (Swales, 2005[2004]) and contribute to building presentations that are valued in specific contexts. In order to inform our understanding of how research meanings are multimodally made under the influence of the software, in this thesis I investigate a set of fourteen PowerPoint Research Presentations (PPRPs) from Applied Linguistics. Two planes of cohesion are explored: (1) along the slideshows; and (2) between the slideshows and the performance. Regarding the first plane, the analysis of "periodicity" (Martin and Rose, 2007[2003]) revealed that applied linguists foreground the software's 'modularised logic', construing 'serial expansion' (Martin and Rose (2007[2003]). Others however customise slideshows so as to build 'Design Hierarchies', in which particular slides are assigned higher discursive statuses. These presenters construed a path for their audiences gaze by a configuration of semiotic resources of the display mode - e.g. slide position, background, layout, typography. As for the second plane of cohesion, I propose that slides and performance relate by 'synchronicity'. The tool recontextualizes the system of taxis (Halliday, 2009c; Halliday and Matthiessen, 2004) to account for the semantic interdependency between the displayed discourse and the performative discourse at a given point in PPRPs. In each of the cohesive planes, I set out to identify the software resources that play a role in construing cohesive ties, and evaluate both their "functional specialization" (cf. Halliday, 2009e[1975]; Kress, 2008[2003]; Jewitt and Kress, 2008[2003]) and the demands they impose on presenters and on audiences in terms of genre, discipline, software and multimodal literacies. By indicating some of the ways in which the software influences the "process of semiotic production" (Kress and van Leeuwen, 2001) of such practice, I intend to move beyond prescriptive (e. g. Costa, 2001; Cyphert, 2004; DuFrene and Lehman, 2004; Grant, 2010) as well as technically-focused (e.g. Downing and Garmon, 2002; Jones, 2003) accounts of PowerPoint. As a conclusion, I suggest that descriptions of the meaning potential in PPRPs and its conditions of access should be incorporated in pedagogies of academic multiliteracies (New London Group, 1996; Kope and Kalantizs, 2000). / Apresentações de pesquisa com uso de PowerPoint desempenham um papel importante na criação e negociação de conhecimento científico em diferentes disciplinas (LaPorte et al., 2002; Kunkel, 2004; Tardy, 2005; Adams, 2006). Entretanto, pouco sabemos sobre os modos como os recursos semióticos potencializados pela tecnologia PowerPoint para edição e gerenciamento de slides (e.g. dimensões do slide, arranjo, cor) são combinados com recursos convencionais dos "relatos de pesquisa" (Swales, 2005[2004]) e contribuem para construir apresentações valorizadas em contextos específicos. No intuito de informar nosso entendimento sobre como significados de pesquisa são multimodalmente construídos sob a influência do software, nesta tese, investigo um conjunto de quatorze apresentações de pesquisa em PowerPoint (APPP) em Linguística Aplicada. Dois planos coesivos são explorados: (1) ao longo do texto em slides; e (2) entre os slides e a performance. No tocante ao primeiro plano, a análise da "periodicidade" (Martin e Rose, 2007[2003]) da informação revelou que os linguistas aplicados tendem a aderir à 'lógica modularizada' do software, realizando "expansão em série" (Martin e Rose (2007[2003]) do discurso. Outros, porém, 'personalizam' o texto em slides de modo a construir 'Hieraquias de Desenho', as quais atribuem valor de informação superordinada à determinados slides. Esses apresentadores direcionam o olhar de sua audiência por meio de uma configuração de recursos semióticos particulares do modo de exibição (e.g. sequência, fundo, arranjo, tipografia). Quanto ao segundo plano coesivo, proponho que slides e performance se relacionam por 'sincronicidade'. Essa erramenta recontextualiza o sistema de taxe (Halliday, 2009c; Halliday e Matthiessen, 2004) para explicar a interdependência semântica entre o discurso exibido e o discurso performado em um determinado ponto da APPP. Em cada um dos planos coesivos, busco identificar os recursos do software que desempenham função coesiva e avaliar tanto a sua "especialização funcional" (cf. Halliday, 2009e[1975]; Kress, 2008[2003]; Jewitt e Kress, 2008[2003]) quanto as demandas de letramento que impõem nos apresentadores e na audiência no que tange a gênero, disciplina, software e multimodalidade. Ao apontar alguns dos modos pelos quais o software influencia o "processo de produção semiótica" (Kress e van Leeuwen, 2001) dessa prática, pretendo ir além de orientações prescritivas (e. g. Costa, 2001; Cyphert, 2004; DuFrene e Lehman, 2004; Grant, 2010) e focadas em aspectos técnicos (e.g. Downing and Garmon, 2002; Jones, 2003). Sugiro, por fim, que a descrição dos significados potenciais em APPP e suas condições de acesso sejam incorporadas em pedagogias de multiletramentos acadêmicos (New London Group, 1996; Kope e Kalantizs, 2000).

Yooba is a small company based in Norrköping and they are developing a software tool to easily create and manage applications for iPads and Windows tablets. The environment where to one creates applications is called Yooba Studio and a missing feature that has been requested by their users is a PowerPoint-file importer. PowerPoint, or Microsoft PowerPoint, is a software used to create presentations. To store the presentation data an open XML standard is used called Office Open XML, often shorten OOXML or Open XML. This master thesis will explain how the information inside a OOXML presentation package PPTX can be stored and converted into a new presentation structure, Yooba XML. The thesis work will also explain how an interface, through user tests and prototyping, can be developed to present, for the user, differences when importing between the source program and the final result in Yooba Studio. The developed interface will involve the user in the importation in such way that the user will be the one altering how some of the differences should be imported. The results of this thesis is a working integrated PPTX-file importer where the user can both see statistics over how successful the import were and be able to customize how the final importation result should be.

The thesis focuses on the creation of an appropriate solution and specific processing of a problematic statement in controlling in a spreadsheet application and also its subsequent presentation, which is an integral part of controlling. Methods used are analysis and modeling. The aim of the thesis is to demonstrate the suitability of office productivity software (with focus on spreadsheet applications) for controlling analyses. The theoretical part focuses on presenting the functionality and usability of key office productivity software from MS Office including comparison with main competition in the field of spreadsheet applications and then in the practical part of the thesis these options are clearly demonstrated on specific business example of the company Václav Hrbek. Besides key constrains of usage of office productivity software are mentioned in the conclusion of the diploma thesis.