Do Professors make their own Powerpoints?

[sarsmon]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I've always assumed that my lecturers were making their own powerpoints, why should I think otherwise? But then I started to realize that these really old guys in their 60s have these souped up powerpoints with effects and layouts that I don't even know how to do. This got me to thinking, should all these professors most of whom are in their 40's or 50's be able to design such advanced powerpoints? I'd assume people my age who grew up with computers and programs like powerpoint should be able to design these types of powerpoints, while older folks would be making very simplistic ones. I mean if I told either of my parents, both professionals, to make a powerpoint they'd be begging me to help them. I've heard that if departments use a certain textbook, the authors or editors supply them with pre-made powerpoints. It's just hard for me to believe that these professors are making their own powerpoints when half of their slides people my age can't design easily. Maybe they take the pre-made powerpoints and edit them more to their liking. But then again, maybe I'm wrong, maybe I just suck at powerpoint and all these old folks are super computer savvy.

 

[Droopy Snoopy]

I've always assumed that my lecturers were making their own powerpoints, why should I think otherwise? But then I started to realize that these really old guys in their 60s have these souped up powerpoints with effects and layouts that I don't even know how to do. This got me to thinking, should all these professors most of whom are in their 40's or 50's be able to design such advanced powerpoints? I'd assume people my age who grew up with computers and programs like powerpoint should be able to design these types of powerpoints, while older folks would be making very simplistic ones. I mean if I told either of my parents, both professionals, to make a powerpoint they'd be begging me to help them. I've heard that if departments use a certain textbook, the authors or editors supply them with pre-made powerpoints. It's just hard for me to believe that these professors are making their own powerpoints when half of their slides people my age can't design easily. Maybe they take the pre-made powerpoints and edit them more to their liking. But then again, maybe I'm wrong, maybe I just suck at powerpoint and all these old folks are super computer savvy.

I'm with you man, these 40- and 50-year-old fossils can't possibly be producing their own powerpoint presentations. That's like, SERIOUSLY ADVANCED KNOWLEDGE.

 

[typhoonegator]

First of all, powerpoints with animations and other effects distract from the message. I would regard people who use them as bush-league, rather than presentation savvy. Less is more.

Some textbook publishers provide suggested slides for lecturers, but they're usually labeled with the publisher, and pretty easy to pick out. I don't know anyone who uses them, and when I was in medical school I didn't see any. I think a lot of people are too proud to consider that the publisher might be better at outlining a talk on their topic than they are. 🙂

Many lecturers for MS1 and MS2 classes put a lot of time into their presentations at the beginning of their tenure, and then just slightly re-tune each year. Basic cardiac physiology just doesn't change much from year to year.

Speaking as a fellow who spends a lot of time in a research lab, post-docs do make a lot of slides for PIs -- just not ones with "slick" effects and layouts.

 

[njbmd]

I make all of my lectures and presentations. It generally takes about 40 hours per lecture with some needing more and some needing a bit less. Our lectures are always updated yearly to reflect new knowledge and practices. Since many of the newer folks that are coming into academic medicine are not going to be offered a tenure-track position, tenure has nothing to do with how lectures are done.

Our department chairmen do not and will not tolerate "canned" lectures from textbook companies or lectures that are not updated to reflect new materials and practices. One may utilize illustrations from previous lectures but no professor uses the same lecture every year at my institution. There are enough of us that we have plenty of time to rework lectures yearly.

 

[sindadel]

i'm with you man, these 40- and 50-year-old fossils can't possibly be producing their own powerpoint presentations. That's like, seriously advanced knowledge.

lmao!

 

[J ROD]

I would imagine they get help....and update pp every yr to make sue they are current....

We actually had one lecturer use another professor's pp and then he cut out and stressed different stuff than the old professor....

But, he gave us the old professor's test....there were 5-6 questions that were never covered and others that were iffy...I called the old professor and told him I knew what had happened and we as students wanted a retest or adjustment....

we got a huge curve on the test....and I got an A somehow when I know I did not get one after taking the test....

this was in pharm school btw....

 

[twilightdoc]

I have been on the faculty of my med school for 30+ years, and have made my own Powerpoints for as long as that form of presentation has existed. While there probably are individuals who have assistants who help prepare their presentations, I personally don't know any.

 

[Mr hawkings]

Even if they dont prepare it themselves, at least they have acknowledged the utility of technology in teaching. Some people are still using overheads and transparencies with writing on them dating back 30 years.

 

[engineeredout]

Even if they dont prepare it themselves, at least they have acknowledged the utility of technology in teaching. Some people are still using overheads and transparencies with writing on them dating back 30 years.

I had this engineering professor in college (~75 year old guy) who would make a presentation in powerpoint, but then have the slides printed out on transparencies. He would use a regular projector and a metal (note not laser) pointer and point to things on the projection. Most of the time it would amount to nothing more than reading off each and every step in a formula derivation which was already printed in the textbook.

Fantastic. 👍

 

[Curious Biff]

I agree with njbmd.

For my presentations to med students and residents, I do all of my own PowerPoints. I generally don't put a lot of flashy stuff in them. But, I do reserve them for the few slides where I really want to "punch" home certain points or wake you guys up midway through a yawn or nod. It's not how much you use that stuff, but when and how.

And as a general word of caution to those of you who don't think us "old guys" know how to be technical: we can and are. This is dangerous thinking on your part. Just because some guys (and gals) have a few grey hairs doesn't mean they're not up on how to work the latest gadget. Remember who you're dealing with here. Or, you'll start allowing yourself to be prejudicial and begin picturing that 50-something surgeon, who gets the latest greatest medical device from a manufacturer, as a stuck-in-his-old-ways, frustrated Edsel driver who will inevitably throw down it down in the middle of the case opting to grab his trusty-rusty old scalpel instead. Just doesn't happen.

Some of the most deft and computer savvy guys in my department are in their fifties and sixties. One of my grey-haired colleagues even had the iPhone before it was even released to the public. Imagine that.

Biff

 

[sarsmon]

I agree with njbmd.

For my presentations to med students and residents, I do all of my own PowerPoints. I generally don't put a lot of flashy stuff in them. But, I do reserve them for the few slides where I really want to "punch" home certain points or wake you guys up midway through a yawn or nod. It's not how much you use that stuff, but when and how.

And as a general word of caution to those of you who don't think us "old guys" know how to be technical: we can and are. This is dangerous thinking on your part. Just because some guys (and gals) have a few grey hairs doesn't mean they're not up on how to work the latest gadget. Remember who you're dealing with here. Or, you'll start allowing yourself to be prejudicial and begin picturing that 50-something surgeon, who gets the latest greatest medical device from a manufacturer, as a stuck-in-his-old-ways, frustrated Edsel driver who will inevitably throw down it down in the middle of the case opting to grab his trusty-rusty old scalpel instead. Just doesn't happen.

Some of the most deft and computer savvy guys in my department are in their fifties and sixties. One of my grey-haired colleagues even had the iPhone before it was even released to the public. Imagine that.

Biff

Yeah I've underestimated the technical savvy of people over 50. It's probably because I've seen some older folks have a lot of trouble with computers or technology, like my mom who just learned how to use a search engine. I suppose when you're around these tools you become adept pretty quickly. I won't make any more assumptions about older folks and technology.

 

[Sol Rosenberg]

I'm pretty sure that a bunch of lecturers at my school don't make their own -- my guess is that the course secretary makes them. My evidence:

1. The slides are essentially a cut and paste of the syllabus with each sentence being a different bullet point.
2. All such slides have the same generic background, font, and text color (even among different lecturers, whereas not all of the lecturers in that course use that background.)
3. The lecturers read the slides almost verbatim

Therefore, I conclude that these lecturers are people who got roped into giving those lecturers, and then expended the minimum amount of effort to give them. Pretty pathetic, IMHO.

 

[Curious Biff]

Yeah I've underestimated the technical savvy of people over 50. It's probably because I've seen some older folks have a lot of trouble with computers or technology, like my mom who just learned how to use a search engine. I suppose when you're around these tools you become adept pretty quickly. I won't make any more assumptions about older folks and technology.

To be fair, I'm personally closer to forty. But, you get the picture. 😉

Biff