Digital Pedagogy Toolbox: Creating Engaging, Interactive Learning Resources

In this second post in our Digital Pedagogy Toolbox blog series, which highlights interactive technologies and pedagogies, Melissa Lyon explains how we can easily incorporate interactive pages into a course using Google Slides or PowerPoint.

Post by Melissa Lyon, instructor/course developer at Vancouver Island University Professional Development and Training and Disability Consultant for Accessibility & Inclusion Matter Consulting

Do you want to add some pizzazz to your online learning course? You may be surprised to learn this can be done using Google Slides or PowerPoint to create interactive pages that can be embedded into your course. Not sure what I’m talking about? Check out the following examples I created for the Accessibility & Inclusion in the Workplace courseI will be teaching at Vancouver Island University in January 2023.

Examples of Interactive Pages

I have embedded the following examples of interactive pages into my course to encourage explorative learning about various topics related to accessibility and inclusion.

Hear Our Stories: Click on the photos to hear what these people with disabilities want you to know about having a disability.
Inclusive Language: Are each of these statements inclusive? Click to find out.
Digital Accessibility — POUR: Click to learn more about POUR, a digital accessibility framework.
Examples of Assistive Technology & Software: Click to explore some common forms of assistive technology.

Why Embed Interactive Pages into Your Course?

There are several reasons to use interactive pages in your courses. They embrace the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines because they are not only visually appealing but also help create engagement and give key information in a quick way. In addition, interactive pages give the learner an alternative way to access information.

Steps to Creating Interactive Pages

The first step is to decide whether you want to start from scratch or use a template. There are some excellent templates that are free to use. The first three examples above use Articulate 360 PowerPoint templates. Here are some template providers you may want to check out:

Slidesgo
Microsoft animated infographic slides
Articulate 360 (requires a subscription, but you can download templates with a free one-month trial)

If starting from scratch, you may want to follow the steps I outline in this short video:

If you have any questions about this process or the course I am teaching, please don’t hesitate to contact me at Melissa.Lyon@viu.ca

The Digital Pedagogy Toolbox blog series is a monthly blog post series that features highlights of interactive technologies and pedagogies in learning and teaching design. This series is an extended version of our monthly FLO Tech Tool Tip blog series. In these blogs you may find an activity that supports innovative and effective teaching practice in technology-infused learning environments, a short recipe for digital teaching and learning, or some tips on the pedagogical uses of a tool for instruction.

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The featured image for this post (viewable in the BCcampus News section at the bottom of our homepage) is by Александар Цветановић