MS Office

Technical support for MS Office tools is provided by IT Services. This page relates to use of these tools in learning.

MS Office includes a variety of tools that can be used for teaching and learning.

For example, students can use Word to produce essays or reports individually or collaboratively. They can use Excel to learn to enter, manipulate and interpret data and produce relevant graphs.

The tools can be used both asynchronously, with students contributing at their own time, or synchronously, e.g. several students taking notes in a shared document during a live session. 

When you create learning materials for students in MS Office tools, it's always a good idea to ensure they are accessible using the built in Accesibility checker. This usually involves adding alt text to describe non-decorative images and ensuring all elements are read in a logical order for people using screen readers.

Related guidance

Student support

PowerPoint

PowerPoint is a versatile presentation tool that can be used in a variety of synchronous & asynchronous educational activities.

You can create:

  • Presentations to upload on Blackboard, so students can download and view them at their own pace.
  • Presentations to show and discuss with students during a live session. If these are presented as a slideshow shared on screen, you can annotate them during the session.
  • Narrated presentations to give students a more lecture-like experience. You can export these as videos, upload to Mediasite and embed the videos in Blackboard, or save them as a presentation/ show and upload directly to Blackboard.
  • PowerPoint-based activities for students to do individually or collaboratively, including playful activities.

Keep these short (15-20 minutes).

Students can also create PowerPoint presentations, individually or collaboratively, to present during a live session or submit as assessment.

Related guidance

Student support