LibAnswers: Student Digital Skills and Assistive Technology

Do you have to record a presentation (e.g. audio narration over slides) and upload a recording of your presentation?

First and foremost - check your submission guidelines. Following your assignment instructions is important, this ensures that you are providing the correct file formats for your presentation - so you have the correct file formats to upload and submit. PowerPoint can be used to support your content for your presentation in the slides. You may have been given further specific instructions on timings and even the number of slides in some assignments. Therefore check your assignment guidelines.

Option A below outlines if you are recording using PowerPoint (as guided)
Option B below outlines if you are recording using DMU Replay (panopto - as guided)
 

Option A - If you have been advised to use PowerPoint to do the recording, the following guide explains how to record (audio/slides) using PowerPoint - see Microsoft Guide: Record a Presentation. There are a number of options to save the recorded presentation when you have finished recording using PowerPoint.

When you save a PowerPoint presentation, this normally saves with the name of your presentation and appended with .PPT or .PPTX

Note .PPT is for saving older file versions and saving in this format will not save any recorded narration. Save your presentation in the newer formats e.g .PPTX (see image illustrating choosing the 'Save as type' options). Your lecturers may be specific of the file format for your recording in PowerPoint and its submission. They may specify that you save your recording in the file format as either .PPTX or save your recording in the file format .PPSX which is in the slideshow format. Both these formats will retain the recording. The .pptx file format still allows you to open your file and edit slides if needed. The .ppsx slideshow view, is just that - viewing the slides which opens automatically as a slideshow. 

Option B - If you have been advised to use DMU Replay to record and upload the presentation please see the following guide to assist on how to use DMU Replay to record using your presentation slide - 'Guide on how to download the panopto software and record'. Recording using DMU Replay will automatically create the recording file format. This is all explained in the guide. You may also be instructed to also submit the slides separately too - so do check your assignment submission instructions.​​​​​​​

PowerPoint offers a lot of options and also provides the option to export your recording as video in the MP4 file format -  'Turn your presentation into a video'. This can be useful if you wish to do this and upload the recording in DMU Replay (if advised that you need to submit a recording in DMU Replay). Only consider this option to convert to video if you have been advised otherwise use the above options which will meet presentation recording requirements. Check your assignment guidelines.
 

If you wish to use convert your recorded PowerPoint to video:

1. First record your presentation in PowerPoint - see steps for 'How to record' 

2. Second 'Save/export your presentation to a video file format (.mp4 or .wmv)'  - see steps to 'Turn your presentation into a video' 

Note 1 Please note in step 2 above this could take some time (some cases, some hours), so leave plenty of time (about a day before) any submission (see link below). 

Note 2 If you have been instructed to upload your presentation recording in another method as advised by your lecturer, you can save your presentation in the file format '.pptx''. You can select this format when you do 'File' Save As Type'.

Useful links below

Microsoft Guide: Record a Presentation	Microsoft Guide: Save a Presentation as a video	Guide on how to download the panopto software and record	Get Started with PowerPoint:	Record your slide show presentation in PowerPoint