Presentations

Presentations are far more than just pretty pictures and bullet points, they’re visual road maps that provide structured frameworks. This lets educators organise and deliver content clearly, concisely and systematically.

Teachers and students benefit from the logical flow of information, giving learners a chance to connect specific concepts to broader themes, while also supporting scaffolding techniques for less experienced staff.

Here’s how our presentations have supported learning and revision across the school system.

English Presentation

A pair of star-crossed lovers, discussion and model exam answers in English literature

The background

Gill Education wanted us to create a presentation that sparked discussion and explored model answers for literature modules featuring Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Our target age range was students aged 12 to15 years old.

The challenges

Controlling the flow of content – information reveal had to be staggered so that teachers could control the pace of the presentation.
Reinforcing the role of facilitator not overtaker – the presentation’s core function was to aid class discussion around possible exam questions, the themes explored and how to model answers.
Making the most of different learning environments – the presentations coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic, and had to be usable online as well as be ready for the return to in-person lessons.

The solution

To make sure we covered a range of sample exam questions and provided enough detail for model answers, we developed one presentation for each unit of the Romeo and Juliet workbook.

We decided to design them as ‘click to reveal’ presentations, which gave teachers complete control over the flow of information. This technique also fulfilled the need to drive discussion amongst students.

Crucially, presentations could also be used in all teaching settings, in class, online, and by students in their own time for revision.

History Presentation

Bringing Irish history to life, exploring case studies for older teens

The client

One of Ireland’s leading educational publishers, Gill Education, launched a new Irish history programme for teens aged 15 to 18 years old. They asked us to create digital case studies that complemented specific units.

The challenges

Supporting visual consistency between resources – we had to incorporate existing design elements from textbooks and course material.
Providing focused and relevant content – these case studies were guaranteed to feature in state exams, so it was vital that we provided accurate, focused content for positive outcomes.
Matching device requirements – we had to make sure the presentation was compatible across different devices.

The solution

We designed one presentation per case study; these could be used by teachers in class and by students at home for revision.

Matching design elements from the existing programme, we created a clear link between the original physical materials and our digital assets. We made the choice to stay away from text-heavy content, and also added images of key historical figures for an improved learning experience.

Using safe fonts and strategic design elements meant presentations could be shown across all devices.

Science Presentation

Eureka! Supporting science teaching for older teens

The client

We were asked by Gill Education to design and develop a visually striking information guide to complement a new biology programme for students aged 15 to 18 years old.

The challenges

Supporting a variety of elements – we had to incorporate multiple elements within individual slides to support different learning styles. This included text, images and embedded YouTube videos for additional deep-dive information.
Switching between theory and practical sessions – presentations needed to be flexible, supporting teachers who might be discussing theory in one lesson but switch to carrying out investigations and experiments in the next.
Accessibility and compliance – we needed to include alt-text on all multimedia assets to meet European Union accessibility standards.

The solution

We designed a presentation for each chapter of the accompanying biology textbook, using the same design to create a clear link between the different assets. We chose to keep slides text light to emphasise key terms and encourage focused learning.

Following the course in the textbook, we included step-by-step walkthroughs of practical investigations. This allowed teachers to display key points and instructions in a classroom setting.

We made sure each presentation made strategic use of space, using images, scientific diagrams and embedded video to visually appeal to students and encourage active learning.

ABOUT DESIGN R O W S

Learning never stops.

That’s why at DESIGN R O W S, we create and develop bespoke eLearning tools for everyone, from 3 to 103.

Our focus is simple – to design engaging content that learners actually remember. All our eLearning assets are designed entirely in-house, which means we can provide accessible and inclusive material that your organisation can scale and adapt to meet changing needs. We can also develop multilingual content with translations from English to a variety of languages including Irish, French and German.

Because we tailor our eLearning content, we’ve helped a whole host of people retain the knowledge they need to work well and learn well. But if we had to choose, our areas of expertise include education (particularly within the Irish education sector), health and safety, logistics, and technology.

DESIGN R O W S founder Shannagh Rowland, has been crafting eLearning content for global audiences for nearly a decade. Formerly the principal instructional designer at Ireland’s leading educational publisher, Gill Education, Shannagh is also a graduate of New York University and Trinity College Dublin.