Build assessment slides that people can follow and navigate

Start with a clear information structure

Give each slide a purpose and a meaningful title. Use the application's suitable built-in layouts where possible, then inspect the order in which content will be read. Avoid assembling a slide from unrelated text boxes without checking navigation. The visual position of an object does not necessarily establish a sensible reading sequence.

Keep the main message visible and move unnecessary detail into an appropriate accompanying document if the assessment allows it. A slide should support the explanation rather than contain a complete script in tiny text. Check that any handout includes enough context to make sense when read separately.

Make visual meaning available in more than one way

Label chart series directly where practical and do not rely on colour alone to distinguish categories. Explain what a chart demonstrates, including the relevant units and comparison. For meaningful images, provide an appropriate text alternative in the file and describe the important point during the presentation.

Decide which decorative elements add no information and treat them appropriately in the authoring tool. A long description of an irrelevant background shape can make navigation harder. For a complex diagram, consider whether a short accompanying explanation is needed to communicate relationships that cannot be captured in a brief label.

Check readability in the delivery setting

Inspect text and key visuals at the scale the audience will see. Test contrast and avoid placing important wording over a busy photograph. Check that captions, labels and source details remain readable in the required format. If the room is available, view a representative slide from an audience position.

Review any animation for its purpose. If understanding depends on a rapid sequence, provide enough time and an alternative way to follow it. Keep movement that does not help explain the content out of the presentation. Where you use audio or video, arrange suitable captions or other access support through the required process.

Run checks and inspect the findings

Use the application's Accessibility Checker and review each relevant finding. Add missing information and inspect suggested reading-order issues. Do not treat an empty results panel as proof that the slide's explanation, chart or language is understandable. Automated checks address only part of the experience.

Test links with meaningful labels and check the exported format if one is required. Some properties can change during export. Ask the university's accessibility or learning-technology support team about an unfamiliar issue rather than improvising a fix that merely hides the warning. Keep the editable original so improvements remain possible.

Deliver the material considerately

Provide materials through the agreed channel and timeframe where required. During the presentation, explain relevant visual information aloud and avoid referring only to 'this bit here'. Give the audience a moment to inspect a complex slide before changing it. Use the available microphone as directed rather than assuming everyone can hear without it.

In rehearsal, ask a peer to follow the argument from the slides and spoken explanation together. Note places where they need missing context. Make final changes in the authoritative file and recheck them. The finished presentation should communicate the assessed content through a coherent file, a clear explanation and the access arrangements established for the session.

Your next steps

• Use meaningful titles and inspect reading order.
• Make chart and image meaning available in text and speech.
• Check readability in the actual delivery format.
• Review automated findings and agreed access arrangements.

Keep planning

• Record a narrated presentation that meets the assignment brief
• Arrange online group-study meetings people can participate in
• Find note-taking support that works for your course
• Turn module handbooks into one assessment calendar