DELSU: Faculty Of Education Holds One-Day Workshop

By Daniel Dafe

The Faculty of Education, Delta State University (DELSU), Abraka, on Monday held a one-day workshop on ‘Powerpoint Slide’s Design and Presentation.’

The said event that held at the 500 Capacity Lecture Theatre, was organised for staff and postgraduate students of the faculty.

Speaking during the opening ceremony of the event, Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Professor Andy Egwunyenga, said the workshop was very timely and important.

He noted that the Postgraduate School is key to competitiveness of the university system, stating that tertiary institutions are able to compete externally and globally on the bases of research and publications.

In his words, “it is at the Postgraduate School that you will need to computerise research and publications.”

According to him, no matter how intelligent the lecturers in the university are, if the institution does not have grounded postgraduate students, the university will be unable to compete.

He continued: “Like I aways say “the students of the Postgraduate School are evaluated in terms of research and publications”.

“There is a race among the universities. There are so many universities in the country today and we are all in the same market of competing for students, space, recognition and ranking. People now look at the quality of the University before they make a choice. So, to be competitive, you must be digital because that is where the world is going.

“The truth is that students want laptops even in secondary schools talk more of a university or a post graduate school. You need the Internet,” he said.

He predicted that in the future, many external examiners may not be physically present and students will need to relate with them during presentations virtually.

“So when you have mastered powerpoint, you will also have to master how to use your power point virtually whether to use zoom, Microsoft, etc.”

He reiterated that his goal is for every faculty to have a digital environment.

“So we are going to organise certain postgraduates programmes to be such that the backup of the Internet in the environment Is strong enough to hold seminars should incase an examiner is not physically there and your presentations can be done through zoom with someone outside. That is the way it will be and that is the way it should go and for me, this is the beginning,” he opined.

He thus urged participants to take the workshop seriously and get the best out of it.

Earlier, in her welcome address, Dean of the Faculty, Professor (Mrs.) F.N Ugoji, said the workshop was on the art of crafting captivating and effective PowerPoint presentations.

Her words: “In today’s age, where information flows rapidly and attention spans are short, the skill of creating impactful PowerPoint presentations cannot be over emphasised.”

She continued: “Throughout this workshop, the facilitators will delve into the core components of a well-designed presentation that not only educates, but captivates your audience. They will explore the nuances of visual storytelling, the judicious use of multimedia elements and the seamless integration of your narrative. Each slide will become a canvas and your words the brushstrokes that paint a vivid and memorable picture in the mind of your audience.

“Our goal is to equip you with the knowledge and tools to stand out as you deliver your research with impact and to effectively communicate your ideas to a diverse array of viewers.”

She hinted that seasoned facilitators were picked to guide staff and students of the faculty through the intricacies of design, layout, colour theory and content organization.

On his part, Dean, Postgraduate School, Professor Temi Akporhonor, commended the Dean of the Faculty of Education for organising the workshop.

He said: “This is very appropriate at this time where everybody is looking at ICT and developing the educational system. Sometimes when students want to present their research findings, they hardly know how to carry that out with powerpoint and one wonders if the lecturers are part of the system as well. So I was very happy when I heard that the Dean of the faculty of Education is organising the workshop not just for students alone but also for staff. I think this is very apt coming at this time.”

Speaking further, he said: “For the students, September 1st is a very unique date because that’s the date that compulsory plagiarism test takes off at the faculty level. Any document coming to the Postgraduate school without the plagiarism result would not be attended to because this is the in-thing in all the universities now because it shows that your work is original. Secondly, before you graduate with a Masters, you are expected to have published one paper in a renowned journal and two papers for PhD. Again, as form 1st of September, anybody who has not published cannot graduate because its a must.”

He hoped that the outcome of the workshop will be very rewarding for the students.

Other dignitaries present during the workshop include the wife of the VC, Professor (Mrs.) Ebele Egwunyenga; Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic, Professor Ochuko Anomohanran and University Librarian, Dr (Mrs) Josephine Eruterio Onohwakpo.

Also present were deans of other faculties, professors, lecturers and students.

Meanwhile, a technical session held after the opening ceremony.