Voiceover PowerPoints

Last updated on November 14, 2022

Tools: Yuja and PowerPoint

PowerPoint has the potential to be a powerful instructional tool for conveying information and teaching content. However, PowerPoints that live on their own without any context are less useful for learning. PowerPoints are most useful as a supplementary tool alongside input and context from the instructor. It would be tough to try to give a presentation or teach a class based on someone else’s PowerPoint if the content were brand new. Similarly, students should not have to try to learn new content based off of an instructor’s PowerPoint without the presenter being there to provide context.

A great strategy for incorporating the instructor’s context and expertise is to record a voiceover for a PowerPoint using a tool called YuJa. This will result in an asynchronous lecture or video. Not only will this strategy ensure that students are getting the correct ideas and detailed content from the PowerPoint, it will also boost instructor presence in the online course.

Best practices

• Record voiceovers for PowerPoints in Yuja to ensure that the presentation has context and instructor expertise.
• Keep voiceovers and videos to a maximum of 5 to 7 minutes to reduce extraneous load for students. Segment videos into parts based on time or topic if needed.
• Once voiceovers are completed in Yuja, embed them into Canvas for ease of access for students.

Let’s walk through it together

Please note: If Yuja is not installed on your device, contact ITS.

Part 1: Record the Voiceover PowerPoint

1. Open your PowerPoint.
2. Log in to Canvas. 
3. Select the course you’d like to work in. 
4. Click Modules in the navigation menu. 
5. Add a new page to the module.
   • View our Create a Page in Canvas tutorial.
6. Click the title of the page in the module. 
7. Click Edit. 
8. Click the Apps icon in the toolbar (looks like a plug in).
9. Click View All.
10. Type Yuja into the search bar. 
11. Double click the title for Yuja.
12. Click Create Recording. 
13. Click the Start button. 
14. Click the Open YuJa Software Capture button. A YuJa Software Capture window will pop up.
15. Type the title of your recording in the Title box if you would like (you can do this after recording as well).
16. Type a description of the video in the Description box if you would like. 
17. Select the course that you are wanting to post the capture in by clicking the Purple Folder Icon on the right. Select Save folder window will appear.
18. Select where to put your video.
    • Note: If no location is selected, or this button is not used, the recording will be placed in your default content collection within YuJa.
19. Select your video output(s).
20. Select your audio output(s).
21. Select your screen capture area.
    • Note: Make sure the video presented in the preview is what you wish to record.
22. Click Start in the bottom right corner.
    • Note: There will be a three second countdown before your recording will begin. As you are recording, you will see controls in the bottom right corner of your screen. It will give you the option to open the YuJa Software Station in full preview mode (click the YuJa logo), stop, or pause your recording.
23. Give your presentation (the software is recording).
24. Click the stop button when you are done recording .
    1. A pop-up window will appear.
    2. Click Save or Delete your capture.
       • Note: After you save the recording, YuJa will process the recording. This process may take several minutes, depending on the size of the recording. After the video has processed, it will be available in the previously selected media channel for deployment.

Part 2: Embed the Video in Canvas

1. Log in to Canvas.
2. Select the course you’d like to work in.
3. Click Modules on the course navigation menu to the left.
4. Scroll to the Page you would like to edit or create a new Page.
5. Click the title of the Page.
6. Click Edit.
7. Click the More Options icon (three dots) to the upper-right of the Rich Content Editor.
8. Select the Apps icon (it looks like an electrical plug).
9. Scrolldown in the Select App box that appears.
10. Click YuJa.
11. Sign in to YuJa with your MSU credentials, if prompted to do so.
12. Navigate to your video by typing the video name into the search bar or by scrolling down in the video list.
    • Note: You can also click Record to record a new video, or click Browse to upload a video from your computer to YuJa.
13. Click the video name or thumbnail.
14. Wait for the video to load into the Rich Content Editor.
15. Click Save and Publish.

Extra tip: Include a couple of sentences before the embedded video on the Canvas page as a primer to let students know what the voiceover is about, what they should get out of it, and what they will do with the voiceover or how they will use it later.