Introduction to Microsoft PowerPoint 365

Introduction to PowerPoint is a beginner-friendly course designed to help you turn ideas into clear, engaging presentations. Perfect for students, professionals, or community organizers, this PowerPoint course requires no prior experience—just a willingness to learn. You will start with the basics of the PowerPoint interface, then move on to building and formatting slides, adding multimedia, and using tools like SmartArt and charts. By the end, you will be able to create polished, effective presentations for any setting, whether live or recorded.

6 Weeks / 24 Course Hrs

Starting September 17, 2025

Offered in partnership with your preferred school

Fitzpatrick Collaborative

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Learning method

Self-Guided

$163

No instructor. Study on your own schedule

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Instructor-Moderated

$163

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Starting September 17 | October 15

Details + Objectives

Course code: ip5

This Introductory Microsoft PowerPoint training course is designed for anyone ready to transform their ideas into clear, engaging presentations. Whether you are a student preparing for class projects, a professional sharing reports at work, or a community leader organizing events, this course will equip you with the skills to confidently use Microsoft PowerPoint. No prior experience is needed—just a willingness to learn and create.

Throughout the course, you will explore PowerPoint from the ground up, starting with the user interface and basic file management. You will then build and format slides, add multimedia elements, and incorporate tools like SmartArt and charts to bring your content to life. By the end, you will be able to design polished presentations and deliver them effectively—live or recorded. This course is a valuable first step for anyone pursuing a career in business, education, communications, or any field where clear, compelling visual communication is essential.

What you will learn

Explain how to navigate the PowerPoint application interface
Describe how to create a multi-slide presentation and deliver a live presentation
Explain how to use layout, themes, and masters to ensure consistent content placement between slides
Identify methods of formatting text and creating and formatting tables
Explain how to insert, format, align, and arrange graphic images
Explain how to insert and format SmartArt graphics
Identify methods of creating and formatting charts
Explain how to apply transitions and animation effects to slides
Describe the process of inserting and configuring audio and video clips
List methods of creating and formatting support materials, including handouts and speaker notes

How you will benefit

Gain the skills to confidently create professional and visually appealing presentations from start to finish
Benefit from a step-by-step approach that covers everything from basic navigation to advanced features like animations, charts, and SmartArt
Successfully design and deliver clear, engaging presentations for a variety of audiences and purposes—whether in school, at work, or in community settings

How the course is taught

Instructor-Moderated or Self-Guided online course
6 Weeks or 3 Months access
24 course hours

Outline

This lesson introduces you to the PowerPoint environment and lays the foundation for building strong presentation skills. You'll learn what PowerPoint is used for, how different versions compare, and how to navigate the interface confidently. The lesson covers key tools such as the ribbon, Quick Access Toolbar, and keyboard shortcuts for accessing commands. It also shows how to manage presentation files by saving, reopening, and setting properties.

This lesson guides you through the process of starting a new presentation from scratch or with help from templates, outlines, or Copilot. You'll learn how to switch between views, add and remove slides, and change their order. The lesson also explores how to enter content using placeholders and text boxes, how to control bullet levels and AutoFit behavior, and how to work efficiently with different types of slide content.

This lesson focuses on presentation design and visual consistency. You'll learn how to apply and change slide layouts, insert slide elements such as footers and dates, and use Designer suggestions. It also covers themes and backgrounds, showing you how to apply, customize, and share themes and create special background effects. You'll finish by working with slide masters to ensure a unified and professional appearance across your slides.

This lesson helps you format text to improve clarity and style. You'll learn how to choose and adjust fonts, apply character formatting, and work with color using different color models. Paragraph formatting tools help control alignment, spacing, and bullet styles. Finally, the lesson explores formatting text boxes themselves, including fills, outlines, effects, and text orientation.

This lesson teaches you how to enhance presentations with pictures and visual content. You'll explore several ways to insert pictures, including from files, online sources, and screenshots. Then, you'll learn to resize, crop, and modify pictures using styles, effects, and background removal tools. The lesson concludes with instructions for building a photo album presentation and customizing its layout.

This lesson shows how to use PowerPoint's drawing tools to add custom visuals. You'll learn to draw and format shapes, add text, and modify their structure. The lesson also covers how to arrange objects using alignment tools, guides, and grouping. You'll finish by using inking tools for annotations and converting hand-drawn elements into shapes or text.

This lesson focuses on organizing information with tables and SmartArt. You'll learn to create and edit tables, change their structure, format borders and shading, and style text. Then you'll explore SmartArt graphics, which help turn bullet points into visual diagrams. The lesson walks through how to insert, edit, and format SmartArt for maximum clarity and impact.

This lesson introduces charting tools to help visualize data. You'll create bar, column, and pie charts, identify the parts of a chart, and learn to switch between chart types. The lesson also covers how to customize charts by adjusting axes, elements, and layout. You'll learn to apply chart styles and format individual elements manually to create clean, informative visuals.

This lesson covers the dynamic elements of a presentation. You'll learn how to assign slide transitions and set their options, including rehearsing timings. Then, you'll dive into animation effects for text, charts, and other content. The lesson explores creating animation sequences, adding sounds, designing motion paths, and triggering effects based on user interaction.

This lesson explores multimedia tools that enhance your message. You'll learn how to insert audio and video files from various sources, including screen recordings and cameo video. The lesson shows how to record narration and audio clips, attach sounds to objects, and play them across multiple slides. You'll also control playback settings, trim media, and apply formatting to videos.

This lesson helps you prepare for both live and recorded presentations. You'll learn how to navigate slides during a show using different tools and views, including Presenter View. The lesson explains how to configure custom shows, use pointers and subtitles, and hide slides for backup use. You'll also explore sharing methods, managing comments, and presenting to asynchronous audiences using videos or kiosk mode.

This lesson focuses on printing and presentation effectiveness. You'll learn when and how to create handouts, choose layout options, and export them to Word. The lesson also covers printing speaker notes and outlines and adjusting their layout. It ends with a discussion of presentation best practices, including knowing your audience, choosing the right delivery method, rehearsing effectively, and keeping people engaged throughout.

Instructors & Support

Instructor Interaction: The instructor looks forward to interacting with learners in the online moderated discussion area to share their expertise and answer any questions you may have on the course content.

Requirements

Prerequisites:

There are no prerequisites to take this course.

Requirements:

Hardware Requirements:

This course can be taken on either a PC or Mac.

Software Requirements:

PC: Windows 10 or later
Mac: macOS 10.6 or later.
Browser: The latest version of Firefox, Chrome, or Safari browsers (although Firefox or Chrome is preferred)
Microsoft PowerPoint 365 for Windows or Microsoft PowerPoint for Mac (Microsoft PowerPoint 365 Online can also be used for some activities)
Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Software must be installed and fully operational before the course begins.

Other:

Email capabilities and access to a personal email account.

Instructional Material Requirements:

The instructional materials required for this course are included in enrollment and will be available online.

FAQ

Instructor-Moderated: A new session of each course begins each month. Please refer to the session start dates for scheduling.

Self-Guided: Your course begins immediately after you enroll.

Instructor-Moderated: Once a course session starts, two lessons will be released each week for the 6 week duration of your course. You will have access to all previously released lessons until the course ends. You will interact with the instructor through the online discussion area. There are no live sessions or online meetings with the instructor.

Self-Guided: You have 3 months of access to the course. After enrolling, you can learn and complete the course at your own pace, within the allotted access period. You will have the opportunity to interact with other students in the online discussion area.

Instructor-Moderated: The interactive discussion area for each lesson automatically closes two weeks after each lesson is released, so you're encouraged to complete each lesson within two weeks of its release. However, you will have access to all lessons from the time they are released until the course ends.

Self-Guided: There is no time limit to complete each lesson, other than completing all lessons within the allotted access period. Discussion areas for each lesson are open for the entire duration of the course.

Instructor-Moderated: Students enrolled in a six-week online class benefit from a one-time, 10-day extension for each course. No further extensions can be provided beyond these 10 days.

Self-Guided: Because this course is self-guided, no extensions will be granted after the start of your enrollment.

Introduction to Microsoft PowerPoint 365

Fitzpatrick Collaborative