Better Tools for Higher-Ed Teaching: iA Presenter

Dr. Joe Bathelt
3 min readOct 27, 2023

Like many lecturers, I’ve long been reliant on PowerPoint. While useful, its cluttered interface leaves much to be desired. Enter iA Presenter, a sleek, minimalist tool aiming to solve many of PowerPoint’s issues.

Image source: NightCafe

The Limitations of PowerPoint

PowerPoint offers several useful features like the automatic slide designer and accessibility options that sync well with interactive learning platforms. However, it’s not without its flaws. The interface is overwhelming, filled with an array of options and tabs that are more distracting than helpful. While preparing my lectures, I want to focus on content rather than endlessly tweaking the layout.

Cluttered User Interface in PowerPoint

Moreover, PowerPoint’s presenter screen is less than ideal. Speaker notes are relegated to a small, hard-to-read panel. This forces lecturers to either memorise their material or create a separate document for notes.

Presenter View in PowerPoint

Introducing iA Presenter

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Dr. Joe Bathelt

I’m a lecturer in psychology specialised in cognitive neuroscience. Topics: brain and mind, productivity, and academic work flows. More info: www.joebathelt.com