Using NIA "live" in lecture
The graphs of the NIA tutorials may be used "live" in lecture. We have found it especially engaging to present a moving graph, change a parameter, ask what the class thinks will happen, then rerun the simulation to find out. The graphical windows may be resized to be large on the screen.
It is easy to toggle between a PowerPoint (PPT) presentation and NIA using Alt-Tab (PC) or Cmd-Tab (Mac). For example, this PowerPoint presentation shows an electrical circuit diagram superimposed upon a membrane. It is keyed to the 4 steps of The Membrane Tutorial and is meant to be used by toggling back and forth between the PPT and NIA. The last few PPT slides are intended to be used in conjunction with the Unmyelinated Axon tutorial and Myelinated Axon tutorial.
Capturing static images for importing into PPT presentations
Static images may be prepared from a tutorial by making any plot to illustrate a point, capturing it, and importing it into a presentation program such as PowerPoint. We and our colleagues have also imported captured images into a word processor for making handouts, laboratory guides, and exam questions.
Using NIA minimovies in presentations
Versions 1.5 and 2.0 of NIA contain a set of minimovies designed to be used in PPT presentations but the axes of these movies are faded until the movie starts. Should you wish to explain what the minimovie will illustrate before it runs, we provide static images of the graphs of certain minimovies. They may be downloaded from this site and placed beside the movie or in a preceding slide. For minimovies showing a propagating impulse, we provide an image of the cell's morphology showing the positions of the stimulating and recording electrodes.