Presentations: Rationale and Instructions

Development of Communication Skills: Presentations allow students to practice their oral and visual communication skills. These are crucial in both academic and professional settings, where clear, concise, and engaging communication is essential.

Engagement and Active Learning: Presentations encourage active learning because students need to research, synthesize, and explain the content. This often leads to a deeper understanding of the material, as students must distill complex information into a clear and accessible format.

Critical Thinking and Organization: Creating a presentation forces students to organize their thoughts and information logically. This helps them improve their critical thinking skills as they decide what to include and how to structure their argument or topic.

Confidence Building: Delivering a presentation, even in a virtual format, builds students’ confidence in public speaking and their ability to articulate ideas clearly. This skill is important not only for classroom success but also for future career development.

Enhancement of Technology Skills: In an online setting, presentations often require the use of digital tools (e.g., PowerPoint, Google Slides, video editing software). This helps students develop technical skills that are increasingly important in modern workplaces.

Promotes Creativity: Presentation assignments provide students with the opportunity to express their creativity in how they present information. Whether through design, storytelling, or multimedia integration, students can experiment with different ways to engage their audience.

Fosters Peer Learning and Collaboration: If presentations are shared with classmates, it fosters peer learning. Students can benefit from hearing diverse perspectives, learning new content from their peers, and providing constructive feedback to others.

Mimics Real-World Scenarios: Many professions require individuals to present ideas, findings, or proposals. By assigning presentations, professors prepare students for real-world scenarios where they may need to present in meetings, conferences, or other professional settings.

1. Select the Presentation Topic

• Define the Topic: Choose a topic that aligns with the course objectives. The topic should encourage students to explore and demonstrate their understanding of course concepts. Examples could include:
  • Analysis of a specific theory (e.g., present on the theory of relativity).
  • Research proposal (e.g., proposing a research method for a social science topic).
  • Case study presentation (e.g., analyzing the marketing strategy of a company).
  • Allow Topic Choices (Optional): You can provide a list of potential topics or allow students to select their own topics, provided they receive approval.

2. Provide Detailed Assignment Guidelines

• Instructions:
  • Clearly outline the expectations for the presentation. This should include:
    • Presentation Length: Specify how long the presentation should be (e.g., 5–10 minutes).
    • Content Requirements: Clarify what the presentation should cover (e.g., introduction, key points, evidence or research, conclusions).
    • Format: Define the format (e.g., PowerPoint or Google Slides with voiceover, video presentation, or live Zoom presentation).
    • Multimedia: Encourage students to integrate multimedia elements such as charts, videos, or infographics to make their presentations more engaging.
• Technical Requirements:
  • Submission Format: Specify whether students should submit a video recording (e.g., MP4), a narrated PowerPoint, or deliver the presentation live via a platform like Zoom.
  • File Size Limit: If students are uploading files, provide a file size limit (e.g., 500MB) and acceptable file types (e.g., MP4, PPTX, PDF).

3. Explain the Learning Objectives

• Learning Outcomes:
  • Explain the purpose of the assignment. For example:
    • Develop presentation and public speaking skills.
    • Organize and synthesize course material into a clear, structured presentation.
    • Apply creativity and multimedia skills to engage an audience.
    • Provide an opportunity for peer learning through shared presentations.

4. Set Assessment Criteria

• Rubric: Create a rubric to evaluate the presentation. The rubric could include the following categories:
  • Content (30 points): Is the information accurate, relevant, and well-researched?
  • Organization and Structure (20 points): Is the presentation logically structured with clear transitions between sections?
  • Delivery (20 points): Was the presentation engaging, and did the student speak clearly and confidently?
  • Use of Visual Aids (15 points): Were the slides or multimedia elements well-designed and supportive of the content?
  • Timing (15 points): Did the presentation fit within the specified time frame?
• Weighting: Decide how much the presentation will contribute to the overall course grade. For example, you may allocate 15–20% of the final grade to the presentation assignment.

5. Set Up Submission Details

• Submission Type:
  • File Submission: If students are submitting a recorded presentation or slides with narration, select File Submission in the Brightspace Assignments tool.
  • Live Presentation: If you are hosting live presentations, create a sign-up sheet for students to choose time slots for their presentations (using a shared document or tool like Doodle).
• Submission Platform:
  • Upload: If students are submitting a file, instruct them to upload their presentation in the Assignments section of Brightspace by the specified due date.
  • Links: If they are using a platform like Google Slides or YouTube, allow them to submit the link.

6. Enable Peer Review (Optional)

• Peer Feedback:
  • If you want to encourage peer learning, enable peer review as part of the assignment. You can use Brightspace’s Discussions feature to have students post their presentations and provide structured feedback on their classmates’ work.
• Peer Review Guidelines:
  • Provide students with a simple peer review form or guide to help them provide constructive feedback. For example:
    • Strengths: What was done well in the presentation?
    • Areas for Improvement: What could have been improved in terms of content, structure, or delivery?
    • Key Takeaway: What did you learn from this presentation?

7. Provide Additional Resources and Support

• Tools and Tutorials:
  • Provide resources and tutorials on how to create presentations. Offer links to guides for tools like PowerPoint, Google Slides, or Prezi, and instructions for recording video or voiceovers.
• Example Presentations (Optional):
  • Upload examples of good presentations (with student permission) from previous courses or create a sample yourself to set clear expectations for quality and style.

8. Publish and Communicate the Assignment

• Announcement:
  • Use the Brightspace Announcements tool to inform students about the assignment. Include the assignment due date, submission format, and any resources they need to complete it.
• Due Date:
  • Clearly specify when the presentation is due. Ensure that the due date is added to the course calendar.

9. Provide Feedback and Grade the Assignment

• Grading: Use the rubric you created to evaluate the presentations. Provide detailed feedback on strengths and areas for improvement, focusing on content, delivery, and the use of visuals.
• Feedback Options: Provide feedback in various formats—written comments, or even recorded audio/video feedback if you prefer to give more personalized responses.

10. Facilitate Post-Presentation Discussions (Optional)

• Discussion Forum: Create a Discussion Forum where students can discuss the presentations after viewing them. Encourage students to reflect on what they’ve learned from each other’s presentations and to ask questions to deepen their understanding.