Presentation Project Reboot – From “Blah” to “Aha!” - Condensed Version

Editor's Notes

• #3: Student presentation projects, using PowerPoint, Keynote, and other presentation tools, are often constructed so that they are little more than high tech research papers.  That is, the process of successfully completing the project requires students to find information in articles, books, and websites and report that information to the class using multi-media tools.  Although the content presented is important for students to learn and understand, these projects often do little to develop deep understanding and critical thinking and are not generally engaging and interesting. Furthermore, the presentation given during class is often dry and uninspired and does not engage the audience in deep thought about the topic.
• #7: Many presentation projects present regurgitated or slightly digested information in a high tech fashion.  There is very little of the students’ thinking or creativity on display in the presentation.
• #8: Presentations should be difficult to complete and require students to grapple with content at a higher levelBecause we want to teach students to think not just to knowBecause there are intangible lessons that come from using information for a purpose that cannot be taught through memorization and understanding alone.Because more sophisticated use of information is more likely to “stick” in our cognitive schema Because more sophisticated use of information is more likely to challenge current schema and result in reorganizationBecause higher order use is more inherently engaging and inspiringPresentations should be of value to the presentersShould help presenters learn the contentShould develop collaborative, deliberative, and informational skillsShould develop oral and visual communication skillsShould develop skill with using presentation tools (such as PowerPoint, Keynote, Video, GoAnimate, etc.) Presentations should be of value to the audienceThere should be a value-added for the students who are the audience of the presentation.  There is no question that the process of creating a presentation is of educational and real-world value to those who develop and present, but the audience should not be subjected to hearing mundane and uninspired presentations.  It is a waste of their time.The viewing of the presentation should further the achievement of educational outcomes of the course for audience membersEnhance critical thinking about course contentEnhance  the achievement of specific academic outcomesPresentations should be firmly grounded in the content and goals of the courseThe presentation should result in knowledge, skill, attitudes, understanding, etc. that is directly related to the course goalsThe mental effort and time investment on the part of students should be maximally spent on efforts related to these core goals
• #10: Analysis: This presentation project was OK but definitely not great.   It was effective in introducing new content and information. It also enhanced students’ skill with using technology tools for presentations. Furthermore, it was effective in enhancing group collaboration and communications skills, but not deliberation skills.  Another deficiency was that neither the presenters nor the audience grappled with the content at a high level.
• #15: We tried to determine how this information was of significant real-world use and reconstruct the project so that students were using the information at a higher level and perhaps developing some deeper understandings related to World Religions that are more difficult to teach.Questions asked during the collaboration:What is dissatisfying about the project?Why did you have this as a project to begin with?  What were you hoping students would gain from it? What was the goal?How will information about religion be of general usefulness to students after they leave your class?What would you hope are the long-term takeaways from this course?  From this project?  From the first day of class until the last day of class, how would you like for students’ knowledge, skill, attitudes, etc. to be transformed?How can this project be reconstructed so as to require higher order thinking and more closely achieve your course goals?Outcome of discussion:  The new project should be designed... so that it encouraged higher order thinking about the content.  Students should not just be reporting on information.  so that it required the group to deliberate and grapple with the information.  so that it advances additional central course goals beyond knowledge of the content itself such as understanding similarities and differences between religions, generating tolerance and understanding of other religions than one’s own, recognizing the impact of religion on the life of individuals.so that it results in a value-added experience for the audience in addition to the presenters
• #16: Analysis: This presentation project was far and away better than first version.   It was effective in all of the ways that the first presentation excelled, but had considerably more extensive success.  The presentation project introduced new content and information,enhanced students’ skill with using technology tools for presentations, and was effective in enhancing group collaboration and communications skills just as the first version of the project did.  In addition, it enhanced the deliberative skills of students as they sparred and discussed in order to develop their thesis.  Also, the audience was more able to engage at a higher level of thinking throughout the course of the presentation by reflecting on the strength of the thesis the students presented.
• #23: What is dissatisfying about the project?Why did you have this as a project to begin with?  What were you hoping students would gain from it? What was the goal?How will information about the topic addressed by the project be of general usefulness to students after they leave your class?What would you hope are the long-term takeaways from this course?  From this project?  From the first day of class until the last day of class, how would you like for students’ knowledge, skill, attitudes, etc. to be transformed?The Reboot - How can this project be reconstructed so as to require higher order thinking and more closely achieve your course goals?Pay attention to whether a response to the prompt is readily available on the Internet or from past students.  If students are repeating an answer from several else, even if it is a sophisticated response, they are not grappling with the content at a higher level.The prompt/task should be open-ended no clear, discoverable right answerIt should be an engaging and interesting, real-world or fantastical prompt that requires students to make a decision, assert a prediction, or offer a supposition.  Responding to the prompt should result in a thesis that is unique to the students in the group and un-google-ableProvide two sample project prompts and ask which need rebooted and why.