1 Bio 122 Term Project Presentations Objectives: 1. Conduct an in-depth investigation of a topic of interest within ecology, integrating information learned in class and from direct research. 2. Present this information to your peers in an effective and engaging way. Introduction Your term project is a way for you to integrate information you have learned in class while focusing upon a specific aspect of ecology that particularly interests you. You will work either singly or with a partner and will present your information orally to your lab class toward the end of the semester. Preparing a talk/project takes time you have the majority of the semester to work on your project. Start early! I. Format Your project will be presented orally to your lab class. You may use any format you choose (poster, blackboard, artistic representation, etc), as long as you convey information in an understandable and engaging way. Tips for using PowerPoint/visual aids are at the end of this document. You will be expected to create a presentation that is 8-10 minutes long. If you are working with a partner, your presentation should be 12-14 minutes long (each person presenting for 6-8 minutes). Your term project has been assigned as an oral presentation for two reasons: 1) Speaking in front of people is an important skill that you WILL use many times in your life be it for job interviews and meetings, leadership activities, informal interviews, or community work. You already have had practice writing about your research in your periodical reports. This project will allow you to try a different method of sharing your new-found knowledge and thoughts. 2) You will have spent a lot of time researching a very interesting topic it will be fun to share what you learned with a group of people, rather than just me and you will learn a lot from the presentations of your peers. It is your chance to own the subject and teach each other what you care about. II. Sources Cast a wide net initially use multiple different sources. Research. Gather, read, and evaluate material which may relate to the topic. You must use at least 4 verifiable sources (be careful that information you obtain from the web is from a trustable source check facts!) Keep an annotated bibliography of everything you read, even if you end up not including it. Each person will turn in their annotated bibliography on the day of their presentation. Information about annotated bibliographies is in section VII. III. Creating your presentation (specific details about PowerPoint presentation preparation are at the end of this document) Organize your points from the most to the least important. The less important points can be skipped if you run short of time.
2 Plan your presentation time wisely so it fits in the allotted time (5 minutes per person). Be careful about saying too much or too little. Video clips may be used, but must be very short (15 seconds max). Use/ describe at least 1 figure (a graph or map, hopefully from the article) in your talk. If you would like to have notes for yourself while you present, be sure they are organized and legible for you to quickly refer to them. IV. Hints for Efficient Practice: Timing - Practice Your Presentation! Practice several times (at least 3-5 times) Practice standing up and in front of someone else at least 2 times, get their feedback and immediately integrate it. To end on time, you must PRACTICE! Content Make a list of key words/concepts for each slide or concept you want to convey Read through the list before you begin. You can have it with you, but be sure it is easy for you to quickly find the information you need. Don't attempt to memorize all of your text, but to get over nervousness, you may want to have your notes printed out & write out or memorize your opening statement/1 st slide. Your words will probably be different each time you practice, that s fine! Think about the ideas, and your words will follow naturally. V. Presenting On the day of your talk, provide us with a piece of paper TYPED with the following: 1) Title of your talk. Your name. 2) Your abstract A paragraph summarizing the main issues that you will discuss and your main questions & conclusions you found in your research. Your abstract should be a short (250-300 words) summary of your seminar topic and the information you will present. Start with a brief statement introducing your topic, and indicating why your topic is of interest to marine biologists and, if applicable, other groups (citizens, politicians, etc.). Then summarize the key insights that you have uncovered in your literature research. For example a sentence might read: One study demonstrated that coral reef fish larvae can hear the sounds of reefs and use that to find a place to settle. The final statement(s) of your abstract should succinctly state the main conclusion(s) of your research. 3) An ANNOTATED bibliography An annotated bibliography is more than just a list of sources. In an annotated bibliography, each source citation is followed by a brief summary (as 3-5 sentences, or a list of key points) of the article s content and evaluation of the article s value. This summary and evaluation is the annotation. The purpose of the annotation is to record your notes about the information on the content, relevance, and questions raised about/from the article cited. In addition, you should include a sentence that describes how this article was useful in your presentation preparation. That is, in what significant way did it guide or inform your research?
3 Each citation should be in a standard format that includes authors names, publication year, article title, journal name, volume, issue (if applicable), pages, and website. Here is an example of an annotated reference Source: Sponaugle, S, KD Walter, K Grorud-Colvert, MJ Paddack. 2012. Influence of marine reserves on reef fish recruitment in the upper Florida Keys. Coral Reefs. Published online 2 June 2012. Examined whether fish recruitment differed inside marine reserves on coral reefs They found that results were very different among several species Several species had higher densities in reserves, which corresponded with lower densities of intermediate-sized predators, and higher abundance of large predators Marine reserves may therefore decrease predation threat to young fish I did not understand why the damselfish were so variable maybe it is because that species is harder for predators to eat because of the part of the reef they live on? For more information on annotated bibliographies, see Cornell s very useful website: http://www.library.cornell.edu/olinuris/ref/research/skill28.htm#what Delivering Your Presentation: It is OK to be nervous everyone is (even your teachers!). Just take a breath and remember - people are interested in what you have to say. If you have practiced, you will feel much more comfortable. Enjoy it! Pre-Talk Preparation Dress appropriately for your audience. Turn off your cell phone (everyone!!) Opening: Jump right in and get to the point. Use the opening to catch the interest and attention of the audience. Briefly state the specific topic you will be discussing. Briefly summarize your main research findings. Speaking Talk at a natural, moderate rate of speech Project your voice. Speak clearly and distinctly. Repeat critical information. Pause briefly to give your audience time to digest the information on each new slide. Don t read the slides aloud. Your audience can read them far faster than you can talk. Body Language Make eye contact with your audience periodically. Use natural gestures. Avoid turning your back to the audience for more than a brief moment Try using your notes only as reference to keep you on track rather than reading to the audience.
4 Demeanor: Show some enthusiasm. Nobody wants to listen to a dull presentation. On the other hand, don t overdo it and become distracting. How would you explain your ideas to a friend? Involve your audience. Ask questions, make eye contact, and use humor. Don t get distracted by audience noises or movements or apparent lack of interest (some people look serious when they are thinking about what you say!) You ll forget a minor point or two. Everybody does. Don t worry about it. If you temporarily lose your train of thought, it is OK to stop for a moment and regroup. A pause in speech always seems longer to you than to the audience (and can also be a powerful way to regain their attention) Conclusion: Concisely summarize your key concepts and the main ideas of your presentation. End your talk with the summary statement or question you have prepared. What concept or key point do you want them to walk away with and remember? Questions Relax. If you ve done the research you can easily answer most questions. If you can t answer a question, be honest. If you feel comfortable, present what you think might be the answer, but let people know these are your thoughts and not necessarily correct. Here is the rubric which we will use to grade your presentation: (100 points) Criteria Specific criteria Maximum points Preparation Outline & Progress report submitted 10 Overview An overview of your ecosystem, including the key species within 15 each trophic level (i.e., who are the major photosynthesizers, grazers, predators) and overall structure of the system In-depth In-depth perspective from individual, population, or community 30 level. Exhibits understanding of material Ecosystem Broad look at how this ecosystem fits into the larger ecosystem of 15 perspective this area Human An investigation of human impacts/threats to this system and ways 10 Impact that these are or could be addressed. Presentation Voice audible; clearly spoken 10 Makes contact with audience Completed in 10 minutes; timing well-planned (sufficient time on each section) Teamwork well done (all members contribute equally) Visuals Visuals are legible, proof-read, appropriate, and clearly explained 10 Total Score 100 Points earned
5 Tips for Presenting & using PowerPoint You are not required to use PowerPoint, but many of these comments apply to general presentation tips Preparing PowerPoint Slides: Presentation Design Do not overload your slides with too much text or data. FOCUS. In general, using a few powerful slides is the aim. One slide per minute is a good rule-of-thumb. Pictures tell a thousand words use pictures or graphs to make a point rather than cluttering a slide with too many words. You can type notes in PowerPoint under each slide & print these out to help you practice. Proof read everything, including visuals and numbers. Visual elements Use clear, simple visuals. Don t confuse the audience. Graphics should make a key concept clearer. Text A font size of 28 to 34 with a bold font is recommended. Best to stick to 1 font throughout. Use contrast: light on dark or dark on light. Too much text makes the slide unreadable. Stick to a few key words. If your audience is reading the slides they are not paying attention to you! If possible, make your point with graphics instead of text. Charts/Graphs Charts need to be clearly labeled. Take time to step through them. Tables can be both hard to see and to understand. Get creative with better ways to present them. Backgrounds Be sure your background does not distract from the presentation. Using the default white background is hard on the viewer s eyes. You can easily add a design style or a color to the background. Backgrounds that are light colored with dark text, or vice versa, look good. A dark background with white font reduces glare. Excitement Sounds and transition effects can be annoying. Use sparingly. Animation effects can be interesting, but too much is distracting. Use in moderation.
6 Student Presentation Peer Evaluations: Your name: having heard this talk.
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8 Student Presentation Peer Evaluations: Your name: having heard this talk.
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10 Student Presentation Peer Evaluations: Your name: having heard this talk.
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12 Student Presentation Peer Evaluations: Your name: 3. Was the presentation clear, informative (do you understand what they are discussing and 3. Was the presentation clear, informative (do you understand what they are discussing and
13 3. Was the presentation clear, informative (do you understand what they are discussing and 5. Write down one thing you learned from this presentation OR a question you have after 3. Was the presentation clear, informative (do you understand what they are discussing and 3. Was the presentation clear, informative (do you understand what they are discussing and
14 Name Self Evaluation 1. Briefly describe one part of either your presentation or your preparation for your presentation that you think you performed particularly well. 2. Briefly describe a part of your given presentation that you feel you did not perform as well as you could have. (this could be in your oral delivery or the digital presentation). 3. Do you feel like you practiced your presentation sufficiently? 4. What would you do differently in preparation for or during a future presentation? 5. If you worked with a partner, describe how you divided up the work and if you think it was fairly done. Is there anything about this teamwork that you would do differently in the future? 6. Briefly describe one idea or concept that you learned from doing this presentation that you think is really important about the subject you presented or about preparing a talk. 7. Briefly describe one idea that you learned from hearing other student s presentations about the skill of preparing a talk that you think is really important. 8. Provide any other specific comments you have about your presentation (you may use the back of this page if you need more space for any question).