Presentation

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The production and delivery of live or recorded oral, visual, and/or multimedia communications for specific audiences.

Type = Presentation

Category = Production and creation - open

Description

Presentation assignments involve the production and delivery of live or recorded oral, visual, and/or multimedia communications for specific audiences. They require students to research a particular topic and then prepare and deliver a presentation on the topic. Some presentations are completed in a small group and require teamwork. Presentations are often accompanied by visual aids, such as PowerPoint slides, a poster component, or can be shown as part of a recorded video.

Presentations promote skills related to future employment and can be linked to authentic experiences students will have in their professions. Presentations involve skill in researching the topic of interest, summarising and interpreting the information, distilling the information into a format that is intelligible to and compelling for the target audience, design skills in creating an appropriate visual aid for the target audience, public speaking skills such as clarity of diction, speed of delivery and the capacity to engage the audience with what the presenter has to say. In practice, the presentation assessment may be as short as a 2-minute 'elevator pitch', to a 10-minute presentation about a case study, to a 30- to 60-minute lecture, or innumerable other variations.

Presentations prepared and delivered by small groups of students build further skills into the presentation assessment such as communicating effectively between team members, accountability in attending meetings and completing assigned work/components of the presentation, and presenting well as a team.

Presentations can allow for immediate academic and peer feedback and can be used as a scaffolding step towards developing a written assessment or other assessment type. Consider what is being marked in a presentation – are you evaluating the content (clarity, references, understanding of topic), or elements of the presentation style (incorporating visual aids, presentation style, voice/speed)?

Meaningful engagement with AI

Students might use AI to help them generate the theoretical content, such as to brainstorm ideas, provide a brief summary of the topic, suggest resources to seek out/read. AI might draft a speech, design slides, and even "say" the speech (e.g. for a pre-recorded presentation), so assessors should consider how assessment design can encourage critical thinking, such as authenticity, relevance to future occupation, case studies simulating clients they will likely encounter in their future line of work. Other AI tools may assist students to create a smoother flow to their speaking notes. Assessors could recommend a specific AI agent, such as creating a specialised Cogniti Links to an external site. agent tailored to the assessment, to help guide students towards critical thinking. Students should be strongly encouraged to critically evaluate any outputs from AI, including checking the factual accuracy of any AI outputs, before using them in a presentation.

Examples

• Case study: Students present a researched case study that responds to a topic or case provided.
• Summary or critical analysis of text: Students deliver a critical analysis of a text to demonstrate understanding.
• As a component of another assessment: Students present a version of another assignment submission to highlight different components or garner feedback from teacher or peers.
• Conference presentation: Modelled on a conference presentation for student to authentically engage with their field of study.  
• Self-marketing skills: students present a 2-minute "elevator pitch" showcasing their skills and arguing their suitability for a specific kind of role.

Groupwork opportunities

Groupwork may be incorporated in the development and delivery of the presentation. Undertaking development and delivery of a presentation requires students to communicate effectively, allocate tasks, evaluate priorities, be accountable to each other with regards to putting in the effort required and in attending group sessions prior to the presentation and the presentation itself.

Scaffolding of groupwork, such as providing interim due dates for components of the work, and structured peer review components, may assist students in successfully navigating these kinds of tasks. The effectiveness of the groupwork may form part of the assessment criteria, for example, a groupwork process diary/spreadsheet/file folder, peer reviews at key times throughout the presentation development and delivery period, or reflective written piece.