informative presentation

Description

Students prepare a 4 – 5 minute presentation that informs the student audience on scientific communication methods in contemporary society , identifying pseudoscience or when science is misrepresented . Students will include and interpret scientific data throughout the presentation

Assignment Requirements

Presentation must include a properly formatted and grammatically correct formal outline, including at least one reliable scientific research source (APA format in writing and verbally) to support the main ideas. The outline includes a properly structured introduction, main points, and conclusion, which are then translated to a speaking outline and delivered as the presentation. In addition, the student will continue to build extemporaneous speaking skills to establish eye contact with audience members throughout the presentation and use a vocal variety (rate, volume, tone, use of pauses) and appropriate gestures to enhance audience engagement. New scientific vocabulary is practiced with correct pronunciation to build credibility. Students will focus on presenting their content appropriately by accounting for the audience’s knowledge. This presentation requires the student to implement presentation software as a visual aid (5 – 6 slides) using professional slide design. Students will include a diagram or figure to describe the science of the communication source.

The use of AI chatbots (such as ChatGPT, Jasper, or Perplexity) is strictly prohibited in this assignment. Any attempt to use AI in your academic work, including editing, generating ideas, paraphrasing, or creating content, will violate Lynn University’s Academic Integrity policy and will be reported to the academic dean.

Informative Presentation Requirements

Overview

Students will begin by finding a quote or a statement in the popular media making what appears to be a scientific claim that the student suspects is either misrepresentation of science or pseudoscience. The claim can come from publications, media (social and traditional media), entertainment, politics, news, magazines, advertising, etc. Then, students will research the science behind the claim using at least one high quality academic source to explain the correct information, although more may be necessary to fully explain the science. The student will then provide a detailed evaluation of the claim using the facts of the academic source to explain why it misrepresents what the actual science says, or why it’s a pseudoscientific claim, or even in some cases, why the claim is actually valid. Students should use key concepts from the course material whenever possible to support their evaluation.

For example, earlier in the term, I mentioned how a member of the House of Representatives (congressman) Todd Akin said during an interview explaining why he doesn’t view abortion necessary in the case of rape because “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.”

With a quick look into the science of conception, one can quickly debunk this quote by explaining that conception only requires a sperm to fertilize an egg, and then the egg embeds if the uterus is in a fertile state. But even if you thought that rape doesn’t lead to conception as often as normal consensual sex, it turns out that it’s not the case at all, and that pregnancy occurs at the same rate in both situations as you can see from the source below.

Here is Some Legitimate Science on Pregnancy and RapeLinks to an external site.

Students should approach other claims they have encountered with the same academic rigor. Provide enough context and academic research to explain why it’s slightly incorrect, misleading, or entirely false. If you determine that the claim has some validity, please explain that as well.

Instructions

• Students will create a formal outline using the template provided below. The outline should be created before the slide show and both documents should be submitted by the assigned due date. The outline will contain all the main speaking points for the presentation with supporting evidence in brief and succinct sentences. The outline must have a clear thesis for the presentation as well as citations and a reference page for any sources used.
• Introduction: Begin the presentation with an attention getting opening statement before stating the student name and topic. Then announce the student name and topic of presentation. Discuss why you had an interest in this topic and what sparked your curiosity. Present a clear thesis for the presentation; what this presentation will do or what the audience will take away from the presentation. A thesis statement should fill in the blank of “This presentation will…” without directly saying it as such. Transition to the main body of the presentation.
• Present the claim: Start by presenting the claim in a direct quote from the source (citations required). Provide context for the claim by discussing the nature of the publication/media and your perception of the intention behind the claim. For what purpose is the claim made? What is it intended to do and what idea is the claim intended to support?
• Background Research: Provide any and all background research gathered to challenge the ideas behind the claim. As with any argument, it can be useful to bring up opposing points and then address them with your own counterpoint supported by evidence. Provide images, data tables, graphs, or any other visual representation of the science that is relevant to your discussion. One visual source of information must be included (preferably a graph or chart). Mention your sources using oral citations, but be sure to cite your sources on the slides, as well as a proper APA reference slide at the end of the presentation. You must have at least one quality academic/scientific source of background research used to challenge/support the claim.
• After the scientific information has been presented objectively, make a clear argument detailing why the claim is slightly incorrect, misleading, or entirely false using scientific explanations or data. However, if you find the claim is well supported by legitimate scientific evidence, argue for that position instead. Discuss why it may be important for the public to understand the facts for this particular claim. It may be helpful to understand the potential impact to individuals, or society at large, that may result from people believing this or any claim that lacks scientific merit. What are the consequences of believing in misrepresented or pseudo-science?
• Transition to the conclusion of the presentation without saying “in conclusion”. Briefly summarize the main points of the presentation (think of one statement per previous slide to summarize it). Provide a definitive closing statement that is both intriguing and also suggests to the audience that the presentation has ended. Do not bother with “these are my references”. Rather, just display the reference page and say thank you to the audience for their time.

Other Requirements and Recommendations

Timing of presentation

Presentations will be 4-5 minutes in length. Presentations that run less than 4 minutes and more than 5 minutes are not considered a good use of time and deductions will be made on the rubric depending on how short or over time you are. Be aware that presentations which run excessively long beyond this required time frame may be stopped, regardless of where you are in your presentation, due to time constraints. In order to avoid this problem you must practice to ensure you will not run too short or too long. Edit or add where necessary to fall within the right time frame. Be mindful of your natural tendency to speak quickly when nervous. It may lead to a practiced presentation still being too short when you present in front of an audience.

Slide Show

You will be required to present professionally constructed PowerPoint (or other electronic presentation software) slides during class. Generally speaking, the 6×6 rule for text is a good starting point for the structure of your PowerPoint (no more than 6 words per line and 6 lines per slide), but this is not a strict rule. I recommend 5-6 slides for this presentation, as you should spend no more than one minute of your presentation per slide. Provide color, design, and images that are professional and appropriate, but add to the visual experience of the audience.

Please begin your presentation with a title slide that also shows your name, the class, and the section letter. You should have an APA formatted slide for your references at the end of the PowerPoint. You should also have citations throughout the body slides for any information that came from a source. This includes citing any images that are proprietary (meaning that they belong to someone and are not public domain, thus, the person should be given credit for their work). Graphs, charts, tables, and other scientific graphics will always require citations. Failure to cite and reference properly will result in loss of points, and in some cases, discipline for academic dishonesty. Please refer to the APA guide on the library website for guidance.

Refrain from using excessive slide animations, fonts that are brightly colored or too elaborate in style, and images which are irrelevant and/or do not help illustrate your content. All of these can be distracting and appear unprofessional. Images and graphs (no videos) should be incorporated to supplement and help illustrate the content. As such, you will be required to include at least one visual aid to illustrate relevant data to support your points, but more are preferred if appropriate. Your slides should also be written with proper grammar, punctuation, and style.

Speaking Outline

A well constructed speaking outline is highly recommended for use during the presentation. Speaking outlines should be used to remind students of the content they need to deliver using short phrases, or possibly just a few words. They should be point form and brief and it should NOT look like a script (where every single word the student plans to say is written down). This is to ensure that the student maintains eye contact and a conversational tone with the audience. Students who use a script often sound robotic when speaking and fail to engage the audience by maintaining eye contact. Conversely, too little on the speaking outline results in students who cannot effectively delivery content during the speech, so try to find a balance.

Speaking Skills

During the presentation, you will need to use effective speaking skills to communicate your message using proper verbal and nonverbal techniques, with your audience (the class and instructor) in mind. Please review the following list of tips to help you achieve a high quality presentation:

• Practice your presentation to achieve an appropriate speaking rate, pitch, volume, and conversational tone. Imagine you are having a one-way conversation with your audience members. You are doing all the talking, but it is still a conversation rather than a lecture.
• When practicing, try practicing it in front of a small group of people, or on a video chat. Ask for their feedback on what is working and what needs improving.
• Try recording yourself or practicing in front of the mirror. A self-assessment will help you to evaluate how effective you are at maintaining eye contact and having a natural, but professional, body language. You will hopefully be able to pick up on any problems in your vocal delivery as well if you record yourself.
• Identify words that you may not know how to pronounce in advance of your presentation date and learn how to say them appropriately. Scientific terminology can be a problem for students who are not familiar with them, so be sure to prepare yourself properly. Pronunciations are commonly found on youtube.
• Do not simply read text off of your slides or notes; rather, focus on integrating your slides into your spoken presentation where you are having a one-sided conversation with your audience, using the brief points in your speaking outline to keep you on track. Practice with your speaking outline.
• While practicing, you should also keep in mind that you will need to maintain eye contact with your audience, and model proper facial expressions, body language, and gestures.
• Avoid excessive and nervous movements while speaking, but don’t stand stiff as a board.
• Using the space given to you at the front of the room is a plus, rather than just standing behind a podium. Command the room with your physical presence.

Submissions

Please submit the slide show to this assignment by the assigned due date regardless of your scheduled presentation date. The presentations will take place in class the next morning after the due date. Only Powerpoint software can be submitted, so if you use other software, please submit a PDF copy of the slides.

The formal outline should also be submitted along with the slide show to this assignment. You can submit multiple documents to the same assignment.

Evaluation

Please review the attached grading rubric for evaluation of this presentation. Students must present on their assigned day to receive credit. Please see course policies on absences during presentations for more details.

Resources

Please use this formal outline template as a sample document and written guidance on how to write a formal outline.