GC Graded Course Components: Research Project Presentation--What Kind?

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    Demosthenes Links to an external site.

What Kind of Presentation Can I Give?

Here is an example of The Undergraduate Research and Artistic Showcase that takes place each semester at UMD (usually in the Kirby Ballroom, and usually during the Week 13 of the semester): Spring 2025 UROP Program

Presentations can be in the form of . . .
(Pick ONE of the following)

  • PowerPoint Presentation

Caveats:

      • Saying "I don't like PowerPoint lectures" is like saying "I don't like chalkboard lectures," or "I don't like overhead projector lectures," or "I don't like 8 mm movies".

      • It misses the point.

      • Likewise to assume that your lecture is good just because it uses PowerPoint also misses the point.

    • As with any presentation, it is good to have a beginning, middle, and an end. Usually the beginning contains what in writing they call a "thesis statement."
      • For an e.g. have a look (or another look) at the Meet Your Professor slides . . .
        • PowerPoint projects for this course should be well-crafted and professional, and about 25-30 slides & * in length, with narration or narrative text as part of the program itself (and not simply presented, for e.g., as presenter's notes in a PowerPoint presentation).
      • Your narration can be voice-over or textual
      • You should have captions where appropriate
      • The "narration" can be pretty straightforward.  It is the "story" that links the slides together
        • If you look at any of the slide sets from the first part of the semester, there is a set of word slides linking together the various images
          • Note, as mentioned above written "narration" should be part of the program itself and not simply presented as off-slide notes in a PowerPoint presentation. That is, the PowerPoint "show" itself should be self-contained. The same principle is also true as it might apply to a web page presentation.
          • To see what the presenter's notes are all about, if you go to your PowerPoint program and click on the "View" tab at the top (usually at the top) you will have the options . . .
            • Normal
            • Slide Sorter
            • Notes Page
            • Reading View
          • Some people sometimes put the "narrative" (the story that links the slides together) on the "Notes Page."  But when one does that they can not see the slides and the notes at the same time.
          • So don't put your "narrative" there
        • The minimum format should be slides with information on your project, with relevant illustrations. You may, of course, experiment. (But avoid items flying around and appearing randomly.)
OWL logo, Online Writing Lab, Purdue University.
PowerPoint Links to an external site.

 

 

  • Video Presentation

or a presentation augmented with YouTube
(or Google Photos "Movie" app on Android systems)

 

  • "Research Poster"

    • If you were to attend a regional or national conference in a professional organization related to your major, or if you attend a conference or exposition related to something like an Undergraduate Research Opportunites Program (UROP) project, you would most likely see that there is a "Poster Session" as part of that conference or exposition.
    • So another option for your class presentation would be to create a professional poster presentation explaining your project to others interested in the topic.
    • UROP, for example, lists UROP Presentation Opportunities on their web site, and they go on to offer Guidelines for creating a professional poster Links to an external site..
    • If you choose to do a poster it should be a poster like you would present at a Student exhibition at UMD at the end of the semester.  And it should be available for others in the class to see; which means you need to upload the link to GC Wk13: PRESENTATIONS DROPBOX [SUBMIT AND REVIEW PRESENTATIONS HERE s2025] (Research Project Part 3)
    • With some real-life poster presentations the creator of the poster is present and gives a short "elevator speech" to viewers. The "elevator speech" should be no longer than 30-60 seconds, and it should cover the main points you are trying to make with your poster presentation.
    • In other real-life poster presentations the basic contents of the "elevator speech" are included on the poster itself, and the creator of the poster may not be present.
    • You may do either a version which includes a (taped) "elevator speech", or a version where you include that information on the poster itself.

Kelsey A. Gruntorad and Chrissina C. Burke of Northern Arizona University provide a good example of a straightforward well-presented poster on the topic of "Re-creating and Rethinking Pot Polish: The Taphonomic Implications of Cooking Fauna" (n.d.) -- basically the archaeology of stewed food. (background information on the project Links to an external site.) 

Further information on research posters is available at . . .
    • When handing in a poster presentation for a class it would be a good idea, as a note when handing it in, to mention what the approximate dimension of your poster would be/are in "real life".

OWL

Final Exam Question
 During Week 15 review 3-5 or more of your colleagues' Presentations, and be prepared to answer the following question which will be in the Final Exam Question pool:
 
Compare and Contrast your Presentation with the Presentations of three others in class.  If, in your opinion, your presentation was not the best in class, what would it take to make it the best?

As part of your discussion explain what units of analysis you and the others used, how they were used, and why you chose to use those exact ones you did.

You do not need to submit any information on your reviews of your classmates' Presentations, just review them before Final Exam week and be prepared to answer the above question if you receive it on your exam from the Final Exam pool of questions.