This is the course website for English 302, Section 28, taught by Quinn Warnick at Iowa State University during fall 2006. Please refer to the policy document and syllabus for more information about this class. Updates to the syllabus will be posted one week in advance, and any changes to the readings and/or assignments will be reflected in the summaries for each week.
Individual Presentation Assignment
(This assignment is worth 10% of your grade)
Overview
Each student is responsible for preparing a presentation to teach the class about a topic related to the course outline. It is not acceptable to merely present an overview of the material listed on the syllabus; these presentations must go beyond what is in the text and present new information or insights into the topic. Your presentation should last no less than 10 minutes and no longer than 15 minutes, and should be conducted as if you were working in a
professional environment and had been asked to brief your coworkers on
a particular topic at a staff meeting.
Creativity is important. For the duration of your presentation, you are the instructor, with all the rights and responsibilities that entails. You may use your allotted time however you see fit. Some students may choose to use PowerPoint (only available if we are in the computer lab that day) or overhead transparencies; others may conduct small-group activities or full-class discussions to teach a particular concept; others may develop handouts or create online activities to help students remember important points.
In addition to the actual presentation, you will submit a 1-2 page memo explaining the rationale behind your presentation (i.e., why you did what you did) and listing the sources you consulted to prepare for the presentation.
Assignment Details
Submit your memo on the same day that you make your presentation. Save the memo as a Word document, titled as follows: "Full Name Presentation Memo.doc" (for instance, my file would be named “Quinn
Warnick Presentation Memo.doc”). To submit the memo for grading, upload it to the course website. If you would like to sumit additional materials (a PowerPoint file, PDF copies of resouces you consulted, handouts you used during your presentation, etc.), please email them to me (warnick@iastate.edu).
Evaluation Criteria
Your presentation and memo will receive a single combined grade; however, I will use specific criteria to evaluate each part of this assignment.
Your presentation will be evaluated based on how well it:
exhibits forethought and planning in its organization and structure.
integrates outside sources with the course materials on your topic.
displays a level of professionalism (in terms of speech, mannerisms, etc.) appropriate for a presentation of this type.
engages your classmates.
justifies your decisions about how to organize and deliver your presentation.
summarizes and evaluates the sources you consulted in preparing for your presenation.
uses the memo format (fonts, headings, lists, etc.)
adheres to the conventions of standard written English (spelling, punctuation, etc.).