Presentations Guidelines
Grades for the group projects will be based upon the following criteria:
1. Organization: The presentation is organized in a way that fully and imaginatively supports some claim or purpose.
The sequence of ideas is effective. The audience always feels that the authors are in control of the organization,
even when the organizational plan is complex, surprising, or unusual. The subpoints serve to open up and explore
the author's insight in the most productive way.
2. Support: The presentation offers the best possible evidence and reasoning to convince the audience. No important
pieces of available evidence and no important points or reasons are omitted. It is clear that the author is very
well informed, has searched effectively for the appropriate evidence, and has thought about the evidence presented
to the class. Evidence presented is always relevant to the point being made.
3. Use of Sources (related to #2) in the presentation: The presentation uses academic and, where appropriate, popular
sources to support, extend, and inform the ideas but not to substitute for the student's own development of an
idea. The student has effectively combined material from a variety of sources, including, as relevant and needed,
personal observation, scientific data, authoritative testimony, and anything else called for. The presenter uses
quotations to capture a source's key points or turns of phrase but does not overuse quoted material to substitute
for the writer's own development of an idea. Quotations, paraphrase, and citation are handled according to accepted
scholarly form. A short (one page) bibliography of sources should be turned in at the time of the presentation.
4. Connections: The presentation makes relevant connections to other course material, showing links.
5. Design: The presentation uses design elements effectively. That is, nothing in the visual part of the presentation
is distracting or detracts from the material. Design should not overwhelm the subject matter. It should be simple
and easy to follow. On the other hand, use of powerpoint slides should not be limited to a few bulleted lists.
See PowerPoint Makes You Dumb, and a
counter-argument, Does
PowerPoint Make You Stupid?
6. Style: The presenter's style of presentation is effective. That is, the presentation is audible, there are no
distracting habits or tics, the presenter is easily understood. The presenter has practiced the presentation and
knows how much information can be conveyed in the allotted time. The presentation engages the class, as evidenced
by discussion or by comments from the class.