How can I manage student presentations?

HOW CAN I MANAGE STUDENT PRESENTATIONS?

This section provides an overview on delivering and managing your student presentations using pedagogical best practices with technologies supported by the Office of Information Technology (OIT) and Learning Innovation.

Planning, curating and delivering presentations gives students an opportunity to connect authentically with both the course content and their peers. Student presentations can be successfully facilitated in all modalities, including live sessions or pre-recorded for asynchronous viewing.

Selecting the right tool

This table presents the features of the technologies that can be used for live and recorded student presentations:

Using Zoom

Zoom is appropriate for live student presentations online. Students can share their screen and a video of themselves speaking, and attendees can view and hear and ask questions.

Make sure basic requirements are met. The presenter and attendees need stable, high-speed internet connections, quiet environments and headphones for best results. The most up-to-date recommended bandwidth and platform requirements for participating in a Zoom meeting can be reviewed through Zoom Support.

Keep time zones in mind when scheduling synchronous sessions. Time zones where attendees and presenters are located should be considered for live attendance and participation. Send out a quick survey or poll to your students as soon as possible to get a better sense of their individual circumstances related to participating in a live, synchronous class session.

Include your presentation guidelines in your course syllabus so that students know what to expect and how to prepare before their presentation.

Some additional recommendations for a smooth presentation experience include:

Set up a practice Zoom session and have students attempt screen sharing before their scheduled presentation date.
Make sure students have an assigned order in which they will be presenting or testing to minimize changeover time.
Have students submit any PowerPoint slides or visual aids to you before their presentation session to streamline any potential technical issues.
Ensure students’ time zones are similar enough to work and present together effectively if presenting in a group.

Resources
> Using Zoom Meetings
> Facilitating Student Presentations in a Live Zoom Session (video)
> Supplemental Instructor Checklist for Student Presentations in Zoom Video (Duke University)

Using DukeCapture (Panopto)

Live streaming is an option if the presentation is happening in a room on Duke campus that is set up for DukeCapture (Panopto). With Panopto, presentations can be viewed in real-time by students meeting in person on campus and others watching from a different location.

Resources
> Getting Started with DukeCapture (Panopto) (Duke University)
> Online TA Skills: Effective Use of Video (Video) (Includes a Panopto demonstration)

Using Warpwire

Students can record their presentation and post it online for asynchronous viewing using Warpwire. You can provide guidelines for the presentation just as you would for “in-class” or “synchronous” presentations, including length, requirements for accompanying visuals, etc.

Students can pre-record presentations using Warpwire or Zoom. All recordings can then be linked to or embedded in the online learning space of your choice (i.e., Sakai Forum, Sakai Drop Box or kept in the Warpwire tool in Sakai). For more information, check out How will I provide course materials?
Students could also pre-record presentations in any other way that works for them (e.g., cell phone or webcam on a tripod) and then post their recorded video in their course Sakai site.

Resources
> Getting Started with Warpwire in Sakai
> Screen Capture in Warpwire
> Screen Capture in Zoom (Duke University)
> Uploading Videos to Warpwire Media Gallery

Using PlayPosit

Once students have recorded their presentations, they could create an interactive PlayPosit video of this presentation that can be posted in a Sakai Forum or any other online location of your choice via an embed code. In this interactive video presentation, students can insert questions at different timestamps to check for understanding as their classmates watch the video. Students can also incorporate polling and discussion to encourage engagement and feedback from their peers.

Resources
> PlayPost Basics
> Add a PlayPosit bulb to Lessons in Sakai (video)
> Making Presentations Interactive with PlayPosit (video)
> Three Useful PlayPosit Features for Interactive Course Videos (Duke University)

Using VoiceThread

The VoiceThread tool in Sakai allows for text, audio and video commenting on uploaded multimedia. Students create a multimedia presentation on VoiceThread (for example, recording audio or video comments on uploaded slides) for their peers to comment and leave constructive feedback. If students are producing creative work for their presentation, VoiceThread can also be a way for students to comment on their own presentation explaining their creative choices to you and to their peers.

Resources
> Adding the VoiceThread tool to your Sakai course
> Creating a new VoiceThread
> Commenting on videos using VoiceThread
> Teaching with VoiceThread in the Hindi Classroom (Duke University)

Next Topic: How can I give feedback & grade student work?