Class Presentations
Oral presentations in the form of seminars or verbal reports on projects are a key component in the teaching program for many courses at UTS. Assessment of these activities is not an easy task. An example of the criteria that may be used in the assessment of a presentation is given below. In some cases, staff use assessment from fellow students (peer assessment) in addition, or as a supplement, to their own assessment.
The major problem in the assessment of presentations is that generally students are given insufficient instruction or guidance on the processes of oral presentation, and often not given the criteria against which that presentation will be assessed. If students are to be assessed on aspects other than the content, they should be given the opportunity to learn about those aspects and practice them before being assessed on them.
Criteria for assessment of presentations
Structure
- Did the presentation have an effective introduction?
- Were the major points illustrated, explained and summarised?
- Was there an effective transition between the main points?
- Did it have an effective conclusion?
- Was the timing appropriate?
Content
- Was the content accurate?
- Did the level of the content suit the audience?
- Style
- Did the presentation hold your interest?
- Were presentation media used effectively?
An example of a score sheet for assessing case study presentations is attached. Special forms of presentation include debate and court cases. These methods are used in the Schools of Mechanical Engineering and Computing Sciences respectively.
(Originally published in Trigwell, K. (1992). Information for UTS staff on Assessment. Sydney: UTS Working Party on Assessment).