Guidelines and Tips for Making Your Presentation

 

There is certainly enough material on each topic to spend the whole week (Mon & Wed). I would suggest you read your sections very thoroughly and see how well the materials integrate. You may wish to present ideas in a different order than our authors handle the material. There is also no need to discuss everything that is presented in the texts. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

It will be your job to lead the discussion, ask thought provoking questions, etc. The interaction you are able to generate will be a major part of your presentation evaluation.

How I will evaluate the quality your presentation:

  1. Your ability to pose thought provoking questions to the class, and generate an interactive discussion of the issues involved. You should focus on specific questions such as "Why should software be considered property? What are arguments for and against owning software?" rather than "What do you think about owning software?" This will constitute the majority of your presentation grade.
  2. Your integration of current events news stories that fit your topic and help illustrate specific points that you wish to make or that help generate class discussion. I have provided many links to IS related news publications for you to use.
  3. Your integration of other outside sources of materials relevant to your topic. This includes articles that you find on organizational web sites (many of the topics we address are supported by various organizations - privacy, copyright, etc - that have their own web pages with very detailed information) as well as short clips from movies (movie clips are great, but they should be limited to 5-10 minutes) that may help to illustrate various concepts. In the past, one group successfully implemented a role-playing scenario that involved everyone in the class, while another group came up with a creative reward for everyone who participated in answering their questions. Use you imagination!
  4. At least one class day before your presentation, e-mail me copies of your notes, powerpoint slides, links to articles or web sites, or other materials that you will use during your presentation. I will post everything except your notes (Members of the class are responsible for taking their own notes!) to the web page for your topic, thus creating a list of resources for each topic.
  5. There are certainly other items that can be included in your presentation and discussion of the materials. This list should be viewed as a starting point. Use your imagination...

Yup, it's a lot of responsibility...

...but nothing compared to the responsibilities each of you will have on your first job after graduation… You will be expected to give presentations, lead discussions, and think critically about situations you run into on a very frequent basis. Think of it as professional development to accompany your education about Living in the Information Age.

I have also been known to give pop quizes when it appears to me that you are not keeping up with your readings. If we have a lively discussion each week that demonstrates understanding of the material, it is likely that you will never see a quiz during the semester. However, I am not impressed when conversations lag, or when people are not able to answer questions! When they occur, these quizes usually count for a significant portion of your individual participation grade...