Evidence/Projects

• Case Study Presentation

Context

In Education 795A we (Jason Barclay and Grace Reyes) were asked to review a case study and present a solution based upon the available information. Along with the task of developing a solution to the problem, we were charged with the creation of a presentation (online media) to set the context of the case study and describe our solution system.

Outcomes

For this project we decided to create a PowerPoint presentation to visually communicate the information to the audience. To explain the content in more detail we narrated each slide using a program called Adobe Presenter 7. Adobe Presenter 7 allowed us to easily narrate the slides to further communicate the solution system. The program converted the PowerPoint and narration into a Flash file which could be viewed on any web enabled computer.

The presentation was viewed by our peers to review and critique our solution system. Because this presentation was recorded we had to make sure we communicated our ideas clearly leaving no questions unanswered.

Problems

Our biggest hurdle to overcome was effectively communicating every relevant piece of information needed to describe and explain our solution system. What made this challenging was the depth of the story for the case study and the very intense nature of the subject matter. The subject of the case study revolved around the creation of an online education program to inform the effects of risky sexual behavior between homosexual men. The delicate nature of the topic made us more aware of the language we chose to use for the presentation.

The depth of the content also made us focus on the length of the presentation. We did not want to overwhelm the audience with a thirty minute presentation, therefore brevity was important. We focused on main points and avoided going into too much detail to reduce the cognitive load.

Results/Growth

This case study presentation made me realize how important it is to keep presentations short and to the point. Voice narration of the slides needs to be clear and also have voice inflection to maintain the audience's interest. There is nothing worse than a presentation from a monotone presenter. For this presentation I spent time thinking about how I was going to state the information and what my voice was going to sound like to reflect the feelings of the content. This presentation made me more aware of the words I use in my instruction to students. It is amazing how words can be misconstrued from one person to another, simply by word choice.