The objective is to demonstrate that students can convey the essence of their work effectively in the very short time normally available in a business or industrial context. Examiners will be listening for evidence of real understanding of the work undertaken and achievement in pursuit of the project objectives. Students will be expected to concentrate on these aspects rather than giving routine accounts of tasks carried out.
Students will make their oral presentations in groups (to assist in the moderation process) to a panel of examiners during the Semester 2 examination period. Examiners will normally ask a few questions after each presentation. The Panel will agree a single mark for each student.
The oral presentation will normally be based on a Powerpoint display. It must:
No handouts will be allowed, but artifacts such as models or small components may be shown.
The presentation must indicate what the main conclusions of the project were and (briefly) how they were arrived at. Over-running in time will be penalised.
Students should avoid over-elaboration and excessive use of graphical or audio-visual effects in their slides, as these frequently distract from the technical message being conveyed and will not lead to higher marks. It is a mistake to make the presentation simply an oral version of the written final report, and certainly unwise to put too much content on slides. The suggested limit on the number of slides is intended to match the delivery time allowed and not to encourage dense and unreadable slides. Examiners will be looking for effective communication within the constraints of the time limit.