ENGL 2510: Scientific and Technical Writing Assignment: Formal Presentation Value This assignment is worth 20% of your final grade. Background Presentations are an important tool for professional communication. This assignment requires

ENGL 2510: Scientific and Technical Writing

Assignment: Formal Presentation

Value

This assignment is worth 20% of your final grade.

Background

Presentations are an important tool for professional communication. This assignment requires you to create and deliver a formal presentation based on the research, findings, and recommendations from your report. You will use the same research question and likely much of the same content, information, and visuals from your recommendation report to inform your audience.

Instructions

1. Refer to the specific delivery instructions from your instructor and for your class. Students enrolled in online, in person, or hyflex classes may have different requirements for delivering and/or recording their presentations.

2. You will create and deliver a presentation that makes use of the following components:

• presentations should be 5-7 minutes long.

• prepare slides to accompany your presentation (using PowerPoint, Google Slides, or another compatible presentation software)

• presentations should contain 4-6 slides, plus title and reference slides (6-8 slides total)

• include at least two unique visuals to display and illustrate data or key findings from your research (graphs, charts, images, etc.)

• Cite all research and external sources in APA format, and this includes summarized, paraphrased, and quoted material as well as visuals.

3. Presentations will be evaluated on the basis of professionalism, research, organization, and the effectiveness of your slides and visuals, as outlined in the rubric (below).

Presentation Software

Choose whichever slide presentation software you like, but be sure it is compatible with NorQuest College (PC) operating systems. Please note that presentation software is often proprietary, and therefore not necessarily accessible across operating systems. Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, or Prezi are all compatible and recommended (note that Apple Keynote is not compatible with PC operating systems, and will not work on NorQuest computers). You should also prepare back-ups of all presentation documents and visuals in case of technical complications.

Slides and Visuals

Each presentation should contain roughly 4-6 slides, plus title and reference slides (6-8 slides total). Slides should emphasize information that is of specific significance to the presentation topic, and make good use of space, colour, text, and other visual components (as outlined in Chapter 10: “Presenting Technical Information Orally” of the Concise Guide to Technical Communication). Each presentation should contain at least two visuals using the information outlined in Chapter 5: “Visual Technical Communication.” Consider which type of visual (pie, bar, dart, and Gantt charts; line graphs and drawings; tables; maps; and photographs) best suits the information you want to highlight and select appropriate visuals to include in your slides. Be sure to include citations and a reference for each visual, in APA format. The Library’s APA guide has a PowerPoint template you can use if you like. Click here to download it.

Content and Organization

Refer to chapter ten “Presenting Technical Information Orally” in A Concise Guide for detailed guidelines on how to organize your presentation with appropriate information. Specifically, plan your presentation’s content and organization with the following guidelines in mind:

• decide what information to include in your presentation and what to highlight on the slides.

• determine how much background and context is needed for your audience to understand the topic and your research and identify any specialized terms or jargon that need to be defined and explained.

• organize your presentation so that the audience can easily follow along – provide cues (signposts) and outline your presentation’s main points.

ENGL 2510: Scientific and Technical Writing

Delivery Skills

Remember to speak clearly and slowly and use audience-appropriate language. Make eye contact (look at your audience or into the camera) and limit reading from a script or your slides. Most importantly, remember to breathe. You should also refer to your visual aids and other slides, and ensure you describe technical details in a professional manner that is easy for your audience to understand.

Research

Research sources should be cited on a separate References slide at the end of the presentation.

Rubric

Criteria

Exceptional

Proficient

2 Developing

1 Emerging

0 No evidence

Content and organiza tion 8

Opening clearly introduces the
presenter and topic or research question. Introduction clearly states
purpose, defines terms, and outlines key points. Presentation provides
sufficient background and context, follows a clear and logical structure
using effective signposts, and concludes with a strong summary and clear
evidencebased recommenda

tions that
answer the research question. Visuals are relevant, informative, and clearly
explained. If GenAI tools are used, their role is

Content is clear and generally well
organized . Purpose and key points are identified, backgrou

nd is adequate, and conclusio ns
address the research question. Signposti ng is present but may be uneven.
Visuals support key points. GenAI use, if applicabl e, is

disclosed with minor gaps in
verificatio n.

Content addresses the topic but
lacks clarity, depth, or logical flow. Background or explanations may be
limited.

Recommenda

tions are
weak or only loosely connected to evidence. Visuals are present but not
clearly explained. GenAI supported content shows limited verification.

Content is unclear, poorly
organized, or incomplete.

Recommenda

tions are missing or unsupported.
Heavy reliance on slides or AI generated wording is evident even if
disclosed.

Content

missing or GenAI use is not
disclosed when evident.

disclosed
and content is verified against original sources.

Delivery 8

Delivery is
confident and professional. Speech is clear, audible, and well-paced.
Presenter demonstrate s strong preparednes

Presentation
fits within the time limit.

Delivery is
clear and professio nal overall.

Presentati
on generally meets time requireme nts.

Delivery is
uneven. Speech may

be too fast
or slow, reading from slides or notes is noticeable, or timing is off.

Delivery lacks clarity or
confidence. Heavy reading from slides or

notes. Timing is

significantly off.

Presenta tion
not delivered

Slide design and visual aids 8

Slides are
clear, readable, and visually effective. Design shows strong use of space,
colour, and font. At least two distinct visual aids are included and support
understandin g. If GenAI tools are used to generate slides or visuals, their
use is disclosed and visuals are reviewed and revised for accuracy and
usability.

Slides are
clear and readable with minor design or text issues.

Required
number

of slides and
visuals are included. GenAI use

is
disclosed.

Slides
contain too much text, unclear visuals, or inconsistent design. Visual aids
are weakly connected to content. Limited evidence of review of AI generated
elements.

Slides are difficult to read, poorly
designed, or missing required visuals even

if AI

generated and disclosed.

Slides are
missing or GenAI use is not disclosed when evident.

Research

Research

Sources

Sources are

Research

and referenc es 4

sources are
valid and relevant. All information and visuals are clearly cited throughout
the presentation. In-text citations and references are complete and correctly
formatted in APA style. If GenAI tools are used for research or citations,
their use is disclosed and all references are verified.

are appropria
te and cited with minor APA or formattin g errors. GenAI use

is
disclosed.

limited,
weak, or inconsistently cited. APA errors are present, including unverified
AI generated citations.

poorly chosen or citations are
missing or incorrect even if AI generated and disclosed.

and
referenc es are missing or GenAI use is not disclosed when evident.