Presentation Evaluation Rubric
Content (40%)
The goal of the presentation is to explain to others the topic you investigated, including the questions you hoped to answer, your results, and any lessons you learned from carrying out the study. For instance, with empirical projects, you should explain the dataset you used, why it is (or isn't) appropriate to answer the broader questions of interest. Ideally, you will also include relevant summary plots and tables that explain what is found by the data.
For literature reviews, first explain the questions that the literature tries to answer, then summarize the findings of relevant papers. Organize the presentation around themes in the literature and explain how the paper's findings relate to the broader theme. For instance, if the topic were cyberinsurance, one theme could be technical barriers to insurability. You could then discuss correlated risk, information asymmetries, etc., and explain what papers in the literature say about each barrier.
Manner (40%)
Your talk should be presented well. Here are some criteria:
- eye contact (10%): do you look at the audience, or just at your notes or even just at the screen? Audiences like it when speakers pay attention to them.
- elocution (10%): do you speak clearly and loudly enough to be heard in the back? Do you mumble? Do your words tumble out in a rush? Do you use pause words such as "um" and "like" too much?
- demeanor (10%): do you seem relaxed and confident, or do you fidget or giggle with nervousness? Do you get stiff and frozen?
- pace (10%): does your talk take the right amount of time, finishing neither too early nor running over (or getting cut off)? The target length of the presentation is approximately 8 minutes. This will leave enough time for questions. The total presentation time, including questions, should not exceed 10 minutes.
Structure (20%)
Your talk should have a conventional structure with a beginning, middle and end. At the beginning, you should introduce yourself, state what your topic is, and generally prepare your audience for what is to come. At the end, you should thank the audience for their attention and respond to any questions there may be. If you are working with a partner, then do you and your partner share the stage well, each getting a chance to speak? Do you make smooth transitions from one to the other?
Distance students who turn in presentation slides only will be evaluated on content and structure alone.
(Note that these guidelines are adapted from guidelines used in CS110 at Wellesley College.)