Hello all,
I thought I would jot down a few FAQs for the second assessment. If there are any further questions you have, please note them in the comments section below and I will respond to them directly, in order that everybody can see any q and a badinage. The trick with assessment two is to showcase your blog, remembering that Gary will not have seen this before, so you need to factor that into your talk. I will know all the blogs inside out prior to the presentations, but he won't, and neither will the rest of the audience on the day unless you’ve decided to share it with classmates for a second opinion / informed feedback (which I like to hear very much indeed). As ever, time management and attention to detail should be at the forefront of your thinking here.
Q. How important is time when you come to mark this?
A. Time is really important and is a discipline that you can control. Given you have between 5 and 6 minutes to deliver your talk on what you have achieved, show what you have done, learned etc., there should be no issue. It is strongly recommended that you have a timepiece in front of you, and remember to start it. My stopwatch starts when you open the presentation up and stops when you ask for questions. If you are stopped, this will be reflected in your overall mark.
Q. I see you use a remote clicker when you present in our lectures. Will that be available on the day for us and is it easy to use?
A. Yes it will be available and it is really easy to use. One button (right) moves the slides forward and the other (left) moves it back. I will ensure that there are wipes in the presentation venue so that we are conforming to the strict university H and S regulations. You may wish to use the spacebar or mouse instead though. My remote clicker arguably gives you a little more physical freedom. My advice is do not use the infrared button for a pointer, as it can often be distracting to the audience. Use positive body language and hand gestures to naturally signpost key issues.
Q. I imagine we will all have lots of references from the research we have done up until the time for the presentations. Would it be helpful to put the references link from the assessed blog in my references slide, in case either of the assessors wanted to ask a question about that?
A. Yes, I would strongly advise that you have one link to all your sources used on one slide (which will be the penultimate PP slide), and please make sure that the link is live, that is, press return which makes it a hyperlink. Have a look at my suggested template PP. They are black and white for illustrative purposes only and I would imagine all your assessed slides will have a splash of (appropriate) colour for sure!
Q. How many questions are we likely to get and is it just the assessors who can ask them?
A. How long is a piece of string? No definitive answer to that, other than ‘until we are satisfied we have sufficient information’ and yes, members of the audience can also pose some questions, but I will ensure no more than two from your peers so we don't run over on time.
Q. If I miss my assessment on the 4th or the 11th May, is it OK just to do it the following week?
A. No it is not OK. This is a crucial question though. If you miss your presentation slot you will be marked as a no show and the academic board will make a decision on that when they meet. Depending on the circumstances for any absences, it could be a first attempt (with legitimate reasons sent to Pauline and Mark in good time), capped at 40% or a fail. Any resits / first attempt deliveries are likely to happen in July 2022. These may or may not include Mark, depending on his contractual and / or availability status.
Q. Is it permissible to use cue cards?
A. Yes it is, but not a script. If you are using cue cards, you should number them. Experience tells me that if a learner drops their cards and they are not numbered, it can cause mild panic, to put it mildly…
Q. I need to go to work on the day of my presentation, so might need to leave early, is that OK with the assessors?
A. No, it isn't. You should change your shifts if this is the case. The assessment times were announced on 30/3/22 and you should ensure you are available on the date you have been allocated. This is effectively an examination, so please treat it as such.
Q. Can I change the assessment date at all?
A. Sadly not. All assessment dates are now fixed. Please see above.
Q. What happens if I forget to print off the slides for myself, you and Gary?
A. This would be an oversight on your part and assessors often like to see slides for numerous reasons, such as assessing how well prepared you have been, to check spelling, make notes on the hard copy and crucially, to help make an informed assessment decision. Black and white copies are absolutely fine and it is welcomed if you print them off using the three to a page option, with room for assessors to make notes.
Q. If I haven't made a comment on the blog regarding my pitch, created a mock blog, delivered a progress presentation, will I still be asked a question about that?
A. You could be, yes. If you have not done so, then naturally this will affect your mark for this assessment too. Easy marks to gain, avoidable ones to lose...one wonders why anybody would still be in this position though given the plentiful friendly nudges you’ve been given in class and by e mail…
Q. What is the dress code for the assessed presentation?
A. I would say smart casual, but please, no hats, shorts or sunglasses. It is still a professional piece of communication. There is no expectation that you are “suited and booted”, wear a dress, heels etc. as we discussed in class, but if you do wish to be in formal attire, please do, it isn’t mandatory though.
Q. Will the presentations be recorded?
A. No, on this occasion they won't be. If you did want to be recorded for your own learning, you should arrange that with a member of the class beforehand to video on a mobile ‘phone. That is good practice for you to analyse your own performance, but that’s not for everybody, I do understand that!
Q. I wish I had made some changes since I submitted my blog details in late April, could I talk about that in this assessment?
A. Anything you feel you missed from assessment one can be discussed in the presentation, yes. It is good to reflect. After all, communication is, by definition, dynamic. You only get this one chance, so give it everything you can.
Q. With the potential of two assessors in the room, who should I divert my eye contact to on the day?
A. Do not present to the wall at the back, that’s the first thing to note. I believe that all members of any audience are equally important, so it is wise to present to everybody in the room. That said, DO include us too in that! It wouldn’t be professional to avoid contact with us completely. It has happened in the past which always surprises us, in a bad way!
Q. Is it possible to see my slides on screen at 2pm before the assessments start at 2.30?
A. Hopefully, yes! I don’t know who’s in B2 until 2, but university guidelines are currently a 30 minute turnaround between classes, so it’s more than likely you can. I’ll log into the system as soon as we enter B2 and will have all the talks on a usb or on the desktop, clearly labelled.
Q. Before I start, I’d like to check my blog link is working. Is that OK?
A. Yes, it’s always good practice to check; it’ll only take seconds. Do remember, on your PP slides to make any links ‘live’. You do this by pressing return / enter and you will see a coloured line under the weblink and you're good to go.
Q. Is this presentation likely to be a mixture of using PowerPoint and showing my blog?
A. Yes, that’s pretty much what you are delivering here, not forgetting the import of formality at all times and explaining things to the audience. This is your chance to present what you’ve done, what you’ve produced, what you’ve learned and what you’d do differently if you had your time again. This should be a very straightforward assessment if you’ve put sufficient work in throughout the duration of the module.
Q. What happens if I forget to send Mark my slides no later than 24 hours before my talk?
A. This is a key point in the assessment brief and is mandatory. If Mark doesn’t have the slides you would have to just use your blog as a guide to present, which means you are unlikely to have as good a structure as you would with slides, a conclusion visual, section asking for questions etc. Again, this would be an avoidable time management issue from your side. The assessment 2 brief was distributed and discussed on 30th March 2022 after all. Having all the slides beforehand helps Mark to make your life easier on the day as they’ll all be available on his memory stick and / or on the desktop in B2.
Q. Can you remind me when my presentation assessment is, and the running order please?
A. Of course, the link to the two assessment dates are found here (you only attend one session though remember): https://napiercdcc.blogspot.com/2022/03/assessment-two-running-order-and-date.html?m=1
Q. Could we use screenshots of our completed blog as well as the blog link in the assessed presentation?
A. Yes you can, and in fact, this is a good idea. I hadn't thought about that! You will still need the link to your blog as Gary and I may wish to look at the live posts on any given aspect of your blog. Good question.
I hope these ‘FAQs’ help you and if you have any further questions, please note them in the comment section below, not forgetting to use Google Chrome to do so. You can also e mail Mark by proxy if you’re having difficulty. All the best and bonne chance in the assessment. This is a great opportunity for you to talk up the skills you have learned and also to demonstrate how far you have developed since the start of this module. I will respond to every question should any be asked.
Good luck to you all; many of you have really engaged with this module and that’s been very reassuring from a lecturer / assessor perspective.
Mark
