Cooper, M. (2017, June), No More Death by PowerPoint! Using an Alternative Presentation Model in a ChE Unit Operations Laboratory Course  Paper presented at 2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Columbus, Ohio. 10.18260/1-2--28705

\bibitem{asee_peer_28705}
  Cooper, M. (2017, June), \emph{No More Death by PowerPoint! Using an Alternative Presentation Model in a ChE Unit Operations Laboratory Course}
  Paper presented at 2017 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, Columbus, Ohio.
  10.18260/1-2--28705

Matthew Cooper.  "No More Death by PowerPoint! Using an Alternative Presentation Model in a ChE Unit Operations Laboratory Course".  2017 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Columbus, Ohio, 2017, June.  ASEE Conferences, 2017.  https://peer.asee.org/28705 Internet.  18 Apr, 2024

\bibitem{asee_peer_28705}
  Matthew Cooper.
  "No More Death by PowerPoint! Using an Alternative Presentation Model in a ChE Unit Operations Laboratory Course".
  \emph{2017 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition, Columbus, Ohio, 2017, June}.
  ASEE Conferences, 2017.
  https://peer.asee.org/28705 Internet.  18 Apr, 2024

@INPROCEEDINGS{asee_peer_28705
author = "Matthew Cooper"
title = "No More Death by PowerPoint! Using an Alternative Presentation Model in a ChE Unit Operations Laboratory Course"
booktitle = "2017 ASEE Annual Conference \& Exposition"
year = "2017"
month = "June"
address = "Columbus, Ohio"
publisher = "ASEE Conferences"
note = {https://peer.asee.org/28705}
number = {10.18260/1-2--28705}
}

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - It is well-known that effective oral communication skills are critical to the success of chemical engineering (ChE) graduates in the modern workplace. With this in mind it is important that ChE instructors provide their students with numerous opportunities to practice oral communication skills through in-class presentations. However, assigning several oral presentations across multiple sections or in large classes can be mentally exhausting for the course instructor, and students may similarly feel that they are simply “turning the crank” and feel bored or unchallenged when faced with the construction (or sit in the audience) of yet another dull technical presentation – these are symptoms of the widely-discussed “Death by PowerPoint” (DBP) syndrome.

Part of the reason DBP syndrome occurs is adherence to the classic bullet/sub-bullet structure espoused in much instruction on technical presentations, which can lead to presentations feeling formulaic and lacking in creativity. In recent years new and exciting presentation paradigms such as pecha-kucha and Lessig style have been developed and adapted for technical presentations. One modern presentation style, the assertion-evidence model, requires a heavier reliance on visuals rather than text and is purported by many communication experts to be the most effective technical presentation format. 

This work describes the incorporation of oral presentation assignments using the assertion-evidence model into different sections of a senior ChE Unit Operation laboratory course. Student performances using the assertion-evidence model and the traditional bullet/sub-bullet model will be assessed and compared. Comments from students indicate that they are pleased to try the assertion-evidence format, with early returns stating that the new method created less “waste” in student presentations because it forced people to actually understand what they were presenting. Students also commented that the format helped to engage them more as an audience member and that they enjoyed watching their classmates present in the new style.


Request “Regular” ASEE Session
AU  - Matthew Cooper
CY  - Columbus, Ohio
DA  - 2017/06/24
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - No More Death by PowerPoint! Using an Alternative Presentation Model in a ChE Unit Operations Laboratory Course
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/28705
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--28705
ER  -