Assignment 2 - feedback

Hi everyone

Just some quick feedback on Assignment 2, some of which might help you with your preparation for the presentation to the class, starting next Tuesday.

Firstly, everyone should have a date and time for their presentation, by now. Please read the instructions carefully for this part of Assignment 2 and make sure that you do all the things required of you. Most students lost at least some marks in the written part of the assignment by not paying attention to one or more tasks. The presentations are a good opportunity to pick up some extra marks for work that you have already done (or should have done!)

Referencing (and use of sources) was generally pretty poor in the written part of Assignment 2, with a lot of reliance on basic (sometimes, too basic!) internet sources. The students who used books, journals and ProQuest articles received extra credit.

At tertiary level, your own independent study (outside of the classroom) is extremely important and it is generally pretty easy for tutors to see who has done the extra yards.

The presentation to the class is something of a summary of the main points from your written proposal, so take the opportunity to re-read your work and correct any obvious errors. Make sure that you actually apply the PSDM model to the problem that you selected, so that I can see that you understand how your model works in practice.

Also, have a close look at the marking schedule for this assignment (in the Course Outline) and make sure that you understand where (and how) I will be awarding marks. It is very important that you have suitable visual aids for the class, and you will need to send me softcopies of any powerpoints, handouts or other visual aids that you use.

Remember that you need to run a discussion at the end of your presentation. This is more than just asking 'are there any questions?' and I need to see that you have planned this activity as carefully as you planned your written work (actually, even BETTER than you planned your written work would be ideal!)

Students' provisional marks for the written part of Assignment 2 range between 31.5% and 66.5% (please don't ask me for your own mark at this stage, as I haven't confirmed any of this). This means that it is ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL that some students score very highly in their presentation in order to pass this assignment. I suggest that everyone should assume that they are in the danger zone and make a real effort to score 80% or 90% in their presentation.

Some of the things which might help you to achieve this include:

* A good plan of how you intend to secure ALL 50 marks available for this part of the assignment

* A really good, punchy presentation, packed with important information and insights

* Really good visual aids, which help to convey your key messages

* A few 'knock your socks off' surprises for the tutor!

* See if you can make your audience laugh (or, at least, smile occasionally!)

I hope that this helps. Set the bar high for yourself and really excel!

Have a good weekend and I will see you all on Tuesday.

Cheers

Phil