Psychology 490

Chapter Presentation Rubric

Understanding and Integration

Accomplished / Competent / Novice
Thoroughness of content coverage / An accomplished description of psychological concept/theory. Key components of the theory/concept are fully explained, completely clear and accurate. The description of the concept is fully supported by psychological science described in the sources. / An adequate description of psychological concept/theory. Key components of the theory/concept are acceptably explained, mostly clear and accurate. The description of the concept is mostly supported by psychological science described in the sources. / An inadequate description of psychological concept/theory. Key components of the theory/concept are not fully explained, unclear and inaccurate. The description of the concept is not fully supported by psychological science described in the sources.
Inclusion of material beyond the textbook / Numerous sources are included beyond the textbook to provide a complete picture of current knowledge on the topic. / A few sources are included beyond the textbook to provide a partial picture of current knowledge on the topic. / Zero or one sources are included beyond the textbook. A complete picture of current knowledge on the topic is not provided.
Fluency of the presentation / Student is able to easily move from topic to topic within the presentation, and expresses an understanding of how all topics fit into the “big picture” of that concept. / Student demonstrates a partial understanding of the links between topics, but this understanding is limited such that it prevents the student from expressing the integrated picture of the overall concept. / Student is not able to easily move from topic to topic within the presentation. It is unclear whether or not the student understands how all portions of the presentation fit within the overall concept.

Oral communication

Accomplished / Competent / Novice
Basic Speaking Skills
General speaking fluency / The student transitioned smoothly from topic to topic and/or slide to slide. Verbal fillers (such as “um,” “uh,” and “you know”) were rarely employed. Minimal extended pauses were used and the general talk flowed well. / The student mostly transitioned smoothly from topic to topic and/or slide to slide, but distinct pauses for re-organizing or getting back “on track” were noticed. Verbal fillers were used several times, but not so often as to detract from the ability to convey information. Some extended pauses were used and the general talk flowed most of the time, but not always. / The student used many verbal fillers or extended pauses, enough that the talk seemed disjointed at times.
Ability to use the stipulated time wisely / The intended topic was covered fully and reasonably within the time limit provided. The student used at least 90% of the time limit but did not run over by more than 90 seconds. / The student either ended the talk early (using 75 to 90% of the intended time) or ran over by 90 to 150 seconds). Alternatively, the student had to delete information from the coverage to stay within the allotted time. / Either the talk was too short (using less than 75% of the intended time) or excessively long such that notable topics had to be deleted so that the class could end on time.
Development of Presentation Skills
Inclusion of all necessary information / Talk is arranged such that all critical concepts are presented in a logical order, avoiding unnecessary tangents. / At most one critical concept is missing OR at most one extraneous concept is included. / Either two or more critical concepts are missing or one critical concept is missing and one extraneous concept is included.
Organization/ordering of information / Information is organized such that topics flow logically. Backtracking to earlier topics is not needed to explain links between topics. / At least one notable topic is included, but at a point in the presentation that it requires review of previous information to provide the link to that concept. / The material is arranged in a manner that it becomes difficult to fully understand the intended topic.
Presentation flow / Both verbal and visual aspects of the presentation are coordinated to create a compelling presentation that easily flows between topics. Smooth transitions are aided by words and/or visual aids. / Either the verbal or the visual aspects of the presentation flows well, but the two do not both flow well together. Transitions between subtopics are not smoothly provided by the intended presentation structure. / Verbal and/or visual aspects of the presentation have abrupt stoppages within the presentation that impact the ability to understand the overall concept being presented. Transitions need notable effort to occur between subtopics.
Use of powerpoint / multimedia slides / Powerpoint slides or other visual/multimedia aids are used to support and enhance the presentation. / Powerpoint slides or other visual/multimedia aids generally support and enhance the presentation, but at least a few times the slides detract from the presentation. / Powerpoint slides or other visual/multimedia aids detract notably from the presentation. Either they are too bland or they include too many distractions.