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2017　Global Presentation on Computational Life Sciences A（ACLS) c

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Academic unit or major
Life Science
Instructor(s)
Yamaguchi Yuki  Meldrum Martin 
Class Format
Lecture     
Media-enhanced courses
Day/Period(Room No.)
Tue7-8(J231)  
Group
c
Course number
ZBA.A403
Credits
2
Academic year
2017
Offered quarter
1-2Q
Syllabus updated
2017/3/17
Lecture notes updated
-
Language used
English
Access Index

Course description and aims

Class time will be devoted to practicing effective delivery skills: posture, eye contact, gestures, voice inflection and the use of note cards. Furthermore, the instructor will focus on presentation structure and how to create and explain visuals. Students will study with other students of a similar skill level in a small class setting. Students are encouraged to choose a topic from their current research for their final presentation. The main objective of this course is to provide students with the opportunity to practice and polish their presentation skills in English.

Student learning outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
1. prepare and present a technical paper in a professional and interesting way.
2. change presentations depending on the purpose and audience.
3. work on a project or problem with other students using English only, find and discuss the best solution then present it as a team.

Keywords

presentation, public speaking, creativity

Competencies that will be developed

Specialist skills ✔ Intercultural skills ✔ Communication skills ✔ Critical thinking skills ✔ Practical and/or problem-solving skills

Class flow

The level of each student is evaluated by the instructor in the first class. Students are expected to be active and to take every opportunity to improve their skills. A large portion of class time will be used for presentations and the feedbacks from other students.

Course schedule/Required learning

  Course schedule Required learning
Class 1 Interviews, self-introductions, and orientation Students should understand the outline of the course.
Class 2 Discussion. What experience have you had with giving presentations, talking in public? What is the purpose of a presentation? What is the purpose of a paper? How are papers and presentations different? How does the language used differ? Students should understand the purpose of a presentation and how this differs from a scientific paper.
Class 3 Basic structure of a presentation. Demonstrate how to do something (not scientific) e.g., how to play a musical instrument or a sport, or cook something, etc. Students should understand basic English structure v.s. Japanese structure.
Class 4 Sales presentation using comparison Students should understand how to emphasize good points and de-emphasize bad points.
Class 5 Using grammar to achieve focus. First scientific presentation given by a student followed by comments, questions, and feedback. Students should understand how different grammatical nuances can change intended meaning.
Class 6 Group work project introduction, analyzing the problem. Scientific presentation given by a student followed by comments, questions, and feedback. Students will work together to find a solution to a problem and negotiate the best idea.
Class 7 Scientific presentation given by a student followed by comments, questions, and feedback. Students should give feedback and ask technical questions to the presenter.
Class 8 Scientific presentation given by a student followed by comments, questions, and feedback. Group work project; brainstorming, solution finding, and planning the presentation. Students should plan their project presentation together and become competent at the new planning technique.
Class 9 Scientific presentation given by a student followed by comments questions and feedback. Group work project; presentation by group 1. Students should get more practice at the skills learned in the previous classes.
Class 10 Improving language 1. Simplifying message 1. Group work project; presentation by group 2. Students should get more practice at the skills learned in the previous classes.
Class 11 Improving language 2. Simplifying message 2. Practice chance. Students should get more practice at the skills learned in the previous classes.
Class 12 Practice presentations given by three students followed by comments, questions, and feedback. Students should get more practice at the skills learned in the previous classes.
Class 13 Practice presentations given by three students followed by comments, questions, and feedback. Students should get more practice at the skills learned in the previous classes.
Class 14 Presentation test part 1. Students will give their final presentation, which will be evaluated as described in the evaluation method below. Students should be able to give a presentation in a professional and interesting way by making use of the skills learned in the previous classes.
Class 15 Presentation test part 2. Students will give their final presentation, which will be evaluated as described in the evaluation method below. Students should be able to give a presentation in a professional and interesting way by making use of the skills learned in the previous classes.

Textbook(s)

No textbook is set. This course places emphasis on development of ideas and creativity, as well as practical presentation skills.

Reference books, course materials, etc.

Occasional handouts will be given.

Assessment criteria and methods

Students will be evaluated on how successfully they are able to prepare and present a technical paper in a professional and interesting way in a final presentation during the final two weeks. As the instructor will also evaluate students each week, it is best to try hard every week and be as active as possible.

Related courses

  • ZBA.A405 ： Global Communication on Computational Life Sciences A(ACLS)
  • ZBA.A406 ： Global Communication on Computational Life Sciences B(ACLS)
  • ZBA.A502 ： Global Debate on Computational Life Sciences(ACLS)
  • ZBA.A501 ： Global Writing on Computational Life Sciences(ACLS)

Prerequisites (i.e., required knowledge, skills, courses, etc.)

Global Presentation on Computational Life Sciences A and B are offered in different quarters but are identical in content; therefore, students cannot enroll both courses. In addition, as a general rule, students are allowed to enroll only one course from Science and Technology Communication Subjects at a time.

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