Assignment #3: The Presentation
Description
Assignment 3: The Presentation
Objective: Develop an audio-narrated PowerPoint presentation based on the research you have conducted about your chosen species. Remember, the organism you selected in Week 1, is the organism you will research for the associated assignments in the course.
Assignment Instructions: Using the course project steps completed to date, you will develop your presentation based on the work you submitted for Assignments 1 and 2 as well as the feedback you were given.
To prepare for this assignment, I recommend that you do the following:
- Read these directions carefully.
- Review the grading rubric at the bottom of the page. The grading rubric is a detailed evaluation that I will use to assess your performance. It will also help you understand what is expected of you as you prepare your assignment.
- Use your own words (paraphrase). For help with paraphrasing, please review the ‘Quoting and Paraphrasing’ help in the Trefry Library Writing@APUS Center.
- Note that your Turinitin report similarity score should be under 20% (not including references) and free of paraphrasing issues. Review the color-flagged text on your report, fix any issues, and resubmit again before the deadline.
- Note that less than 10% of your work should contain direct quotes.
- Message me with any questions!
Presentation requirements:
- Your presentation will be submitted as an audio-narrated PowerPoint, narrated by you, the student. You cannot use “text-to-speech” programs or technology that do the narration for you unless noted as an approved accommodation in a current DSA letter you have furnished to me. For instructions on how to create audio narration in PowerPoint, see the following link: Record a Slide Show With Narration. Audio narration is a requirement!
- There must be a visual element (e.g., photos, videos, graphs, figures).
- Your presentation must contain approximately 10-15 slides (excluding references) and run approximately 5-10 minutes.
- Text is organized using concise phrases typed on each slide and properly cited.
- Please note that less than 10% of your presentation should contain direct quotes.
- Proper use and pronunciation of scientific terminology are required. For help with pronunciation, see this link: Cambridge Dictionary
- Be sure to properly cite your work, both internal to the presentation (in-text citations) as well as within the reference slide (this includes photos, graphs, figures, videos, etc.).
- All references listed on the reference slide should be cited internally within the presentation (in-text citations), and vice versa. ** Work that is improperly cited and referenced or lacking either proper in-text citations or references may not be accepted for credit. **
- You will also submit this presentation to your classmates to review and discuss as a part of the Week Eight Discussion.
The required elements: Your presentation should contain the following elements in the order listed below.
In addition, I expect that any feedback provided to you from Assignment 1: Annotated Bibliography and Assignment 2: The Outline be incorporated into this assignment. Please go back and review those comments.
MICROORGANISMS:
- The Introduction Section
- Organism Introduction
- The common and scientific name of your organism. Please see this link to help with scientific names if needed: How To Write Scientific Names
- Where you observed your organism (country, state, park, zoo, etc.)
- A brief discussion on why you chose your organism
- If possible, a picture and/or video of you safely observing your species in the field. If not possible, search the Internet for an image (and remember to cite your source for the image) in a typical habitat.
- The Body
- Physical Description
- You must include a brief physical description. You can use your personal observations. If you cannot safely observe your organism, you must research.
- size, coloring, etc.
-
- Life Cycle and Reproduction
- Life Cycle: describe the life cycle of your organism. The life cycle refers to the series of changes that happen from the beginning of life as your organism develops and grows into a mature organism. Please see here for some hints on the Life Cycle. If you have any questions on this, please ask!
- Reproduction: You must discuss the reproductive strategies of your organism. For example, discuss how your microbe undergoes asexual reproduction.
- Structure and Function
- Please select one organ system of your organism that you find to be particularly interesting and describe both the anatomy and physiology of that system.
- If you have selected a bacterium or a fungus, the concept can be more complex. Please contact me directly for more help is needed.
- Energy Ecology
- If you can observe these, that is best. If not, research.
- What are the food sources? Types? Amounts? Temporal pattern of feeding?
- Habitat
- Where your organism lives. This does not refer to a city or state, but rather the natural environment in which your organism lives.
- You should consider abiotic factors, such as soil, water, etc., as well as biotic factors, such as predators, hosts, etc.
- The Conclusion Section
- This section should contain four to six points that sum up the main points from the body of the outline.
- Start your conclusive section with one sentence summarizing some basic information about your chosen organism (name and geographical distribution).
- Continue with a brief summary (1-2 sentences) about the life cycle and any particular body structures.
- Include a brief summary (1-2 sentences) about the ecological role of your chosen organism in its ecosystem.
- Wrap up the conclusive section with a closing note that provides brief information about a unique fact and/or behavior of your chosen organism.
- The Reference Section
- This is not just the reference page; rather, referencing should occur throughout the outline as it will in your presentation. Therefore, your outline should include both a separate reference page containing a minimum of five sources listed in proper APA reference list format AND internal citations throughout the outline where appropriate. Please be sure to see the resources below for assistance regarding in-text citations and reference list formatting, and/or ask me if you have any additional questions.
|
PLANTS/FUNGI:
- The Introduction Section
- Organism Introduction
- The common and scientific name of your organism. Please see this link to help with scientific names if needed: How To Write Scientific Names
- Where you observed your organism (country, state, park, zoo, etc.)
- A brief discussion on why you chose your organism
- If possible, a picture and/or video of you safely observing your species in the field. If not possible, search the Internet for an image (and remember to cite your source for the image) in a typical habitat.
- The Body
- Physical Description
- You must include a brief physical description. You can use your personal observations. If you cannot safely observe your organism, you must research.
- size, coloring, leaf arrangement, flower color, etc.
- Life Cycle and Reproduction
- Life Cycle: describe the life cycle of your organism. The life cycle refers to the series of changes that happen from the beginning of life as your organism develops and grows into a mature organism. Please see here for some hints on the Life Cycle. Plants can be a bit more complicated, so if you have any questions, please feel free to ask!
- Reproduction: You must discuss the reproductive strategies of your organism. Are there any specific structure or cells involved in reproduction? Are the flowers specialized?
- Structure and Function
- Please select one organ system of your organism that you find to be particularly interesting and describe both the anatomy and physiology of that system.
- If your organism is a plant, here is a list of the general plant organ systems
- If you have selected a fungus, the concept can be more complex. Please contact me directly for more help if needed.
- Energy Ecology
- If you can observe these, that is best. If not, research.
- How does your plant harvest the energy from the sun? How does it store the energy?
- Habitat
- Where your organism lives. This does not refer to a city or state, but rather the natural environment in which your organism lives.
- You should consider abiotic factors, such as soil, water, etc., as well as biotic factors, such as predators, hosts, etc.
- The Conclusion Section
- This section should contain four to six points that sum up the main points from the body of the outline.
- Start your conclusive section with one sentence summarizing some basic information about your chosen organism (name and geographical distribution).
- Continue with a brief summary (1-2 sentences) about the life cycle and any particular body structures.
- Include a brief summary (1-2 sentences) about the ecological role of your chosen organism in its ecosystem.
- Wrap up the conclusive section with a closing note that provides brief information about a unique fact and/or behavior of your chosen organism.
- The Reference Section:
- This is not just the reference page; rather, referencing should occur throughout the outline as it will in your presentation. Therefore, your outline should include both a separate reference page containing a minimum of five sources listed in proper APA reference list format AND internal citations throughout the outline where appropriate. Please be sure to see the resources below for assistance regarding in-text citations and reference list formatting, and/or ask me if you have any additional questions.
|
ANIMALS:
- The Introduction Section
- Organism Introduction
- The common and scientific name of your organism. Please see this link to help with scientific names if needed: How To Write Scientific Names
- Where you observed your organism (country, state, park, zoo, etc.)
- A brief discussion on why you chose your organism
- If possible, a picture and/or video of you safely observing your species in the field. If not possible, search the Internet for an image (and remember to cite your source for the image) in a typical habitat.
- The Body
- Physical Description
- You must include a brief physical description. You can use your personal observations. If you cannot safely observe your organism, you must research.
- size, coloring, etc.
- Life Cycle and Reproduction
- Life Cycle: describe the life cycle of your organism. The life cycle refers to the series of changes that happen from the beginning of life as your organism develops and grows into a mature organism. Please see here for some hints on the Life Cycle. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!
- Reproduction: You must discuss the reproductive strategies of your organism (e.g. release of gametes by a fish or hermaphroditic reproduction in earthworms), mate choice, mating displays, mate competition, and mating systems.
- Structure and Function
- Please select one organ system of your organism that you find to be particularly interesting and describe both the anatomy and physiology of that system.
- If your organism is an animal, here is a list of the general animal organ systems
- Energy Ecology
- If you can observe these, that is best. If not, research.
- What are the food sources? Types? Amounts? Temporal pattern of feeding? Specific handling or processing of food items by the organism (e.g. the way a squirrel manipulates an acorn)
- Habitat
- Where your organism lives. This does not refer to a city or state, but rather the natural environment in which your organism lives.
- You should consider abiotic factors, such as soil, water, etc., as well as biotic factors, such as predators, hosts, etc.
- The Conclusion Section
- This section should contain four to six points that sum up the main points from the body of the outline.
- Start your conclusive section with one sentence summarizing some basic information about your chosen organism (name and geographical distribution).
- Continue with a brief summary (1-2 sentences) about the life cycle and any particular body structures.
- Include a brief summary (1-2 sentences) about the ecological role of your chosen organism in its ecosystem.
- Wrap up the conclusive section with a closing note that provides brief information about a unique fact and/or behavior of your chosen organism.
- The Reference Section
- This is not just the reference page; rather, referencing should occur throughout the outline as it will in your presentation. Therefore, your outline should include both a separate reference page containing a minimum of five sources listed in proper APA reference list format AND internal citations throughout the outline where appropriate. Please be sure to see the resources below for assistance regarding in-text citations and reference list formatting, and/or ask me if you have any additional questions.
|
Reference Slide(s) and Internal Citations – ALL
- This section must contain:
- Internal citations – This is not just a separate section; rather, referencing should occur throughout the presentation via parenthetical citations anytime you paraphrase, make direct quotes, or use visual components from other sources. Please be sure to cite any language, images, videos, etc. in the presentation that should be cited. ** Work that is improperly cited and referenced or lacking either proper in-text citations or references may not be accepted for credit. **
- Reference Slide – Your presentation should also have a final reference slide listing 5-10 credible sources researched for your presentation. NOTE: these are not included in the slide count for your presentation.
- Do not include your summary/evaluation from Assignment 1: Annotated Bibliography; simply list the references utilized in your presentation in APA format on the reference slide.
Additional Resources:
**Please Note: If you use Office 365 (which is free through the University), you will need to download the software to your computer in order to add audio narration!
Presentation Tips and Guidelines
APA – In-Text Citations: The Basics
APA – Reference List: Basic Rules
Sample Presentation (Keep in mind that this is a sample presentation for biology using a format other than PPT with audio; PowerPoint with audio is the required format for your presentation)
Evaluation: Please review the Presentation Grading Rubric that describes how your presentation will be graded.
Submission Instructions:
- You must submit your Presentation as a “Microsoft PowerPoint” presentation (rather than a .pdf or some other presentation slide program) AND title your file name as FirstnameLastname_BIOL180_Assg3.pptx. Otherwise, you will not receive credit for your assignment.
- Upload your assignment for grading by selecting the “Add a File” button.
- The new screen will prompt you to select the “My Computer” button so you can locate the MS PowerPoint file of your Presentation on your computer.
- Find the file and double-select on it.
- Select “Continue“.
- Double-check to ensure that your Presentation was successfully uploaded as an attachment.
- When you have completed this assignment, type “Completed” in the rich text editor box below.
- Select the “Submit” button.
- Your Presentation is automatically submitted to Turnitin with your submission: Presentations will be automatically added to and checked against the standard Turnitin repositories. Originality reports will be returned to the faculty and student in roughly 15 minutes of the submission. Multiple submissions are allowed before the due date. If you wish to learn more about and how to access Turnitin.com, a plagiarism detection website, these are available from the APUS Online Library. APUS Writing Center.
