Presentation Guidelines

Presentation Guidelines

The Capstone Symposium at HPU uses an interactive presentation format in order to promote active presenter-audience interaction. 

Presenters' pre-recorded presentation videos and presentation slides are posted on the event website before the event so that audience members and judges can view them ahead of the live event. 

During the live event, audience members and judges join the presenters' Zoom meeting rooms at the assigned time to interact with the presenters. Since the audience can join and leave presenters' virtual rooms freely, a presenter may interact with different audience groups during their presentation time.

See examples of past presentations here.

Once your abstract proposal is accepted, it is time to start preparing your presentation. Use the following information to help guide you with this process. 


OVERVIEW

Your online presentation will consist of 3 elements:

  1. PDF of slides (and artifacts if any)
  2. Presentation video recording (7 minutes max)
  3. Live online interaction with the audience and judges in the assigned Zoom room

CONTENT GUIDELINES

When designing your presentation:

  • Check the rubric for your category so you know what the judges are looking for (see "Awards and Rubrics" below)
  • Explain technical jargon so that general audience from other fields can understand you easily
  • Tell your audience what your objectives are and clearly lay out how you achieve those objectives
  • Do not simply read aloud your text; engage the audience

1. SLIDES

Slides help focus and illustrate your presentation. You can use Powerpoint, Keynote, Canva, Google Docs, or any application to create your slides. Effective slides for presentation should:

  • have a logical structure: include the required parts of your capstone track in the order listed in the proposal phase
  • use a clear layout: do not clutter your slides (the number of slides can vary, as long as your slides are clear)
  • use visuals to enhance content
  • provide a link for the audience to explore your artifact(s) if applicable
  • use text sparingly but effectively.

Slide submission:

  • Save your slides as a PDF, with links to artifacts if any
  • Make sure your PDF file is not more than 10MB
  • Name your slide file exactly with the session name and your last name, e.g., 2ASmith
  • Upload your slide PDF to your presentation in Fourwaves (see instructions below)

 

2. PRE-RECORDED VIDEO

Your pre-recorded presentation video is an overview of your work and must meet the following requirements:

  • Length: About 7 minutes long
  • Clarity: Clear video and sound
  • Presenter's presence: The presenter(s) must be visible throughout or in at least a part of the video (e.g., introduction, some slides, and conclusion)

Suggestions for preparing the content:

  • Prepare an outline and notes, and practice before you record the video
  • Include any relevant images, animation, demonstration, video clips, project outcomes, creative work, computer applications, or other artifacts
  • Do not read your slides word for word except for emphasis or impact.
  • Rehearse so you do not go over the 7 minute limit

Suggestions for recording your video (choose any of these options):

  • Using Zoom/Loom recording: Record yourself giving the presentation inside a Zoom meeting, with ‘share screen’ and camera on so that the slides are shown together with a small view of you talking
  • Combining videos and narrated slides: Video-record yourself giving an introduction at the beginning and a conclusion at the end, and embed these videos into your slide, then narrate slides or demonstrate how your artifacts work in the main part of your presentation.
  • Recording live presentation with a smartphone:
    • In a classroom, project your presentation slides on the screen, stand next to it, and record yourself giving the presentation as if to an audience
    • Create a paper poster, stand next to it, and record yourself giving the presentation as if to an audience 

Home video quality is acceptable. Be creative! (see Tips for presenting on camera and filming with a phone)

 Video submission:

  • Save your video as a .mp4 file (this format is required)
  • Submit your video file to your presentation in Fourwaves (see instructions below)

3. LIVE ONLINE INTERACTION ON THE EVENT DAY:

The live, online session is for you to interact with audience members and judges. You will be scheduled to appear in Zoom for a 40-minute session. During this time, audience members and judges move freely among concurrent presentations so you will interact with different groups as they come in to your room. This is similar to a poster session or science fair. During your live online session,

  • be ready to give a quick overview of your capstone work if necessary. Judges will have viewed your video and slides before the event; however, others may not have done so.
  • be prepared to clarify or elaborate on methodologies or concepts
  • adjust your language for the audience; many of them may not be in your field 
  • be ready to respond to your audience’s questions and comments. Judges will be evaluating your interaction in addition to the recorded presentation.

On the morning of the event day (required):

  • Log in to the Zoom meeting (you received the link with registration) between 8:00 am and 9 am, April 26.
  • Test your connection, audio, and video and practice how to:
    • Share screen
    • Manage audience members (muting, using chat)
  • Once your testing is complete, you can leave and return to the event later.

Before your scheduled session (required):

  • Be in the Capstone Symposium Zoom Meeting > Breakout Room assigned to you, at least 10 minutes before your assigned time slot
  • Choose a location that minimizes background noise
  • Avoid having a light source in your back
  • Have good lighting on yourself
  • Dress professionally (at least on camera)
  • Test your sound and video again

During your scheduled session (required):

  • Turn on your video camera so the audience and judges can see you
  • Be ready to share your screen to show your artifact and slides
  • Be ready to mute the audience if there is interfering noise

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Before the event, presenters must: 

  1. upload a PDF version of their presentation slides, infographics, or other materials, and a link will also be created to point to the PDF from the event website under the "Presentations" page. View the instructions to upload your handout.
  2. upload their presentation video (narrated slides, narrated infographics, Prezi video, recorded presentation with a paper poster, etc.) to the conference website (Fourwaves), and a link will be created to point to the video from the event website. This is accomplished by editing your submission and uploading your handout (PDF) and video (mp4). View the link for instructions to edit your submission and upload your video.

To be included in the program, the video and handout must be uploaded by 8:00 am HST Wednesday, April 23rd, or earlier.

 

MAKE YOURSELF POPULAR 

  • Invite your colleagues, prospective employers, friends, and family members
  • Visit other presenters’ meeting rooms when you’re not in your session

 

Presentations will be evaluated for several awards in each category and division (Undergraduate and Graduate). Please note that more than one award may be given out under each award category based on the volume of presentations in that category. 

The awards are (click on links for rubrics):

The judges will use the rubrics linked to the awards listed above. It is very important to read the rubric before you prepare your presentation so you know what the judges are looking for. 

Presenting at HPU's Capstone Symposium is an important professional development activity that you should document.

  • A link to the Certificate of Presentation will be sent to you via email. You can download the PDF of your certificate.
  • The photos/screenshots taken on the event day will be posted on the Capstone Symposium website.
  • On your CV, you can list your presentation under "Professional Presentations"; or a similar heading:
    Your last name, First name initial (date of Capstone Symposium). “Your presentation title.”
    Presentation at Hawaii Pacific University's Annual Capstone Symposium. Honolulu, Hawaii.
    • Example: Jane, D. (April 16, 2021). “Implementation of an experiential learning unit at ABC language learning
      center.” Presentation at Hawaii Pacific University's Annual Capstone Symposium. Honolulu, Hawaii.
  • If you also won an award, in addition to the presentation above, you can list the following under
    "Awards and Honors"; or a similar heading: Capstone category Award, Division (date of Capstone Symposium). Hawaii Pacific University’s
    Annual Capstone Symposium. Honolulu, Hawaii.
    • Example: Outstanding Project Award, Undergraduate Division (April 16, 2021). Hawaii Pacific University’s
      Annual Capstone Symposium. Honolulu, Hawaii.

If you have questions or concerns, we will be happy to answer them! Email Dr. Brett Neilson (bneilson@hpu.edu)