informal verbal report, listening to presentations

Short Activity

reading, listening, speaking

varies

Computer science connects to and integrates with other disciplines to solve problems. As professionals in our discipline we want to be able to intelligently discuss these concepts with others and to refine our understanding. In order to maximize the use of our time we need to improve their ability to read with purpose and to understand and summarize new material as well as to disseminate knowledge verbally to a group of our peers.

N/A

Could be used in any course.

Critique, Oral Presentation

Short Activity

speaking, teaming, listening

varies

Frequently, throughout our careers we will be asked to give feedback to others to help them improve what they are doing. Being able to provide constructive, useful, and thorough critique improves the performance of your team, reflects positively upon you, and builds good rapport with your colleagues.

3

This assignment can be scaled to larger teams with a minimum of 3 per team.

The technical skill varies on this skill, because practically any technical skill can be demonstrated by the student lecturer. Keep in mind that that the student presentation is only 3 minutes long so the subject matter must be scaled so that it can be presented effectively in 3 minutes or less.

This assignment can also be used for other courses other than CS1.

SAMPLE SCENARIO 2 Database Keith Frikken, Miami University

WRITTEN AND ORAL PROJECT SPECIFICATION AND PROPOSAL 1. Technical Task Your team is to create a new idea for a database, including a specification for it and a high-level plan for achieving it. The specification should be a document that describes the following: • Your project (for example, what application will you build and what features will be built). • Your application design for meeting project’s minimal requirements. The application design should include “screenshots.” You work for a company in which a single project manager supervises several teams that meet together frequently to discuss new and ongoing projects. You are members of one of the teams. You have the following deliverables: 1. A written specification that includes screenshots. 2. A five-minute presentation that shows screenshots. Your project manager and the other teams. Your manager and co-workers will decide whether it is worth pursuing the project further (i.e., is it worth the organization’s time to have you prepare a detailed proposal for the project). Your co-workers will compare your application design against your specification to determine whether your proposed design meets the minimal requirements of the specification.

2. Professional Setting 3. Professional Role 4. Deliverables

5. Real-world Audience 6. How the Audience Will USE the Students’ Communication



Brief formal presentation, initial project specifications

One Week

Teaming, Writing, Speaking

Databases

You are proposing a new idea to co-workers and your manager who are trying to consider if it is worth moving forward on the project. For this purpose, you need to write up the high level specification for the ‘idea’ in an initial version and prepare a short presentation. Your manager and co-workers need to be able to decide whether it is worth pursuing the project further (i.e., is it worth the organization’s time to have you prepare a detailed proposal for the project). Your co-workers will be trying to determine if the project meets the minimal specification that you are given.

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