Satie Airamé
Bren School, Assistant Dean for Academic Programs
Winter 2012
Group Project Defense Guidelines
Timeline of Deliverables
Date Deliverable
Feb 24 Due to advisor: Draft report
Mar 2 & 9 Group Project defenses
Mar 8 Due to GP Coordinator: Abstract for Presentation Program
Mar 23 Due to GP Coordinator: Final report with all signatures (hard copy and pdf), project brief (hard copy and pdf), poster (pdf), and Faculty Advisor Evaluation Form
Mar 23 Due to advisor & GP Coordinator: Peer evaluations
Apr 9-11 Practice presentations
Apr 13 Group Project presentations; after presentation, give GP Coordinator hard copy of poster
Defense ScheduleDate Time Group
March 2 12-12:45 pm Sea level rise
March 2 1-1:45 pm Chile salmon
March 2 2-2:45 pm Adaptation
March 2 3-3:45 pm Aquarius
March 2 4-4:45 pm Nanjing
March 9 9-9:45 am Waste water
March 9 10-10:45 am Comsol
March 9 11-11:45 am Deckers water
March 9 1-1:45 pm Tejon fire
March 9 2-2:45 pm Got milk
March 9 3-3:45 pm Angeles
March 9 4-4:45 pm Coral reef
March 12 9-9:45 am AECOM energy
Goal and Audience
• Goal: Demonstrate the academic contribution of your group project
• Audience: – Two independent faculty reviewers – Faculty advisor
• Open to the public• If you would like your external advisory
committee to attend, you should invite them.
Focus
• Focus on project results– Also data, methodology, and
conclusions• Avoid sinking time into:
– extensive background – detailed explanations of methods with
which the reviewers likely are familiar• Avoid flashy animations
Planning the Defense
• 45 minutes total – for presentation and questions
• 20-25 minutes of presentation– 2 speakers, preferred– 3 speakers, need to practice seamless
transitions• 20-25 minutes of questions
– From reviewers– Targeted to entire group
• If there is time left over, then the public may ask questions
Defense Elements
*Actual number of slides may vary, depending on the project!
Topic*Approx. # of slides
Title slide 1
Problem and/or questions 3
Objectives 1
Data sources 3
Methodology 5
Results 3-5
Analysis of results (link to objectives) 3-5
Conclusions and/or recommendations 1
Acknowledgments 1
Total 20-25
Project title
Group project membersAdvisor
Group Project DefenseBren School of Environmental Science & Management
Date
Introduction
• Problem/questions– Clearly state problem and/or questions– Include sufficient background to motivate
the need for your project– Do not give a comprehensive description of
the context• Objectives
– Clearly identify project objectives– Each objective should be linked to data,
methodology, and results
Data & Methodology
• Data sources– Identify data sources used– Describe the data relevance, completeness
and gaps• Methodology
– Explain what methods (including quantitative analyses) were used to analyze the data
– Explain why you chose these methods
Results
• Present results – Include tables, figures, and graphics to show
quantitative results– Fully explain tables and figures
• Analyze your results– What do the results mean?
• Articulate how the results are linked to your original objectives
The Ending
• Conclusions/Recommendations– Summarize key findings– Describe implications of your findings– If appropriate, provide recommendations to
your client based on your findings– Identify lingering or new questions and next
steps• Acknowledgments
– Thank your advisors, funders, and collaborators
Questions
• Identify potential questions and discuss appropriate responses
• Divide topics such that each group member plans to cover topics with which s/he is most familiar
• Select a facilitator to manage questions• The facilitator should
– know topics that group members will address– repeat questions for the audience using the
microphone – quickly select the group member(s) to respond
to the question
Strategies for Q+A
• Repeat the question to clarify the question and give yourself and your group time to think about the response.
• Directly and succinctly answer questions.• If you don’t know the answer, say so.
– Provide other related information, if you have it.– Ask reviewers or audience if they have information to
help answer the question.– Investigate the question further (after the defense),
if the response has important implications for your project.
• Do not fabricate responses to questions if you don’t know the answer!
Evaluation
• Independent reviewers will:– Ask questions– Provide oral and written feedback to
students and advisor• Students are expected to incorporate
reviewers’ feedback into your final papers
Evaluation Questions (1)
• Were the problem and/or questions clearly presented?
• Were project objectives clear and attainable?
• Were data sources appropriate and reliable?
• Was methodology clearly presented and justified?
• Were quantitative methods appropriate?
Evaluation Questions (2)
• Were results clearly presented?• Did the interpretations of results
satisfactorily address the problem and/or questions posed?
• Were any weaknesses or limitations in the analyses appropriately addressed?
• Were conclusions and/or recommendations justified?
Evaluation Questions (3)
• What parts of the presentation lacked information or were unclear?
• What parts of the presentation were most engaging or intriguing?
• Did the group members answer questions effectively?
• What recommendations, if any, do you have for the group?
• Do you have any other comments or concerns?