Group Presentation of a Social Problem: Modification and Adaptation - PDF document

Group Presentation of a Social Problem: Modification and Adaptation of Matt Reid’s Photo (Visual) Essay of Social Problems Laura M. Krull The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Resource Type(s): Assignment; Presentation Author: Laura Krull, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill Subject Area(s): Introduction to sociology; social problems Class level: Any Class size: Any Language: English Abstract: Working in instructor-assigned groups, students collaborate to produce an 8-10 minute presentation in which they use images to present a social problem. The students have previously completed individual photo essays, and now they must synthesize their individual work into a coherent presentation about a broader social problem reflected in each of their projects. The major components are a visual aide including at least four images accompanied by an oral presentation to the class. This assignment builds on Matt Reid’s assignment, Photo (Visual) Essay of Social Problems (#12976) by offering a group component and by providing students the opportunity to teach their classmates about their social problem. Learning Goals and Assessments: Goal 1: Students will demonstrate their comprehension of a social problem and how it impacts different aspects of society (modified from Reid 2016). Assessment 1: Students collaborate to create a presentation documenting and analyzing a social problem. Goal 2: To strengthen collaboration and presentation skills. Assessment 2: Groups must identify a social problem that connects their related presentations. Students are assessed together on the cohesiveness, content, and quality of the presentation and separately on their presentation skills. Goal 3: To draw on sociological concepts and materials to develop a potential solution to their social problem. Assessment 3: Students present their proposed solution in their presentation, and they are assessed on its applicability and feasibility.

Usage Notes: I use this final presentation assignment in conjunction with and as an extension of Matt Reid’s Photo (Visual) Essay of a Social Problem . You can see his resource (TRAILS #12976) for additional information about his assessment, and I provide a brief summary here for the purposes of understanding how I implement the presentation assignment. In their individual photo essays, students must produce six original images, accompanied by six captions that incorporate information from at least two outside resources, and they also write a two-page paper in which they explain the objective and subjective components of the social problem under investigation. One strength of this individual assignment is that students frequently connect their own experiences to the social problem more broadly, exploring and discussing very personal, vulnerable aspects of themselves. However, one weakness is that students do not learn about others’ projects. I wanted to maintain the privacy of the individual project while creating space for students to learn from other, which led to the development of this final assessment. By having students work in groups, each individual student can select which photo and aspect of their individual presentation to share with the group; thus, they are not compelled to be vulnerable in front of their classmates. I use this assignment as a final assessment in my introduction to sociology course, in lieu of a traditional final exam. Students work in groups of four, so in my introductory class of 48 students, this translates to 12 presentations over a three hour period, which takes about 2.5 hours, including transitions and a short break after 6 presentations. After students submit their individual photo essays, I distribute information about the final presentation. I have found this timing to be helpful, as otherwise students begin to worry about how their project will fit with others’ work, and I want them to first make the photo essay of most interest to them. I provide prompt feedback on their individual photo essays, allowing them to incorporate my feedback into the final presentation. I assign groups based on students’ individual photo essays. For the most part, groups coalesce clearly, but you do risk having students whose projects make them “odd people out.” In these cases, I meet with these students and help them think creatively about how to connect their disparate topics, using concepts and topics from class. I include both a group and an individual grade component to minimize complaints about group work and shared grades. I have found students appreciated clearly knowing when/how they will be assessed jointly versus as individuals. Rather than having students complete peer assessments of each other, I require students to provide a self-assessment in which they detail their own contributions to the project (see page 7). I use the quiz feature on my institution’s course management system for this self-assessment. Because these presentations take the place of the final, when the students are in the “audience” they may not be incentivized or motivated to pay attention. Thus, I created a worksheet that students must complete as part of their individual grade (see page 8). This worksheet compels students to focus on the big takeaways from the presentations. I only require students to address 8 of the 12 presentations in the class so that they do not feel rushed completing each one. Furthermore, students may feel nervous before/after their own presentations, which could lead them to be less focused on the worksheet. One pitfall is that this creates more grading for the instructor. Teaching context. This assessment has been well-received in multiple sections of introduction to sociology in a large, public university in the south. The rubric – which contains

both individual and group components – communicates clear expectations and allows for systematic and efficient grading. I have used this assignment only in classes of 48 students, but it would work well in classes of diverse sizes. However, larger sections may face time constraints; in these situations, the instructor could consider implementing the assignment as final presentations across the last week or two of class. Potential Pitfalls: I recommend also reviewing Reid for his discussion of pitfalls; while I have found that the concerns he raises generally get addressed between the individual project and the final group presentation, they are good to keep in mind. Below, I talk specifically about two potential pitfalls as students moved from individual projects to a cohesive presentation. 1) Students tend to put too many words on their slides. As Reid observes in his TRAILS submission for the individual project, students can sometimes struggle to make the image the main component. A lengthy caption may detract from the image. Although I expected this program to be mitigated when students worked together for a presentation, I found they needed reminders about how much text is appropriate for an oral presentation. I take two steps to address this pitfall. First, I emphasize that students will be speaking, and so they do not need to include all of the information on the slides. Instead, they should consider how their spoken component will complement the written points. Second, I encourage students to edit their presentation, and I specifically suggest that editing/formatting should be seen as a “behind the scenes” task a group member could take on as a way to contribute. 2) Students express concern that they were taking “too heavily” from one particular student’s individual photo essay. Some groups find that they want to use one group member’s presentation of the social problem in the final group product, but they are concerned that this reflects lack of effort. I remind students that this is a collaborative project, so if everyone agrees to incorporate that one student’s overarching point, then they should do so. Works Cited: Reid, Matt. 2016. “Photo (Visual) Essay of Social Problems.” TRAILS . Retrieved January 5 th , 2018.