Giving presentations in ES1102

Should presenting be added as an official grading component in ES1102? Definitely!

The following shows the weighting of the continuous review components for ES1102.

In Brad's class, however, we had something extra. Other than coming up with a problem-solution essay, we were tasked to give a presentation about our essay. To prepare us for our presentations, Brad gave us several tips and examples of good presenters.

The following is one example, featuring Hyeonseo Lee, the first North Korean on the TED stage.

We were also given plenty of opportunities to speak up in class. There was once we were given 5 minutes to come up with an elevator pitch and present it right afterwards. Although this pushed me out of my comfort zone, I find it really interesting and a good depiction of what I might face when I enter the workforce.

I rarely give presentations. I came from junior college, and unlike in polytechnics where giving presentations are more common, junior colleges place more focus on reading and writing. In fact, the only time I gave a presentation was for Project Work in year 1. I regret to say that I have a lack of experience in presenting, and I still get the jitters whenever I'm asked to speak. 

At the university level, however, presentations form part of the grading component in many modules. Since I can no longer escape from presenting, the only alternative is to face it! ES1102 gave me the chance to face the problem, and I really appreciate Brad's effort in making learning an interactive one, instead of just doing boring worksheets and grammar exercises in class.

Presentations should definitely be part of the grading component in ES1102 in future!