Computer Science Capstone Design

COVID adaptation: Design Review 2: Video presentation and mutual reviewing task

Overview

Working remotely is becoming a fixed feature of the modern workplace, so for this DR2, we are going to develop the valuable skill of giving a solid Design Review in a virtual/video format.

Overall, we will use the very successful model that we developed during the COVID year: Teams will create their design reviews as professional videos and post these to YouTube, and then send the access links to the appropriate team mentors. Two other teams will also be assigned to review each team's DR video, which simulates the educational benefit we'd normally have when doing these live in-person, i.e., where teams can see other teams delivering their DRs, and learn from the positive/negative aspects.

The video-creation process is implemented in three parts, as shown here:

  1. All teams produce a DR video and post to their team website.

  2. Assigned "reviewer" teams for each are notified, and then do their reviews of their assigned DRs. They send their reviews to the teams they reviewed, as well as to the mentors of both the reviewed teams, and their own mentor. Teams are evaluated by mentors based on the quality/thoughtfulness of their reviews.

  3. Teams receiving reviews from other teams will have a few days to (optionally, it's up to you) integrate that feedback, i.e., to fix their DR2 presentations based on feedback comments.

  4. Teams notify their mentors that the final video is posted and ready for grading and feedback.

By placing reviews by other teams in the middle (rather than the end) of the process, your team will have the chance to get some feedback and improve your DR video *before* it is submitted as "final". Which hopefully means more learning and better DR videos (and grades).

Thus, there are thus there are three parts to this video format for our Design Review: Produce your DR video, get/give feedback from other teams to improve it, and finally, submit the final video for grading as your "DR2 presentation". Here are instructions for each part:

Part 1: Record your DR as a high quality video presentation.

You'll want to make a professional quality video of your DR presentation. What this means is that both speakers and slides are generally visible somehow (rather than just a disembodied voice-over of a slideshow). Basic minimal quality would require good clear audio for all speakers, as well as clear video showing speakers and slides in a maximally viewable and readable way. If you want to move out of the "average" range for higher scores, you'll want to work to make the presentation seamless (i.e., same audio quality/sound/volume across speaker switches) and working to keep speaker video seamless (e.g., agree to all use the same lighting/background...like a blank wall). Other ways to move towards a higher quality presentation would include incorporating cuts between full-screen speaker views (when general stuff is being said) and slides with speaker inset view for when the speaker is discussing slide content. Finding a way to incorporate a "laser pointer" is vital as well, so that speaker references to things in the slide can be clear.

Be sure to check out the tips for making good video DRs that are posted on the Info and Policies page of the course website! You'll find some tips and ideas for different tool chains to use, as well as (true gold nuggets!) some good presentations videos from earlier terms, each including a "The making of..." summary from the team that details the technologies and strategy they used. You'll see that making high quality videos is really quite easy these days. Just using Zoom alone and having a good presentation strategy can get you most of the way there!

When you are finished with your video:

Deliverables:

  1. An email to the teams assigned (see below) to review your video, providing the link to it, and formally requesting a review.

  2. Also CC your team mentor on the above email(s), allowing your mentor to verify that you have completed this step on time.

Part 2: Mutual reviewing and feedback on videos.

One of the best and most powerful ways of learning how to give effective presentations is to watch and critically evaluate presentations made by others. As the saying goes: A wise person learns from their mistakes, a REALLY wise person learns from the mistakes of others! Plus, the feedback you get from the teams reviewing YOUR presentation can alert you to major weaknesses in your own DR video.

Normally, you would have gotten all this from watching other teams in the same "presentation track" (room) while your presentations live. This part of the assignment mimics this by asking each team to review and provide constructive critique and feedback on the DR presentations of several other teams. This is how it will work:

  1. All teams will review and “grade” two other team presentations; the reviewing assignments are posted below. I am also providing you a reviewing guide as a "review template".
    This is a team exercise, i.e., teams (not individuals) will be doing the reviews. I recommend teams assign everyone to watch the assigned videos, then get together "live" to collaborate on reviewing/discussing/evaluating them and writing up the review. Or watch them together "live", so you can stop and comment on them as you go, whatever works. However you organize it, your team should end up with two constructive, high-quality reviews, ready to share with the teams you reviews.

  2. Your team will save your filled out reviews as PDF documents with an informative file name.
    Format: <reviewed team>-reviewBy-<your team>, e.g., "OtherTeam-reviewBy-MyTeam. pdf

  3. Email your reviews to the team leads of the reviewed teams (see the Capstone teams page for contact emails). On those emails, be sure that you CC your team mentor as well as the mentor of the team your reviewed; that keeps everyone in the loop. The timestamp of this email is your submission date/time for purposes of assessing late penalties for your reviews.

  4. Your team mentor will grade your reviews of the other two teams for completeness, thoughtfulness, quality of recommendations given. This will be incorporated as part of your DR2 grades in the grading schema.

Due Date: The due date is posted on the course schedule.

 

Part 3: Update and Submit your final DR2 presentation for grading.

Once you get reviews back from your two reviewing teams, you will have the option of incorporating that feedback, i.e., using that feedback to re-record an improved/upgraded final version of your DR presentation. So:

  1. Review and discuss the feedback your received from your reviewing teams. Consider making improvements in your DR presentation to address critiques.

  2. Decide if your team wants to improve the DR presentation. Re-recording an improved DR presentation is optional. Maybe you didn't get any major dings in your reviews, maybe you did but they are so small that you decide they won't impact your score, or maybe you don't feel they feedback is valid. It's up to you. You received the feedback and had the opportunity to improve the deliverable; what you do with that is your call.

  3. Submit your final deliverable: Embed/link your updated DR2 video on your team website so the final version is there. Then email your team mentor, informing him/her professionally that your final DR2 review has been released, and sending them the YouTube link. This will timestamp your completion of DR2, and let mentors know it's time to grade your final deliverable.

Due Date: Again, the due date is on the course schedule.


REVIEWING ASSIGNMENTS

As specified in the posted "Team Grading Matrix"