You will choose a recent media article related to both genetics AND a public health issue. Your job will be to prepare and record a ~15 minute PowerPoint presentation inspired by the issue described in the article and your research into it. The article is just the inspiration…make sure your presentation includes a healthy dose of your own research. You should explain why this topic is important, give background that will help us understand any genetic/biological AND social issues surrounding the topic, tell us who is most affected by this public health problem, and explain what has been done so far to address it. Your final slide(s) must include a full list of your references and they should be mostly from respected, peer reviewed journals/sources.
Recent public health media articles should be used for this assignment. NPR and NY Times are two good sources. Try to choose something from the past year (but if you find something super interesting from the past 3 years that is OK too). Your presentations will be available to your classmates to view. Instructions on how to record and upload your video to Blackboard are provided under the Communication Project tab on Blackboard.
Video Presentation Rubric:
| CATEGORY | 4 (Exceeds Expectations) | 3 (Meets Expectations) | 2 (Needs Improvement) |
| Visual Resources | □Slides appear clear and thorough. A good outline. Slides referred to and used clearly & effectively; figures explained | □All key concepts present but need either more or less detail. Slides sometimes referred to and used; most figures explained | □Some key concepts are missing / Grammar & Spelling problems. Slides only occasionally referred to and used; figures poorly explained |
| Overall Research on Genetics, Biological & Social Issues | □Information accurate, appropriate for audience, interesting, in-depth; comprehensive research | □Accurate content, information somewhat engaging; solid research | □Explanations / research incomplete or in need of depth; some problems w/accuracy |
| Evidence | □Excellent, real data presented and explained well; Extensive APA sources on final slide(s) | □Good, solid data presented and explained well; APA sources on final slide(s) | □Data could have been chosen and/or presented-explained better; Minimal APA sources on final slide(s) |
| Organization | □Well organized, follows natural progression, detailed information presented | □Good organization, reasonable amt of information presented | □Some organization, could use better presentation, confusing at times |
| Effective Communication | □Consistently effective, creative, engaging messaging while remaining accurate and persuasive with respect to public health issues | □Slides well designed; referred to fairly often during talk | □Some slides could use better layout; too much or too little info presented; some difficulty to read |
| Clarity | □Speech was clear, correct and easy to understand; Slow, steady, loud volume | □Speech had just a few problems with clarity/correctness; too soft OR unclear at times | □Speech required consistent effort from listeners to understand; too soft & unclear |
