Oral Presentation No-Shows

Reading Time: 3 minutes

By Elan Paulson and Kathryn Brillinger

This tip provides some information about how to plan for and manage absences during in-class individual and group oral presentations. Every semester you are likely to have situations where students have (hopefully) done presentation pre-work but miss the requirement to present at a certain time.

Some of the reasons for this might be

• Illness or family crisis
• Severe anxiety about presenting
• One student having achieved enough course marks not to need to present

Setting the Stage for the Presentation

It’s early in the term, and you’ve reached the time where you describe to students the oral presentation assignment. What will you explain to ensure students are aware of your expectations about attendance on oral presentation day(s)?

For individuals and groups

• Set up the rubric so that students will be graded individually on their presentation skills (as applicable), and will receive zero on all rubric items related to presentation skills if they are not in attendance to present.
• Indicate that a make-up individual presentation may be available for students who have a good reason for their absence that is communicated well in advance, and will otherwise receive a zero.
• Remind the class that students who attend and present oral presentations are likely to achieve higher learning gains in the course (Friedman, Rodriguez, & McComb, 2014). This is especially convincing when the presentations are good prep for a final exam review.
• Provide students with some options about how and when they prefer to present.
• Have all expectations in writing, and reinforce them verbally in class. For example, you may be marking the content in advance or separately from the presentation, and students may receive marks for that portion even if not present to present.

For groups

• Explain that groups will present the whole presentation with or without all group members in attendance so all must have access to all material.
• It is helpful to provide an option for all team members to record the presentation in advance (if applicable), and present the recording to the class. This allows students to still demonstrate their learning without the stress of a live performance.
• Indicate in writing on the assignment description that grades will be automatically deducted on a group grade for individuals who do not attend the presentation.

A Week or So Before the Presentation

Students are less likely to be fearful of giving their oral presentation if they feel practiced and prepared (Grieve, Woodley, Hunt, & McKay, 2021). Give tips, practice time, and feedback to students to boost their confidence and get them ready to present. Use team-building activities in class to encourage student groups to be accountable to each other. Visit each group as they finalize and offer advice.

The class before presentation day, remind students to prepare themselves for their group presentation. Encourage students to ensure they have had enough sleep, energy, hydration, and travel time to be ready to present!

On Presentation Day

It’s oral presentation day, and you can feel the excited energy in the room. You are just about to get presentations started when you notice not everyone in the class is present. What do you do?

For absent individuals

• Check email to see if a student messaged to say they will be absent.
• Take attendance first, making note which students are absent in class.
• Celebrate the end of all presentations.
• Send a follow up message to students who did not attend to present.
• If due to a last-minute illness or emergency, provide an alternate date for absent individuals to present and earn marks.

For groups with absent members

• If possible, rearrange the speaking order so that all individuals/groups with absent members go later in the class (in case they arrive late).
• Give presentation groups with missing group members a few minutes at the top of the class to re-organize how they will present.
• Give students who are not in attendance for their group presentation/speaking part a 0 for individually graded speaking skills and possibly for the entire presentation if no valid excuse exists.
• Make sure you have notes on all the presentations before you pack up as it is easy to forget what you observed when you go to finalize and enter the marks.

References

Friedman, P., Rodriguez, F., & McComb, J. (2014). Why students do and do not attend classes. College Teaching. 49. 124-133. DOI: 10.1080/87567555.2001.10844593.

Grieve, R., Woodley, J., Hunt S.E., & McKay, A. (2021). Student fears of oral presentations and public speaking in higher education: a qualitative survey. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 45:9, 1281-1293, DOI: 10.1080/0309877X.2021.1948509