Assessing Oral Communication Skills with Videotaped Student Presentations.

The ability to effectively communicate scientific findings and issues on both technical and non-technical levels is a skill that is becoming more important to employers. Effective oral communication includes more than appropriate content. It also involves proper language, organization, verbal and nonverbal delivery skills, visual aids, and the ability to respond to questions from the audience. “Effective oral communication skills help students to improve their own academic performance; increase their employment options; enhance their subsequent professional competence; and improve their own personal effectiveness” (Oral Communication Toolkit, http://www.griffith.edu.au/centre/gihe/griffith_graduate/toolkit/oral/why.htm).

The Department of Plant and Soil Sciences at Oklahoma State University assesses oral communication skills of undergraduate and graduate students as part of its outcomes assessment plan. Student presentations are videotaped and then evaluated by a faculty panel using an Oral Communication rubric originally developed by the OSU General Education Assessment Committee. Undergraduate students may be filmed twice – once as part of an optional Professional Internship class and once as part of a required Senior Seminar class. Graduate students are filmed when they present their required Graduate Seminar presentation. In each case, students must submit a copy of their PowerPoint presentation so that it can be incorporated into the final product. While the intended use of the videotapes is for program assessment purposes, they can also serve as an instructional tool. Students are given a copy of their videotaped presentation and a copy of the rubric for their information and use.

Presentations are recorded onto digital video cassettes using a Canon ZR-900 Digital Camcorder and an Audio-Technica Pro-88W Wireless microphone system. Presentations are then downloaded to a computer using Windows Movie Maker. A final product incorporating the student’s PowerPoint presentation is created using Microsoft Producer for PowerPoint. This combination of technologies was selected for its low cost and ease of production.