Presentation and discussion leading

During the semester you will present one paper to the class. Each LECTURE will have 4-5 presenters, sign up by editing this Google Doc. I periodically grab this data from Google Docs and sync it to the course website. You can divide up the presentation responsibilities however you see fit and you will be graded as a group. You must present the paper(s) in a style where you assume everyone has read the paper, so you focus on the most important aspect of the work. You will also be responsible for clearing up any confusing aspects of the paper and for leading a discussion. Here is a rough guideline for how to lead a discussion:

  • 10 minutes on core concepts. Explain what this paper is about and why it is important. Remember, we can assume everyone has already read the paper so keep it short!
  • 10 minutes of related work. Discuss some other work that may be related to the papers you are presenting and tie them together to help give a historical context of the work.
  • 10 minutes small group discussion. Come up with several questions to pose to the class to spark discussions. We will discuss in small groups first.
  • 10 minutes class discussion. Based on the small group discussions, the class will vote on topics to discuss as an entire class.

The first paper available to students is the Short Cut paper on 1/17.

Note: you are required to do a practice talk with Sam the Wednesday before your lecture. These practice sessions take place during the discussion section and are open to the entire class.

Grading rubric

When lead a lecture, we will grade you on the following categories:

  • Clarity of explanation
  • Clarity of the main concept
  • Smoothness and polish for the presentation
  • Question and answer leading
  • Additional material
  • Discussion
  • Practice talk
  • Turn in your slides within 30 minutes after your lecture

Quiz questions from your lecture

To help presenters align their presentations with the material that's on the quiz, presenters to come up with four potential quiz questions ahead of time, and we may use one of them for the quiz on that topic.

When you lead a lecture, before your practice talk submit 2 medium difficulty questions and 2 hard questions based on the paper that you're presenting. The TA and I may pick one (or more) for the quiz.