C.Eng. 591 G raduate Seminar

1. C.Eng. 591Graduate Seminar Aylin AKÇA OKAN METU, Ankara 2003-2004 Fall

2. Outline • Details of the Course / Grading / Schedule • How to Give a Seminar • Technical Writing C.Eng. 591 Graduate Seminar

3. Details of the CourseCourse Content An individual instruction course on giving technical presentations • To have experience in research and preparation for oral presentations on scientific research • To learn how to use multimedia in seminars • To learn to describe the scope and relevance of the thesis, the reviewed literature and its relevance to the research C.Eng. 591 Graduate Seminar

4. Details of the CourseSchedule 24.09.2003Session 1---------- 01.10.2003Session 2· Introduction · Seminar & Research Essentials 08.10.2003Session 3· Arrangement of seminars (offline) 15.10.2003No session---------- 22.10.2003Session 4Group 1 29.10.2003National Holiday---------- 05.11.2003Session 5Group 2 12.11.2003Session 6Group 3 19.11.2003Session 7Group 4 26.11.2003Religious Holiday---------- 03.12.2003Session 8Group 5 10.12.2003Session 9Group 6 17.12.2003Session 10Group 7 24.12.2003Session 11Group 8 31.12.2003Session 12Group 9 C.Eng. 591 Graduate Seminar

5. Details of the CourseThings to do • Send an empty mail to “mail591@ceng.metu.edu.tr” with the subject “first” just after the class. • Till next week, send an abstract of your subject (~ 1 page). • FILO • If your abstract approved, send your report one week before your presentation. • Give your presentation on the specified date. C.Eng. 591 Graduate Seminar

6. Details of the CourseImportant Dates Proposal submission deadline : 07.10.2003 Approval of proposals : Proposal submission + 1 week Presentation dates : 22.10.2003 – 31.12.2003 Report submission deadline : Presentation date – 1 week Late submissions cancel –5 points / day. Submissions later than 3 days will not be accepted. C.Eng. 591 Graduate Seminar

7. Details of the CourseProposal • Title of your subject • Your name & your supervisor’s name • Abstract • Provide information that will help the reader decide whether to continue toread the report or to put it aside. • Try to limit the Abstract to one page (no diagrams) and should have a length of 150-300 words depending on the report. • Three foci of the abstract: (a) what was done (b) how it was done (c) what are the key results C.Eng. 591 Graduate Seminar

8. Details of the CourseGrading (tentative) Report 30% Presentation 50% Questions & Answers + Attendance20% C.Eng. 591 Graduate Seminar

9. How to Give a SeminarContents • Opening • Introduction • Body • Summary / Concluding Comments C.Eng. 591 Graduate Seminar

10. How to Give a SeminarOpening • Introduce yourself (and your supervisor) • Say what you are here to talk about, ie give a brief summary without giving the whole talk • Tell them what you hope they get out of this talk C.Eng. 591 Graduate Seminar

11. How to Give a SeminarIntroduction • Give some background • You are the expert…we know nothing. • Give the basic background • Set yourself up for the main topic • State the objectives and tell the importance / value • Keep it brief Good rule of thumb is the 2-2-2 • Two sentences of background • Two sentences summarizing results • Two sentences summarizing conclusions C.Eng. 591 Graduate Seminar

12. How to Give a SeminarBody • Prefer top-down design • Avoid too much detail • Remember who the audience is and tell the specific problem being addressed • Use figures and diagrams – make sure they are large enough and visible enough to see C.Eng. 591 Graduate Seminar

13. How to Give a SeminarSummary / Concluding Comments • Wrap it all up/ Restate the key points • Affirm the objectives • Restate value • What is the take home message? • Indicate completion • Thank the audience • Call for questions C.Eng. 591 Graduate Seminar

14. How to Give a SeminarRecommendations - 1 • Any effective talk must : (1) communicate your arguments and ideas, (2) persuade your audience that they are true, and (3) be interesting and entertaining • Your Presentation must : • (1) Give an opening statement to familiarize the audience with your subject matter. • What is your key message? Can you write it down as a single sentence? • (2) Speak slowly, clearly, and loud enough to be heard by all. • (3) Remember the 5WH's: who, what, why, when, where, and how. • (4) Summarize your talk at the end in a few sentences. C.Eng. 591 Graduate Seminar

15. How to Give a SeminarRecommendations - 2 • Face the audience and try not to read, but talk • Anticipate questions ahead of time • Expect general questions • Prepare things that time forced you to omit • Maintain control of the discussion • Stop and think • Answer succinctly (or agree to discuss later) • Prevent interruption • Be honest C.Eng. 591 Graduate Seminar

16. Technical WritingBasics • The 3 C’s: Correct, Clear, and Concise • The No. 1 problem : the logical structure & the logical link • The structural principles • Active vs. passive • The strong verb vs. the weak verb + the abstract noun • Write the way you talk: write (and read) with your ears • Parallelism • Conciseness • The English grammar: the tenses • The English grammar: the dangling modifiers/participles • The ambiguity • The generic vs. the specific • What scientists said vs. what they meant • The general components of a typical technical paper • References C.Eng. 591 Graduate Seminar

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