Group Presentation Assignment
KIN 479 - Motor Control and Learning
1 Overview
In this group presentation assignment, you will be assigned to a group and given a specific movement disorder to present on. You will create a live in-class presentation covering the following aspects:
- Neurophysiology/pathophysiology
- Skill performance
- Treatment (PT, medication, etc.)
- Overall outlook
Tip
I have created a template for your group to use as a starting point for your presentation.
The template will download automatically when you click the link. Either open it with PowerPoint or import it into Google Slides.
2 For Presenting Groups
If you are attending, skip to Section 3.
2.1 Live Presentation
- You will be assigned to a group and given a specific movement disorder topic (see Section 6 for a list of topics).
- Create a slide presentation following the guidelines under Section 2.2.
- Present live to the class during your assigned week (weeks 10-16, Oct 27-Dec 12).
- Be prepared to answer questions from classmates after your presentation.
- All group members must be present and participate equally during the live presentation.
Important
Note to Presenters: During the Q&A immediately after your talk, classmates will be randomly selected to ask the questions they prepared in advance. Be ready to engage and respond concisely.
2.2 Requirements
- Presentation length: No longer than 15 minutes total
- References: Minimum of 3 (including the one suggested in Section 6) peer-reviewed references, cited in APA style (7th edition)
- A good place to find reputable sources is the CSUN library database, PubMed, or Google Scholar.
- Slides: Visually interesting but not distracting; limited text; use figures where possible
- Videos: if videos are included in the presentation, they must be short and no more than 2 minutes in total
- Professionalism: Maintain a professional demeanor throughout the presentation
- Group members must participate equally in the live presentation
- All group members must be present and participate on the assigned presentation day
- Be prepared to answer questions from classmates after your presentation
- I encourage you to start working on the presentation early to avoid last-minute issues
- I encourage groups to practice the presentation before the live delivery date
2.3 Submissions
- Groups must submit their slide deck (as PDF) via Canvas
ONE WEEK IN ADVANCE. Then, I will create a discussion board for each presentation group and include theslide deckof the presenting group, which attending students will use to post their questions. - Format:
- Ensure your file is named using the format:
GroupNumber_PresentationTitle.pdf - The file must be submitted as a PDF,
no exceptions. - Contact the instructor immediately if you encounter technical issues.
- Ensure your file is named using the format:
- Review the submission guidelines and deadlines in the course syllabus.
2.4 Group Members
Log in to Canvas and head to our course, then:
- Click on
People–>Groups. - Search by your name and click on the group you belong to.
- The group’s leader has an icon representing a person after their name.
3 For Attending Students
If you are presenting, skip to Section 2.
3.1 Presentation Day
If you are not presenting, you are expected to attend and participate as an audience member. Before the presentation day, post your questions in the designated Canvas discussion board.
3.2 Question Preparation/Submission
- Begin by reviewing the evaluation rubric under Section 5.3.
- I will create a discussion board assignment for each presentation group and include the slide deck of the presenting group along with the suggested review article.
- Attending students are to:
- Read the review article - you can get started by navigating to Appendix C
- Prepare five (5) thoughtful questions about the topics being presented that day.
- Submit/post your questions (5 points per class) before class to the discussion board as a
Reply. - During class, students will be randomly selected to ask their submitted questions during the Q&A.
4 Appendix A: Presentation Template
- Download the template from here.
- If you do not have Microsoft PowerPoint, download the file and open it using Google Slides.
The presentation must include the following sections:
Introduction/Neurophysiology- Describe your movement disorder
- Explain its physiological basis
- Discuss who it generally affects
Skill Performance- Describe how individuals with this disorder perform certain skills
Treatment- Discuss common pharmacological treatments (detailed mechanisms not required)
- Explain typical rehab approaches
Overall Outlook- Discuss the current state of the science
- Suggest areas for future research focus
- Mention any new treatment modalities on the horizon
References- Cite references throughout the presentation using APA style (7th edition)
- Include a slide at the end with full references
5 Appendix B: Evaluation Rubrics
5.1 Slide Deck Rubric
*(70 points)
| Criteria | Excellent (points) | Good (points) | Fair (points) | Poor (points) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Content coverage (max 20) | Thoroughly addresses all required content areas (18–20) | Adequately addresses most content areas (14–17) | Some content areas missing or inadequately addressed (10–13) | Significant content areas missing or poorly addressed (0–9) |
| Organization and clarity (max 15) | Well-organized, clear, and easy to follow (14–15) | Mostly organized and clear, minor issues (11–13) | Some disorganization or lack of clarity (8–10) | Disorganized, unclear, and difficult to follow (0–7) |
| Visual design and aids (max 15) | Visually appealing, informative, and relevant; professional design throughout (14–15) | Mostly appealing and informative, minor design issues (11–13) | Some issues with visual appeal, relevance, or design consistency (8–10) | Unappealing, uninformative, irrelevant, or poor design (0–7) |
| References and citations (max 10) | Properly cited throughout; minimum references met; reference slide included (9–10) | Mostly properly cited; minor citation issues (7–8) | Some issues with citations or references (5–6) | Significant issues with citations or references (0–4) |
| Adherence to requirements (max 10) | Meets all requirements: length, videos, formatting, template sections (9–10) | Meets most requirements; minor deviations (7–8) | Some requirements not met (5–6) | Significant requirements not met (0–4) |
5.2 Live Presentation Rubric
*(30 points)
| Criteria | Excellent (points) | Good (points) | Fair (points) | Poor (points) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Presentation delivery (max 10) | Engaging, professional, and well-rehearsed (9–10) | Mostly engaging and professional, minor issues (7–8) | Some lack of engagement or professionalism (5–6) | Unengaging, unprofessional, or unrehearsed (0–4) |
| Length and timing (max 5) | Within the 15-minute limit (5) | Slightly over or under the limit (4) | Moderately over or under the limit (2–3) | Significantly over or under the limit (0–1) |
| Participation and presence (max 10) | All group members participate equally and professionally (9–10) | Most members participate well; minor issues (7–8) | Some members lack participation or professionalism (5–6) | Significant issues with member participation or professionalism (0–4) |
| Ability to answer questions (max 5) | Responds accurately and confidently to questions; demonstrates mastery (5) | Responds adequately to most questions; some uncertainty (4) | Limited ability to answer questions; partial understanding (2–3) | Unable to answer questions or responses show major misconceptions (0–1) |
5.3 Question Submission Rubric
*(10 points per class)
The total for question submission is 10 points per class. Points are allocated across four criteria as follows: Relevance & Focus (4 pts), Depth & Thoughtfulness (3 pts), Clarity & Specificity (2 pts), and Use of Course Concepts (1 pt).
| Criteria (max pts) | Excellent | Good | Fair | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Relevance & Focus (4 pts) | All 5 questions directly relate to the presentation topic and demonstrate strong understanding of key concepts (4 pts) | 4–5 questions are relevant; minor issues with focus (3 pts) | 3 questions are relevant; some questions too general or off-topic (2 pts) | Fewer than 3 relevant questions or largely off-topic (0–1 pts) |
| Depth & Thoughtfulness (3 pts) | Questions consistently encourage critical thinking, application, or analysis (e.g., “How would…”, “What if…”, “Why does…”) (3 pts) | Most questions go beyond simple recall; some analytical or application-based (2 pts) | Mix of recall and higher-order questions; limited depth (1 pt) | Questions are primarily superficial or recall-only (0 pts) |
| Clarity & Specificity (2 pts) | Questions are clearly worded, specific, and answerable within the presentation scope (2 pts) | Mostly clear; minor ambiguity or slightly broad phrasing (1 pt) | Some questions are vague or confusing (0–1 pts) | Questions are unclear or impossible to answer without major clarification (0 pts) |
| Use of Course Concepts (1 pt) | Questions explicitly reference and apply course concepts, models, or frameworks (1 pt) | Questions reference course concepts in a basic way (0.5 pt) | Occasional or superficial reference to course concepts (0–0.5 pt) | No reference to course concepts (0 pts) |
6 Appendix C: Final List of Topics
See Section 2.4 section
| Group # | Assigned Topic | Suggested review (PubMed)1 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Parkinson’s disease | PubMed review |
| 2 | Essential tremor | PubMed review |
| 3 | Huntington’s disease | PubMed review |
| 4 | Cerebral palsy | PubMed review |
| 5 | Hemiballismus | PubMed review |
| 6 | Ataxia | PubMed review |
| 7 | Multiple sclerosis | PubMed review |
| 8 | Restless leg syndrome | PubMed review |
| 9 | Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) | PubMed review |
| 10 | Tardive dyskinesia | PubMed review |
| 11 | Myoclonus | PubMed review |
| 12 | Tourette’s syndrome | PubMed review |
| 13 | Dystonia | PubMed review |
| 14 | Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) | PubMed review |
Footnotes
Suggested reviews are not exhaustive; please consult additional sources as needed - minimum of 3 peer-reviewed references required.↩︎