In this task students deliver a presentation on a piece of equipment or technology relevant to their professional practice. Presentations can take numerous forms but may include walk-throughs, demonstrations, reviews, or a discussion of pathways for future training or skills developments. Students are assessed on oral communication skills including a discussion of the equipment's capabilities and affordances. This assessment is delivered as a class showcase so that students are able to learn collaboratively and become familiar with numerous technologies beyond the one they are assigned. In LING3020, students are assigned a piece of hardware or software technology that allow them to understand different kinds of language data, the means of collecting such data, and to gain proficiency in recording techniques and equipment. This task can be delivered in concert with a reflective journal in which students explore human and ethical aspects of the work in which the equipment is used. When combined these tasks offer opportunities for a more comprehensive understanding of the requirements for using the equipment in professional contexts. This assessment may be usefully employed in introductory courses to familiarise students with equipment; or in capstone courses focusing on advanced research methods or industry skills requiring specific technologies.
Advantages
Creates a collaborative, peer led learning environment in which students actively learn from each other. Leaning outcomes are further enhanced via the opportunity for diverse teaching and learning styles, where students decide how they will engage the class. Provides students with an in-depth knowledge of technologies (and associated methods) that are integral to the discipline. Easily transferable to any HaSS discipline that uses specific tools, technologies, software or technical methods related the research process (such as data collection or analysis).
Challenges
This assessment requires access to the relevant equipment/technologies which may be limited – this assessment can be done in pairs if resources are limited.
Tips for implementation
Ensure that you have sufficient quantities of equipment/instruments/technologies to assign to a cohort, where possible, allowing students overnight or regular on-campus access to these tools.
How it supports academic integrity
Students are given access to specific technologies which may be difficult to obtain without being enrolled in the course – reducing the risk of students outsourcing work to third parties.
PLEASE NOTE: The academic integrity information displayed on this page is currently under review. Some examples and descriptions were developed before the widespread availability of generative AI tools and may not reflect current approaches to assessment security. When adapting an assessment idea, staff should consider how the design supports authorship, verifies student achievement of learning outcomes, and mitigates inappropriate use of AI and other forms of academic misconduct.
