Final Presentation - Fall 2025

Final presentations must be kept CONFIDENTIAL to team/company! The presentations cannot be publicly shared.

Quick Reference Table

The table below summarizes the main sections of the final presentation guide. Use it to quickly find where to look for instructions, deadlines, and evaluation details.

Section	Description
Overview	High-level purpose of the final presentation, including its objectives.
Presentation Stages	Overview of the three stages — Draft, Final, and Delivery — with due dates, requirements, and intended outcomes.
Guidelines	Comprehensive guidance on how to prepare and deliver your presentation.
* Roles & Responsibilities	Defines how each student can contribute to the presentation.
* Design	Outlines formatting standards and professional presentation practices.
* Content Overview	Explains what to include in each section of the presentation and how much time to spend on each.
* Preparation	Describes how to plan your outline using Professional Development #5 (Transformation Matrix and Data Storytelling).
* Length	Provides timing guidance for presentation and Q&A, plus demo recommendations.
Rubric	Detailed evaluation criteria covering content quality, delivery, professionalism, and teamwork.
Grading	Explains grading components and weights.

Section

Description

Overview

High-level purpose of the final presentation, including its objectives.

Presentation Stages

Overview of the three stages — Draft, Final, and Delivery — with due dates, requirements, and intended outcomes.

Guidelines

Comprehensive guidance on how to prepare and deliver your presentation.

* Roles & Responsibilities

Defines how each student can contribute to the presentation.

* Design

Outlines formatting standards and professional presentation practices.

* Content Overview

Explains what to include in each section of the presentation and how much time to spend on each.

* Preparation

Describes how to plan your outline using Professional Development #5 (Transformation Matrix and Data Storytelling).

* Length

Provides timing guidance for presentation and Q&A, plus demo recommendations.

Rubric

Detailed evaluation criteria covering content quality, delivery, professionalism, and teamwork.

Grading

Explains grading components and weights.

Overview

This presentation is designed to strengthen both your technical communication and team storytelling skills. Knowing how to do something and knowing how to explain it clearly are two different abilities — both are essential for success in professional and research settings.

Starting from sprint #5, you will develop and refine your presentation in three stages.

Draft (Nov 19) ━◉━━━━━━━━━━ Final (Dec 5) ━◉━━━━━━━━━━ Delivery (Dec 8–12)

Each stage builds on the previous one, allowing your team to progressively improve the content, structure, and clarity of your work.

The presentation gives you the opportunity to showcase your team’s progress, learning, and collaboration this semester while preparing for The Data Mine Corporate Partner Symposium in April. It serves two key purposes:

To summarize your fall accomplishments and the foundation you’ve built.
To set clear, strategic goals for spring 2026 as you continue your project.

Presentation Stages

The presentation process is divided into three key stages. Each stage includes its own deliverable, focus, and purpose to help your team plan effectively.

Stage/Deliverable	Due Date	What to Complete	Purpose
Presentation Draft	Wed, Nov 19, 2025 TA submits on behalf of the team	- Presentation at least 60% complete with structure and section flow established. - Include placeholder slides if needed, but main ideas and transitions should be visible. - PowerPoint draft shared in PowerPoint Online (one per team). - Outline visuals or notes where data or demos will be added.	- Receive feedback from The Data Mine staff. - Refine structure, visual flow, and storytelling approach before finalizing slides.
Final Presentation	Fri, Dec 5, 2025 TA submits on behalf of the team	- Incorporate feedback from the draft review. - Finalize all slides with polished visuals, consistent formatting, and clear data presentation. - Ensure speaking roles, timing, and transitions are defined for each team member.	- Deliver a complete, professional presentation ready for delivery. - Demonstrate mastery of your fall work and readiness for spring.
Presentation Delivery	Week of Dec 8–12, 2025 All students must participate	- Present your final work during your last scheduled 50-minute team meeting. - Presentation length: 30–40 minutes, plus 10–15 minutes for questions. - All students must contribute (speaking, design, or Q&A). - Optional demo (e.g., R Shiny, Tableau, mobile app).	- Showcase progress, learning, and teamwork. - Communicate spring goals effectively. - Receive mentor and staff feedback to guide next steps.

Stage/Deliverable

Due Date

What to Complete

Purpose

Presentation Draft

Wed, Nov 19, 2025
TA submits on behalf of the team

- Presentation at least 60% complete with structure and section flow established.
- Include placeholder slides if needed, but main ideas and transitions should be visible.
- PowerPoint draft shared in PowerPoint Online (one per team).
- Outline visuals or notes where data or demos will be added.

- Receive feedback from The Data Mine staff.
- Refine structure, visual flow, and storytelling approach before finalizing slides.

Final Presentation

Fri, Dec 5, 2025
TA submits on behalf of the team

- Incorporate feedback from the draft review.
- Finalize all slides with polished visuals, consistent formatting, and clear data presentation.
- Ensure speaking roles, timing, and transitions are defined for each team member.

- Deliver a complete, professional presentation ready for delivery.
- Demonstrate mastery of your fall work and readiness for spring.

Presentation Delivery

Week of Dec 8–12, 2025
All students must participate

- Present your final work during your last scheduled 50-minute team meeting.
- Presentation length: 30–40 minutes, plus 10–15 minutes for questions.
- All students must contribute (speaking, design, or Q&A).
- Optional demo (e.g., R Shiny, Tableau, mobile app).

- Showcase progress, learning, and teamwork.
- Communicate spring goals effectively.
- Receive mentor and staff feedback to guide next steps.

Guidelines

Roles & Responsibilities

Each student must contribute to the presentation in some capacity. Contributions may include speaking, designing slides, organizing content, coordinating transitions, or managing Q&A.
Not every student is required to speak, but those who do not present should be prepared to answer questions or support another aspect of the session.
The distribution of roles will vary by team size and structure. Below are examples of possible roles (not required to be divided exactly this way):

Students	Responsibilities
Student 1	Introduction
Student 2	Summary
Student 3	Formatting and visual design
Student 4	Script or speaker notes
Students 5–10	Present sections of the project
Students 11–14	Lead Q&A or demo discussions

Students

Responsibilities

Student 1

Introduction

Student 2

Summary

Student 3

Formatting and visual design

Student 4

Script or speaker notes

Students 5–10

Present sections of the project

Students 11–14

Lead Q&A or demo discussions

Design

A clear and consistent visual design helps your audience stay focused on your message. Follow these guidelines to make your presentation professional and easy to follow:

Keep your slides professional and cohesive.
Use consistent fonts, colors, and layouts across all slides to create a unified look.
Whenever possible, use a branded template from your Corporate Partner or the Purdue template (Download the Purdue template here.).
Ensure all visuals are high quality and that text is easy to read when projected or shared on screen.

Content Overview

Your presentation should tell a clear, engaging story about your team’s journey this semester and your plans for the next. It should highlight what you achieved, what you learned, and where you are heading next. Aim for a balance between technical detail and general understanding — so that everyone, from technical mentors to business leaders, can follow along. Keep slides concise, visual, and focused on your key insights, outcomes, and goals.

Below is a general guideline showing how much time and focus to allocate for each section of your presentation. These percentages reflect the approximate value of each section and how they contribute to your overall story.

Section	Guidelines
Introduction / Background / Motivation (~10%)	- Include a slide with your team profile (picture with name and major of each student). - Introduce the project and provide a brief background — remember that not everyone attending will be familiar with your project. - Explain why the project matters and what problem it aims to solve.
Fall 2025 Work (~45%)	- Summarize your main accomplishments this semester without going too deep into technical details (avoid screenshots or pasted code). - Focus on outcomes, results, and lessons learned. - Include a demo (outside of PowerPoint) if this is relevant to your team.
Spring 2026 Goals (~40%)	- Outline your plan for spring 2026. - Be strategic — explain what you plan to accomplish, when, and how you define “success.” - Connect your goals to your fall progress to show continuity.
Summary (~5%)	- Include a slide of references and acknowledgements. Thank your mentors and any faculty members. - Summarize your presentation briefly and open the floor to discussion and questions. - End with a clear takeaway that captures your team’s main impact or next big step.

Section

Guidelines

Introduction / Background / Motivation (~10%)

- Include a slide with your team profile (picture with name and major of each student).
- Introduce the project and provide a brief background — remember that not everyone attending will be familiar with your project.
- Explain why the project matters and what problem it aims to solve.

Fall 2025 Work (~45%)

- Summarize your main accomplishments this semester without going too deep into technical details (avoid screenshots or pasted code).
- Focus on outcomes, results, and lessons learned.
- Include a demo (outside of PowerPoint) if this is relevant to your team.

Spring 2026 Goals (~40%)

- Outline your plan for spring 2026.
- Be strategic — explain what you plan to accomplish, when, and how you define “success.”
- Connect your goals to your fall progress to show continuity.

Summary (~5%)

- Include a slide of references and acknowledgements. Thank your mentors and any faculty members.
- Summarize your presentation briefly and open the floor to discussion and questions.
- End with a clear takeaway that captures your team’s main impact or next big step.

Use this breakdown to guide your timing — roughly 3–4 minutes for the introduction, 15–18 minutes for fall work, 12–15 minutes for spring goals, and 2–3 minutes for the summary and Q&A transition.

Preparation

Preparing your final presentation involves both individual reflection and team collaboration. You will use concepts from Professional Development #5 to plan, structure, and communicate your project effectively.

Your team will use the Transformation Matrix to create an outline for your presentation. Each student will first complete this matrix individually in Gradescope for Professional Development Assignment #5. Then, during lab, your team will combine individual inputs to build one shared outline for your final presentation.

In addition, you will apply Data Storytelling principles to explain your project clearly and persuasively. This means focusing on flow, clarity, and purpose — telling the story of what your team achieved, what challenges you faced, and where you are headed next. You will practice this skill both individually (through PD #5) and collectively as a team in lab. Be sure to integrate storytelling concepts directly into your outline.

Additional Tips

For more detailed communication strategies, see the Final Presentation Tips page. Below are key reminders as you prepare your presentation:

Section	Guidance
Content Allocation	The percentages in parentheses (10%, 45%, 40%, 5%) indicate the approximate amount of time to spend on each section. Focus strategically on your Spring 2026 goals, which should make up about 40% of your presentation.
Visual Design	Make your slides visually engaging — include relevant figures, images, and screenshots. Limit text when possible. Use concise bullet points and let visuals support your message.
Audience Awareness	Know your audience. Ask your Corporate Partner Mentor who will be attending. Some guests may have technical expertise, while others may come from business or management backgrounds.
Confidentiality	You do not need to hide company-protected information — these presentations are for internal audiences only and will not be shared publicly like the spring posters.
Team Preparation	Plan ahead: decide who will speak for each section, estimate speaking time, and plan transitions between presenters.
Practice & Delivery	Practice often. Rehearse as a team to ensure flow, timing, and comfort with delivery. This is your final major presentation of the semester — preparation matters!

Section

Guidance

Content Allocation

The percentages in parentheses (10%, 45%, 40%, 5%) indicate the approximate amount of time to spend on each section. Focus strategically on your Spring 2026 goals, which should make up about 40% of your presentation.

Visual Design

Make your slides visually engaging — include relevant figures, images, and screenshots. Limit text when possible. Use concise bullet points and let visuals support your message.

Audience Awareness

Know your audience. Ask your Corporate Partner Mentor who will be attending. Some guests may have technical expertise, while others may come from business or management backgrounds.

Confidentiality

You do not need to hide company-protected information — these presentations are for internal audiences only and will not be shared publicly like the spring posters.

Team Preparation

Plan ahead: decide who will speak for each section, estimate speaking time, and plan transitions between presenters.

Practice & Delivery

Practice often. Rehearse as a team to ensure flow, timing, and comfort with delivery. This is your final major presentation of the semester — preparation matters!

Length

The team meeting is 50 minutes.
Your presentation should last 30–40 minutes, followed by 10–15 minutes for questions and discussion.
Prepare a few starter questions in case the audience does not have immediate questions.
Practice answering potential questions together — take turns responding so all team members can contribute.
If you are including a demonstration, be sure to allocate time for it. (Not all teams are required to demo.)

Rubric

Your presentation will be evaluated based on both content quality and delivery.
The rubric is designed to recognize thorough preparation, professional communication, and collaboration within your team.
Each category reflects skills that are important not only for this project but also for communicating complex ideas effectively in a professional setting.

The table below outlines the key criteria and performance expectations for your final presentation.

Category	Needs Improvement	Acceptable	Exceeds Expectation
Introduction/background/motivation	Team provides very limited detail on their goals or vision for the project.	Team provides some detail about why they are doing the work, but the overall vision is unclear.	Team provides an easy to understand and thorough overview of their project goals and overall vision.
Fall 2025 Research (what and how)*	Team provides little detail on the significant milestones and achievements. Overview is limited to high level explanations and significant detail is needed.	Project milestones and successes are clear, but the detail is limited. Student contributions are covered but more depth may be needed.	Team provides detailed information on the challenges, successes, and learnings from the first semester. Student contributions to the project are easy to understand.
Spring 2026 Research (what and how)	Team does not have a well-defined future vision or steps on how to complete the work.	Team provides an outline of future work but may not have as much detail as to how they plan to accomplish the milestones.	Team provides clear outline of future goals and how they relate to both the overall vision and the current semester’s work.
Summary	The team’s overview was difficult to understand and didn’t show a path forward for the coming semester.	Team provides an overview of the semester’s work and goals but may leave out a few details. Some of the review may be too technical for most audiences.	Team provides an easy to understand and concise overview of the semester’s work and the student’s learnings. Topics are easy to understand with any level of technical expertise.
References and Acknowledgements	The team did not list any additional contributions or support for the project. (And it’s known that it was supported by other parties.)	The team listed contributors on a “Thank You” slide.	The team was sure to call out anyone who helped support the team or contribute to the project.
Figures	Lots of extra visualizations that don’t seem to be related to the subject at all. Doesn’t reference or tie the figures to the narrative of the presentation.	Visualizations are good but may not always be related directly to the topic. Some are a bit confusing to interpret.	Visualizations are effective and help to drive the story and user understanding clearly.
Layout and Design	The presentation is poorly designed and confusing. Topics are hard to follow, and the work doesn’t appear professional.	The presentation is professionally done and easy to understand. Some slides may need improvement, but the majority are clean and concise.	Presentation is clean, concise, and effective. It’s easy to read and understand quickly and in a virtual environment.
Speakers	The students seem unsure of the deliverables and can’t provide additional detail when asked.	The students know their topics well and can speak to the deliverables. May be a little light on technical detail when applicable.	The students are well prepared both on the topic and for user questions. They also provide technical detail and background where appropriate.
Q&A / Discussion	The team isn’t engaged in questions and doesn’t interact when asked.	The team is engaged and ready to answer most questions. They may have to follow up on a few of the more technical items.	The team is engaged and provides clear professional answers to any questions.
Overall	The team was unprepared, uninvolved, and disorganized. The presentation was hard to understand and didn’t have a vision for the next steps.	The presentation was clean and easy to understand but had some room for improvement. The team spoke well but had some variation in the strength of the content.	The presentation was thorough, professional, and easy to understand. The team did a good job with interactions, and everyone was prepared and involved.

Category

Needs Improvement

Acceptable

Exceeds Expectation

Introduction/background/motivation

Team provides very limited detail on their goals or vision for the project.

Team provides some detail about why they are doing the work, but the overall vision is unclear.

Team provides an easy to understand and thorough overview of their project goals and overall vision.

Fall 2025 Research (what and how)*

Team provides little detail on the significant milestones and achievements. Overview is limited to high level explanations and significant detail is needed.

Project milestones and successes are clear, but the detail is limited. Student contributions are covered but more depth may be needed.

Team provides detailed information on the challenges, successes, and learnings from the first semester. Student contributions to the project are easy to understand.

Spring 2026 Research (what and how)

Team does not have a well-defined future vision or steps on how to complete the work.

Team provides an outline of future work but may not have as much detail as to how they plan to accomplish the milestones.

Team provides clear outline of future goals and how they relate to both the overall vision and the current semester’s work.

Summary

The team’s overview was difficult to understand and didn’t show a path forward for the coming semester.

Team provides an overview of the semester’s work and goals but may leave out a few details. Some of the review may be too technical for most audiences.

Team provides an easy to understand and concise overview of the semester’s work and the student’s learnings. Topics are easy to understand with any level of technical expertise.

References and Acknowledgements

The team did not list any additional contributions or support for the project. (And it’s known that it was supported by other parties.)

The team listed contributors on a “Thank You” slide.

The team was sure to call out anyone who helped support the team or contribute to the project.

Figures

Lots of extra visualizations that don’t seem to be related to the subject at all. Doesn’t reference or tie the figures to the narrative of the presentation.

Visualizations are good but may not always be related directly to the topic. Some are a bit confusing to interpret.

Visualizations are effective and help to drive the story and user understanding clearly.

Layout and Design

The presentation is poorly designed and confusing. Topics are hard to follow, and the work doesn’t appear professional.

The presentation is professionally done and easy to understand. Some slides may need improvement, but the majority are clean and concise.

Presentation is clean, concise, and effective. It’s easy to read and understand quickly and in a virtual environment.

Speakers

The students seem unsure of the deliverables and can’t provide additional detail when asked.

The students know their topics well and can speak to the deliverables. May be a little light on technical detail when applicable.

The students are well prepared both on the topic and for user questions. They also provide technical detail and background where appropriate.

Q&A / Discussion

The team isn’t engaged in questions and doesn’t interact when asked.

The team is engaged and ready to answer most questions. They may have to follow up on a few of the more technical items.

The team is engaged and provides clear professional answers to any questions.

Overall

The team was unprepared, uninvolved, and disorganized. The presentation was hard to understand and didn’t have a vision for the next steps.

The presentation was clean and easy to understand but had some room for improvement. The team spoke well but had some variation in the strength of the content.

The presentation was thorough, professional, and easy to understand. The team did a good job with interactions, and everyone was prepared and involved.

Grading

The final presentation counts for 15% of your fall grade (per the syllabus). Grades are determined collaboratively by The Data Mine staff and your Corporate Partner mentors.

Category	Description	Weight
Drafts	Practice presentation and draft deliverables	5%
Final Deliverables & Presentation	Final version, professional delivery, and team readiness	10%
Total		15%

Category

Description

Weight

Drafts

Practice presentation and draft deliverables

Final Deliverables & Presentation

Final version, professional delivery, and team readiness

10%

Total

15%

Questions?

Ask your TA
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