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.

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 (due Nov 19)

  • Final (due 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:

  1. To summarize your fall accomplishments and the foundation you’ve built.

  2. 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.

The draft (due Nov 19) should be at least 80% complete with placeholders for any remaining work, visuals, or slides.
Stage/Deliverable Due Date What to Complete Purpose

Presentation Draft

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

- Presentation at least 80% 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 are not presenting are still expected to attend the presentation and should be prepared to answer questions and support discussion.

  • 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

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 Research (~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 Planning (~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!

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 ("C") Acceptable ("B") Proficient ("A") Exceeds Expectation ("A+")

Introduction/ background/ motivation [5%]

Team provides minimal or unclear detail on their goals or vision.

Team provides some context, but the overall motivation or vision is vague or incomplete.

Team presents a clear and coherent overview of their goals and project vision, with most key elements addressed.

Team delivers a compelling and comprehensive overview of their goals and vision, demonstrating strong alignment with broader objectives and audience understanding.

Fall 2025 Research (what and how) [20%]

Overview lacks detail and clarity; milestones and student contributions are vague or missing.

Key milestones and student roles are mentioned but lack depth or specificity.

Team clearly outlines major milestones and student contributions with sufficient detail to understand progress and impact.

Team provides a rich, well-structured narrative of challenges, milestones, and student contributions, offering insights and reflections that enhance understanding.

Spring 2026 Planning (what and how) [20%]

Future plans are unclear or missing; lacks connection to current work.

Future goals are outlined but lack clarity or actionable steps.

Team presents a thoughtful and complete plan for future work, showing alignment with project goals.

Team articulates a strategic and well-integrated plan for future work, clearly connecting it to broader project vision.

Summary [5%]

Summary is confusing or incomplete; lacks clarity and direction.

Summary covers basic elements but may be too technical or omit key points.

Team provides a clear and organized summary of work and learnings, accessible to most audiences.

Team delivers a concise, engaging, and audience-friendly summary that effectively communicates progress, learnings, and next steps.

Acknowledgements [5%]

No acknowledgements provided despite known external support.

Contributors are listed briefly, often on a single slide.

Team acknowledges most contributors and support, though some may be underemphasized.

Team thoughtfully and thoroughly recognizes all contributors and support, showing appreciation and professionalism.

Discussion / Q&A [10%]

Team avoids or struggles with questions; lacks engagement.

Team engages with questions but may lack depth or need follow-up.

Team responds professionally and clearly to most questions, with reasonable depth.

Team engages actively and provides well-supported answers that demonstrate deep understanding and preparation (use of appendix slides).

Speakers [15%]

Speakers appear unprepared or unsure; struggle to explain their work.

Speakers understand their topics but may lack confidence or depth. Presentation may feel rushed or too long/short.

Speakers are confident and knowledgeable, able to explain their work and respond to most questions. Cadence and length are appropriate.

Speakers are articulate and deeply knowledgeable, providing clear explanations and thoughtful responses to all questions.

Figures [10%]

Figures are irrelevant or confusing; not integrated into the presentation.

Figures are somewhat relevant but may lack clarity or connection to the narrative.

Figures are mostly relevant and support the presentation, with minor issues in clarity or integration.

Figures are purposeful, well-designed, and enhance the narrative by clearly illustrating key points.

Layout and Design [10%]

Presentation is disorganized or visually unappealing; difficult to follow.

Presentation is mostly professional but may have inconsistencies or clutter.

Presentation is clean, consistent, and easy to follow, with minor design issues.

Presentation is visually engaging and highly effective in guiding the audience through the content.

* If a section is missing or not addressed, the team will receive a "F" rating for that category.

Grading

The final presentation counts for 10% of your fall grade (per the syllabus), grades are determined by The Data Mine staff.

Category Description Weight

Drafts

Practice presentation and draft deliverables

3%

Final Deliverables & Presentation

Final version, professional delivery, and team readiness

7%

Total

10%

Questions?