“Synthesizing Perspectives: Exploring the Internationalization of U.S. College Campuses”

Your next multimedia assignment is to watch/make notes on your classmates’ final presentations and record a 5-6 minute video-narrated presentation (e.g., VoiceThread or powerpoint) that synthesizes three of the presentations to make a focused analytical point. You may not choose your own presentation. The academic literacy skills involved in this assignment (summarizing, analyzing, synthesizing, evaluating) are extremely important in academic and professional communication. Your audience for this multimedia assignment is professors and fellow students in the academic community; assume that your audience has not seen the presentations so they are unfamiliar with their content, although they have a general understanding of internationalization on U.S. college campuses.
You need at least three slides (no more than five) to accompany your synthesis presentation. One of these slides should graphically represent the core relationship among the three presentations you choose to synthesize.
Suggested approach to this assignment:
Step one: Review the presentation recordings and select the three you want to focus the synthesis on (posted under “Presentation videos”)
Step two: Identify ONE core element/key point that relates or connects all three (that connection becomes the “thesis” or main argument of your response). Note that each presentation does not need to make exactly the same point; in fact, they may have one aspect in common but approach it differently.
Step three: Make note of specific supporting information from each presentation to evaluate its connection to the key point you identified
Step four: Outline your synthesis and make sure it includes the following points (hint: parts 3 and 4 are the most important and should take more time compared to the other parts):
An introduction indicating the broad theme of all of the presentations and introducing each of the sources you are using (in this case, this means naming the three presenters and their topics)
A brief summary of each presentation’s main point(s)
Your own main point about the connection among the three presentations (this is like your own “thesis” for the synthesis based on the “key point” you choose to focus on for your synthesis)
Thoughtful analysis of how each presentation addressed the key point you have selected to focus on, including relevant supporting ideas from each presentation (it should be clear that you watched each presentation and thoughtfully and critically made connections to its ideas)
A clearly identified and thought-provoking conclusion (Hint: Think about the significance or implications of the main point you have made)
Step five: Design your slides following the best practices for visual communication and slide design that we learned about this semester. And then draft your speaking notes, paying attention to your use of genre-appropriate language structures. Then record your video-narration using your chosen software. If you use VoiceThread, make sure the slides are set to automatically advance. Pay attention to vocal delivery techniques and eye contact to make sure your delivery is effective and clear.