Malcolm Swanson
Seinan Jo Gakuin University
Teaching at Seinan Jo Gakuin University in Kitakyushu. Web-editor for JALT Publications
Sessions
Online Poster Sessions as a Student Activity
Poster sessions, whether face-to-face or online, require a different set of skills than presentations or speeches. Presenters work with just one poster or slide, can only give a brief explanation, and must then respond to a constantly changing group of viewers. The interactive and dynamic quality of poster presentations can offer university students useful opportunities to develop these explanatory skills in a very structured setting without the pressure of large audiences or a set script. In this session, I will describe our experiences of running an online poster presentation event in our university in Kyushu. The programme was intended as an opportunity for our 4th-year students to showcase and share their graduation thesis findings to inspire younger students. I'll explain the system we used, and some of the many pitfalls we encountered - and how we intend to improve the process for next year's event.