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Information and
Instructions for Presenters of Candidate Projects
Project "Pitchers",
Thank you once again for your willingness to
participate in the Stanford Course: Perspectives in Assistive Technology
and pitch your project idea to the class on Thursday, January 8th.
Requirements for project ideas: Please
review the requirements for project
ideas.
Class location and parking: The class
will be held in the Thornton Center - Classroom 110. Refer to the
Classroom Location and Accessibility
Information webpage for driving directions and parking instructions. Let me
know if you would like me to mail you a printed map highlighting the classroom
location and nearby parking areas.
Class time:
- Please plan to arrive at the classroom by
4pm for setup. Give yourself extra time to negotiate traffic, navigate
around campus, find a parking space, and make your way to the
classroom.
- The class session will begin promptly at
4:15pm and will end at approximately 5:30pm.
- Please plan to stick around after all the
project pitches for students to approach you with specific questions. This
face-to-face interaction time will help the students fully understand your
project suggestion and decide which project to pursue.
- The order of presentation is listed
here. Let me know if you will be unable to arrive
at the beginning of class so I can re-order the schedule. Call me if you get
lost or are unexpectedly running late. 650/892-4464
Presentation logistics:
- You are welcome to compose a short
slideshow if you think your pitch would benefit from the display of a video, a
few images, or text. (It would be best to upload any videos to YouTube and
include links to them in your slideset.) You can also distribute a short
handout.
- Email me your PowerPoint presentation and
a soft copy of any handouts you wish to disseminate by January 7th so I can load it on my laptop and make
copies for the students. (Having your presentation pre-loaded on my laptop
minimizes turn-over time from one pitcher to the next, assures that the slides
will display properly, and makes the material available before class to any
students with visual impairments.)
- An LCD projector and speakers are
available.
- There is a wireless device to advance the
slides and a laser pointer for your use.
- Access to the Internet is available only
through my laptop, so it is ok to include weblinks in your slides.
- You will be given a wireless microphone to
wear on your lapel to record audio from your lecture. Do not handle the
microphone as it generates noise.
- Your pitch will be videotaped and posted
on YouTube.
Presentation suggestions:
- Your pitch must be no longer than three minutes - this will be strictly
enforced.
- Present the most important information at
the beginning of your pitch to prevent having that information cut
off.
- Be short and concise.
- Practice your pitch for
timing.
- The objective of your pitch is to interest
students in taking on your project.
- Assume students have already read your
project description, so do not merely restate it
- Pitch checklist:
- Introduce yourself
- Name your facility or organization
- State
your role in the facility or organization
- Give a
very brief background of the population and/or impairment addressed by your
project suggestion
- Identify
the problem or unmet need for the project
- Illustrate examples of the problem in a
slide
- Show
images in slides as it is difficult for students to see anything that you hold
up
- List the
prototype's desired operational features and specifications
- Describe
what the prototype device should do, but not how it should be designed (the
student team will come up with a creative solution)
- Suggest
design concepts / alternatives
- Provide
any additional information such as weblinks
- Mention
the skills that are needed to fabricate the prototype: mechanical, electronic,
computer, programming - so the students will be able to judge if it is an
appropriate project for them to undertake.
- Specify
what resources and expertise you will be able to provide
- Bring
along any prior prototypes you might have to show to students - after all
the pitches have been presented not during your pitch
- Prepare
to provide more project details and answer questions at the end of the class -
after all the projects have been delivered
- Your pitch should not be a scientific
presentation: avoid highly technical engineering, medical terms, and
abbreviations.
- Please do not overwhelm the students with
technical details. One message to communicate is they can successfully pursue
the assistive technology project that you have suggested.
Audience:
- The audience will include Stanford
engineering students (mostly mechanical engineering) and individuals from the
greater Stanford community (perhaps as many as 50 people total).
- There may be several students who arrive
late or have to leave early due to other class committments.
Video pitch:
- If you are unable to present your
project(s) in class, you can alternately create a short video pitch (not longer
than three minutes). Upload the video to YouTube and send me the url so I can
play it in class.
Class website:
Please contact me if you have any questions.
Thank you again,
- Dave Jaffe
- 650/892-4464 cell
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