As a student in Psychology 409b, I have been involved in a self-witnessing exercise since the beginning of this semester. This internet-focused course has been taught by Dr. Leon James at the University of Hawaii at Manoa since the early 1990’s. Each semester, the students are required to publish their reports online and do oral presentations. Every few semesters, the course topic changes. This semester, the course topic is self efficacy.

As with the first 5 assigned tasks, I was required to fill out pre-ratings before starting the tasks, take notes while doing them, and fill out post-ratings after their completion. The empirical notes that I took while completing the tasks helped me analyze my information behavior. I have undergone the same process with this sixth task, which was to analyze my two oral presentations this semester and compile a report of my affective and cognitive information behaviors. Along with my own evaluations of my presentations, I have included comments from my classmates and Dr. James.

This report, which is the third required report for the semester, will be about my two oral presentations—what I did, the errors I made, and how I felt during the process. I will first evaluate my two oral presentations and will then explain the sixth and final task of the semester, which was to compile and publish this report online.

Oral Presentations

This semester, unlike last semester, we were required to give two 20-minute oral presentations. Each student was required to do a presentation on a chapter from the book Self-Efficacy in Changing Societies. The other required presentation was to be on an article relevant to a chapter in the book. A student could not present a chapter and a related article on the same day. (To buy the book or look at a few of its pages, click on the image of the book below.)

Article pertaining to Chapter 1

I presented an article related to chapter 1 on September 16, 2003. Here is the link to my handout for my first oral presentation:

http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409bf2003/sagucio/oral1.htm

Sub-steps of task

The table below delineates the steps involved in the second required task, which was to post a research and comment message in WebCT. These notes correspond to the first week I posted messages.

Table 1a

Affective and Cognitive Information Behaviors Associated With Oral Presentation #1

(Note: Affective information behaviors include feelings, emotions, intentions, and reactions; Cognitive information behaviors include thoughts, thinking sequences, strategies, plans, interpretations.)

Step	My Affective Information Behavior	My Cognitive Information Behavior
1. filled out pre-ratings form	- filling out the form has helped ease my anxiety; it is a step towards finishing this task	- this is a good way to analyze my information behavior
2. read Chapter 1	- felt a bit excited about finally reading the assigned textbook - I wanted to know what we would be covering during the semester	- this chapter is not too hard to understand - the concept of self-efficacy is interesting
3. thought about what was covered in the chapter, what concepts were important	- felt confident that I would easily find an article related to the chapter	- it is a good thing I am doing the first chapter because it basically is an overview of self-efficacy
3. used the Google search engine to find a relevant article	- felt anxious because I would be doing my oral presentation in several hours	- Google is great; it makes searching very easy
4. read the article	- Wow! This is a long article.	- thought the information was very relevant to the chapter; it seemed to reiterate the important points
5. found other relevant links to share with the class	- felt excited that I found a “self-efficacy” page full of links to related material	- thought it was good information to share with my classmates
6. compiled a handout	- I like making handouts	- I planned to use color to make the handout more interesting
7. made copies of the handout	- realized that each handout was 9 pages; quite a hefty packet	- thought it would be good for everyone to have a copy of the article
8. reviewed the information on the handout	- felt nervous because I did not read it thoroughly before class; I was not sure what to present	- planned to skim and highlight the important concepts to present in class
9. went to see Dr. James to ask a few questions (how much points he would deduct if I did not meet the time requirement, etc.)	- felt worried that I would not meet the time requirement - felt anxious knowing that I would receive a bad grade	- I couldn’t back out; after all, I signed up to present today
10. presented the information on my handout in class	- felt very nervous	- thought about asking my classmates questions to kill time
11. evaluated my first oral presentation	- felt relieved that this task was finally over	- thought about what I could do to have a better oral presentation next time
12. emailed Erin regarding her presentation	- I liked her presentation very much and felt inclined to give her praise	- emailing was not required but I think Dr. James should have told students that it was required to give classmates constructive criticism
13. checked my email for other comments from students (received one from Brian) and for my grade from Dr. James	- felt glad and relieved that I did not get poor reviews	- Will other of my classmates email me?

Comments from classmates and Dr. James

My classmates were encouraged to email me with comments they had regarding my presentation. Because it was not a requirement, I did not receive many.

Table 1b:

Comments From Peers and Dr. James Regarding My First Oral Presentation

(Note: The excerpts have been taken directly from the email messages. Everything remained unchanged except for misspelled words that I corrected.)

Sender

Message

Psy 409b classmate

email message dated September 18, 2003)

“I thought you did great even though you said you were not that prepared. Good job asking questions and incorporating the rest of the

class. It seemed like you knew your topic and put some time in researching. Sounded good to me!”

Dr. James

(excerpt from email message dated September 18, 2003)

“I gave you 6 points out of 7. Good work!

Things that were competently done:

-- you had a handout

-- you defined self-efficacy well

-- maintained a good voice

-- spoke spontaneously

-- appeared well prepared

-- interacted with the audience well”

Psy 409b classmate

(excerpt from email message dated September 19, 2003)

“I though your presentation was quite good, despite the fact that you had not prepared for it. You involved the class into great discussions, did some great research, and really did a good job presenting different views of the topic. You really had a hard presentation to work out, because it was hard to find anything that was different from what the chapter presented. I think you did a great job! You were very comfortable, and I really liked the way you brought in your own problems into the presentation.

Maybe next time it would be a good idea to get together with the other person you are presenting with, and see if you two can work out how your presentations could be different. I wish I had done that with you, because I felt that I had presented pretty much everything you found. Overall, a good job, and I'm looking forward to the next presentation.”

The comments from my classmates were generally positive. I did remember apologizing during my presentation for my lack of presentation, but they did not indicate it as a drawback. My grade from Dr. James was better than I had anticipated. Although I did receive a good score, I still had improvements to make for my second presentation.

Analysis of errors

The table below delineates the errors I made while doing my first oral presentation.

Table 1c

My Errors While Doing Oral Presentation #1

Note: A minor error denotes an error that could be fixed, whether technically or personally (ex: typing in the wrong URL in the browser window and making a grammatical mistakes in a report). A major error denotes an error that could not be fixed, whether technically or personally (ex: missing the deadline for uploading a report and posting a research message under the wrong category).

Description of Error	Error Classification	Explanation For Error	Solution
Did not prepare enough ahead of time (did not rehearse the presentation and so, mumbled things that I was unsure of, felt nervous)	Major	I was busy during that time and placed my oral presentation at the bottom of my priority list. I had not managed my time well during that week and so, I was forced to rush to complete tasks.	For next time, I will be sure to give myself a few days to adequately prepare.
Did not prepare an outline of the article	Major	I did my research the morning of my presentation and did not even read the article thoroughly. I did not make the time to prepare an outline. I made copies of the article as a handout.	An outline would have helped my audience understand the concepts I reviewed better and would have helped with the organization of my presentation. I plan on making one for my second oral presentation.
Did not give sufficient eye contact	Minor	I did not read the article thoroughly beforehand and so, I had to skim it during my presentation.	If I had rehearsed more and used an outline, I would have felt more confident during my presentation. I know that I can have better eye contact next time.
Did not make the article meaningful to the audience; my presentation was restricted solely to the article itself	Major	I did not realize that doing so was only one part of my job. I did not think about making the article meaningful to the audience.	I will try to incorporate more relevant examples and involve my classmates during my presentation.
Kept apologizing over my lack of preparation for the presentation.	Minor	Because I was not prepared, I thought it would serve as a defense if the others perceived my presentation to be a poor one.	If I prepare more next time, I will not have to apologize. I have also learned in my Speech class that the presenter should never apologize to the audience.

Further explanation of errors

I was very nervous during my presentation. Because I had not prepared well beforehand, I had to see Dr. James to help ease my anxiety. I was worried that I would not meet the 20-minute requirement, but he seemed to have faith in me. Although I did not adequately prepare for my presentation, I knew that I had to do it anyhow. I had a handout and decided to make good use of it. Unfortunately, I think I misused my handout. I used it too much. I should have prepared an outline to help keep me from reading direct quotes from the article.

During my presentation, I kept apologizing for my lack of preparation. I learned in my Speech class that a presenter should never apologize to the audience, but I did so because I thought it would help buffer negative criticisms. By letting the audience know that I did not adequately prepare for the presentation, they would not have had high expectations.

Because I did not prepare well, I was not able to give sufficient eye contact. I kept looking down at my paper and mumbled concepts that I was unsure of. These actions are characteristics of a nervous person. I was nervous because I did not know what I was saying at times. Because of this, I was not able to relay and relate the information well to my peers.

Outline of Chapter 3

I presented an overview of chapter 3 on September 30, 2003. Here is the link to my handout for my first oral presentation:

http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/409bf2003/sagucio/oral2.htm

Sub-steps of task

The table below delineates the steps involved in doing my second oral presentation.

Table 2a

Affective and Cognitive Information Behaviors Associated With Oral Presentation #2

Step	My Affective Information Behavior	My Cognitive Information Behavior
1. read Chapter 3	- felt more relaxed because I read it a few days before my schedule oral presentation	- thought about how much more I could improve for the upcoming presentation
2. prepared an outline	- I had a good deal of information and felt confident that I would be able to meet the 20-minute time requirement	- decided to make a table to better present the information
4. reviewed the information	- felt relieved that my handout was not as long as the handout for my first oral presentation	- thought of at least one example for each concept that could help my classmates understand it better and relate it to their own lives
5. practiced/rehearsed presentation and timed myself	- felt glad that I had a lot of information to cover	- thought about how I should have prepared more the first time
6. made copies of handout	- realized that not many people came to class and so, did not make as many handouts as the last time	- did not use much color for this handout, just for the links to help distinguish them from the regular text
7. presented the chapter in class	- felt more confident and more at ease	- my classmate seemed to understand the concepts and seemed attentive; I saw nods and they answered my questions
8. evaluated my second oral presentation	- felt a little more satisfied with my performance this time around	- doing the oral presentation was not too bad; I do not know why I stress over such things so much
9. emailed Jennifer Rivera regarding her oral presentation	- felt glad that she did better this time around as well; she looked more confident today than when she was standing up, doing her first oral presentation the week before	- I figured that if I emailed her, she would email me back
10. checked my email my grade from Dr. James	- felt ecstatic to find out that I received a perfect score	- I never thought that I would ever get a 7 out of 7 because I could still improve on some areas
11. filled out post-ratings	- felt relieved that I completed my two oral presentations within the first month of class	- thought about starting on my third report early

Comments from classmates and Dr. James

Because sending email to classmates regarding their oral presentations was only suggested and not enforced, I only received one email message from a peer. I hoped that I would have received more. Because of this, I did not feel responsible for emailing those who did not email me.

Table 2b

Comments From Peers and Dr. James Regarding My Second Oral Presentation

(Note: The excerpts have been taken directly from the email messages. Everything remained unchanged except for misspelled words that I corrected.)

Sender

Message

Psy 409b classmate

(excerpt from email message dated September 30, 2003)

“You did a great job too. The presentation was clear and smooth and the outline was detailed and comprehensive. I know it was a hard chapter and the whole thing was really impressive. It says a lot to plow through a chapter like that and explaining it to the class. Good Job!”

Dr. James

(email message dated October 7, 2003)

“I gave you 7 points out of 7.

You had a good handout and you followed it closely after going over it at first. You had good rapport with the audience and interacted well. Your content was coherent and you were well prepared. Excellent!”

It is evident that I did better during my second oral presentation. I received 6 points out of a possible 7 for my first oral presentation; I earned 7 points out of 7 for my second oral presentation. No one suggested any actions for improvement, but I was sure that I could have done better.

Analysis of errors

The table below delineates the errors I made while doing my second oral presentation.

Table 2c

My Errors While Doing Oral Presentation #2

Description of Error	Error Classification	Explanation For Error	Solution
I could have provided more examples to help relate the information to my classmates.	Major	I only thought of examples that were brought up in the book and I did not have an example for every concept.	Dr. James just told our class that we should have made our presentations more relevant to our classmates and should not have restricted our presentations to the chapters and articles themselves. I do not have another presentation to do and so, cannot implement this improvement. However, I could use the advice for future oral presentations.

Further explanation of errors

I think I could have prepared a little more. I could have given more eye contact during my presentation. Although I did start preparing this presentation a few days before my scheduled presentation, I could have internalized the information more. If I provided more examples, my presentation could have been a little better.

I still involved the audience in my presentation by asking questions like I did for my first presentation. Not only did it help kill time, but it kept them attentive during my presentation. I thought that it also helped them think about the concepts more in class.

I felt relieved that I had finished both of my oral presentations early on in the semester. I did not have to worry about doing any more for the rest of the semester.

Task #6: Publishing Report #3

Sub-steps of task

The table below delineates the steps involved in the fifth required task, which was to publish this report, Report #3.

Table 3a

Affective and Cognitive Information Behaviors Associated With Task #2

Step	My Affective Information Behavior	My Cognitive Information Behavior
1. filled out pre-ratings form	- felt anxious because I am in the midst of doing this report the very same day it is due	- I knew that I should have done it earlier but I procrastinated - however, I know that I will complete it tonight because if I don’t, I will miss the deadline and will not receive any points for it
2. opened a new web document and copied the same formatting as in Report #1	- I’m feeling quite confident - I intend to keep the same colors and formatting as in my first two reports so that my website will seem more uniform	- I have done this before and should be able to do it now
3. made an outline of the necessary components	- making an outline will speed up the progress in completing this report	- I should make an outline first so that it will be easier to fill in the different sections.
4. started filling in the sections of the outline	- felt a little anxious because I was starting this report late	- I have a high self-efficacy; I know I can complete this report on time
5. copied email messages from classmates to incorporate into my report	- felt glad that I saved the email messages and could use them in my report	- I only hoped that more people would have emailed me
6. cross-checked the components of the report with those listed in the instructions	- the instructions were the same for all reports and so, I am familiar with what is needed to be done	- I know that I can follow directions
7. filled out post-ratings	- felt relieved that I have finally reached the final stretch in completing this report	- I will be able to relax after I upload this report
8. proofread the report, checked for broken links	- felt glad that I did not find any broken links	- Yay! No broken links!
9. opened up Fetch and uploaded report	- remembered how unfamiliar I was with FTP last semester	- realized that I haven’t worked on my website as much as I did last semester - the last time I worked on my homepage was in October
10. checked to see if report published successfully	- I would be shocked if it didn’t upload	- I haven’t had any trouble uploading since I first started and so I didn’t expect any at this time
11. emailed Dr. James to inform him that I published Report #3	- felt relieved that I completed the last task of the semester	- Whew! I met the deadline!

Analysis of errors

Table 3b

My Errors While Doing Task #6

Description of Error	Error Classification	Explanation For Error	Solution
Procrastinated; started working on report the day it was due	Major	I had many things due during the past week and did not manage my time wisely to include time to work on the report. I also did not feel motivated to get it done until the last minute. This could have been because I took advantage of the fact that I could resubmit my report for regarding at the end of the semester.	I should not have procrastinated. I should have started a few days earlier and broken down the report into several manageable sessions.

Data Collection

Pre- and Post-Ratings for Oral Presentations

I filled out the pre-ratings form before doing my first oral presentation and filled out the post-ratings form after I was done with my second oral presentation. I did not complete pre- and post-ratings forms for each of my presentations.

Table 4a

Pre- and Post-Ratings for Task #6

(Note: I have pulled out only the questions from the forms that had scaled ratings to include in the table below. To view explanations for ratings, click on the links provided.)

	Task #5
Questions	Pre-	Post-
2. Mood (1= negative; 10=positive)	3	9
5. Importance of succeeding at this task (1=not important; 10=extremely important)	10	10
6. (Expected) difficulty in performing task (1=not much; 10=a lot)	8	3
7. Amount of upset if failed at task (1=not upset; 10=extremely upset)	4	2
8. Degree of certainty in completing task (1=doubtful; 10=almost certain)	8	10
9. Likelihood of becoming good at task (1=pretty doubtful; 10=almost certain)	10	10
10. Main reason for completing task (a=luck; b=skills I’ve acquired; c=help from others; d= combination of things)	B	B
11. Amount of motivation to complete task (1=slightly motivated; 10=very highly motivated)	10	10
12. Computers make it easier to perform the task (1=I strongly disagree; 10=I very much agree)	10	4
13. ∫(Expected) amount of effort to complete task (1=not much; 10=a tremendous amount)	8	3

First of all, because I completed the pre-ratings form for Oral Presentation #1 and the post-ratings form for Oral Presentation #2, some of the responses seemed incoherent. I did them that way because that was how it was explained in the instructions. Had I thought about it thoroughly beforehand, I should have filled out separate pre- and post-ratings forms for both oral presentations.

- For example, for question #4 (“How many hours did this task actually take?”), I was not sure how to answer it. My first oral presentation took about 2 hours to prepare for and my second oral presentation took about 3 hours. Altogether, I spent about 5 hours preparing for both presentations.

- Another question that did not correlate for both presentations was question #2 (“What kind of a mood are you in?”). For my first presentation, I had felt awful because I did not prepare well enough for it. For my second presentation, I had felt much better because I prepared for it a few days beforehand. Therefore, there seems to be a great improvement in my mood (a rating of 3 for my first oral presentation and a rating of 9 after doing my second oral presentation), but the numbers cannot be correlated in that manner.

- For question #12 (“Computers will make it easier for me to perform the task”), I could not correlate the responses either because I did not use the computer much for my second oral presentation except when making my handout. A computer was necessary for my first oral presentation because I had to search for an article online.

- Question #6 (“How much difficulty do you expect in performing this task?) had the same problem. I expected some degree of difficulty in preparing for my first oral presentation because of time pressure. I did not experience the same pressure with my second presentation because I learned my lesson then.

- As for question #6, the same goes for question #14 (“How much effort do you expect this task to take?”) For my first oral presentation, I expected to put in a lot of effort (a rating of 8) because I procrastinated. I only had a few hours to get it done. On the other hand, my second presentation did not require as much effort (a rating of 3) because I had prepared for it well in advance and broke it down into manageable parts.

My responses for the other questions remained the same because my beliefs did not change. I believed that the tasks were all important because they were required for the course. Because I considered all the tasks to be important, my level of motivation to complete them was always high. I needed to complete the tasks to receive a good grade. I also believed that I would get better at these kinds of tasks because I know that with practice, my performance usually improves.

Pre- and Post-Ratings for Task #6

Table 4b

Pre- and Post-Ratings for Task #6

(Note: I have pulled out only the questions from the forms that had scaled ratings to include in the table below. To view explanations for ratings, click on the links provided.)

	Task #5
Questions	Pre-	Post-
2. Mood (1= negative; 10=positive)	8	9
5. Importance of succeeding at this task (1=not important; 10=extremely important)	10	10
6. (Expected) difficulty in performing task (1=not much; 10=a lot)	2	2
7. Amount of upset if failed at task (1=not upset; 10=extremely upset)	1	1
8. Degree of certainty in completing task (1=doubtful; 10=almost certain)	10	10
9. Likelihood of becoming good at task (1=pretty doubtful; 10=almost certain)	10	10
10. Main reason for completing task (a=luck; b=skills I’ve acquired; c=help from others; d= combination of things)	B	B
11. Amount of motivation to complete task (1=slightly motivated; 10=very highly motivated)	10	10
12. Computers make it easier to perform the task (1=I strongly disagree; 10=I very much agree)	10	10
13. ∫(Expected) amount of effort to complete task (1=not much; 10=a tremendous amount)	3	3

For question #2 (“What kind of mood are you in?”), I noticed that my mood improved a bit, probably because when I filled out the post-ratings form, I felt relieved that I had finally completed the last task of the semester.

For question #4 (“How many hours do you think this task will actually take”), I answered 5 hours. In actuality, it took 4 hours and 19 minutes. I was able to time myself down to the minute because as with the other tasks, I took notes while doing the tasks. I wrote down every start and end time. I just wanted to also point out that I have become quite good in gauging the amount of time I will need to accomplish a task. I think it shows how high my self-efficacy is and how well I know myself and my capabilities.

Other than, my pre- and post-ratings were the same for all the questions. I think that because I have done several reports for Dr. James now, I am able to gauge how much time and effort will be needed to complete a task.

Also, for questions such as question #10 (“What is the main reason that you will probably succeed in completing this task?,” in which the answers are luck, the skills I’ve acquired, help I had from others, and a combination of these things), my response was the same because I do not believe in luck. Also, I have already taken a class from Dr. James last semester and so, did not encounter major problems while completing tasks. If I had any questions, I asked Dr. James.

Facing A Due Date

This report’s deadline was postponed a week later. However, I did not start on it until the day it was due. Because I have already taken another class by Dr. James last semester, I was confident that I would be able to gauge the amount of time I would need to complete the report. I set enough time to complete it and was able to upload it in time. I needed to accomplish this task today because it was the absolute last day to upload the report. If I did not upload it on time, I would have lost points. Therefore, to prevent the loss of points for a required report, I had to make sure that I completed this report today. It was not much of a problem because of my high self-efficacy.

I believe that due dates are very important. Everyone needs due dates for nearly everything they do. Our class surely needs due dates because if it were not so, grading our performance during the semester would be very difficult. Many of us have procrastinated and if we did not have some kind of consequence for procrastinating, we would have continued doing so during the semester. All of the deadlines during this semester were postponed. On one hand, I was glad because it meant more time for us to complete tasks. However, on the other hand, I believed that the deadlines should have been enforced. Enforcing them would have forced the students to complete their tasks on time.

Conclusion

When I look back at my performance for my two oral presentations, I can remember a marked difference between the two. I definitely improved my performance for the second presentation, but I knew that I could have still done better. As with everything else, improvements can always be made. I think that if the time period between the two oral presentations was longer, my second presentation could have been even better. I was also taking a speech class this semester and I believe that I improved my oral communication skills drastically. I feel much more confident now because I know how to prepare for such presentations. However, the two presentations I did this semester were definitely beneficial. I think it was a great idea that Dr. James decided to have Generation 19 do two oral presentations instead of one like Generation 18. This time around, students had the chance to improve their oral communication skills.

I have noticed that it was imperative to use a computer for this course. It is very much computer and internet-based. Without a computer and internet connection, students would not have been able to complete any of the required tasks. Having that said, I have also realized that I use a computer daily, whether for academic, office, or personal use. It is quite an integral part of my daily routine. I check my email daily because it is one of the methods I use for corresponding with others and being contacted. I assume that I will rely on computers for many years down the road.

Advice to future generations and to Dr. James

My advice to future generations include the following:

- Make sure you read and understand the requirements for the oral presentations.

- Provide a concise outline of the chapter you are presenting; Make an outline for articles, too.

- Involve the audience in the presentation by asking them questions. If no one wants to answer a question, call on someone.

- It is OK to do the presentation while sitting down. Unlike most classes in which you give oral presentations at the front of class, there are only a few students in this class and the intimate setting fosters discussion.

- If you do not understand something in class, be sure to ask someone. Ask Dr. James for further explanations regarding the requirements of the course. Ask help from students who have had experience uploading before. If no one in class knows, be sure to read Dr. James’ handout on FTP and/or ask a computer lab monitor for help.

My advice to Dr. James in enforcing students to take the responsibility of emailing their classmates would be to provide a peer evaluation after each oral presentation. A few minutes could be set aside at the end of class to fill out the evaluations. The evaluations can be similar in structure to the pre- and post-ratings forms in which a scale could be used for the questions; a scale of 1 to 5 in which 1 means poor and 5 means excellent. Yes/No answers could be more appropriate for particular questions. Open-ended questions could also be helpful in evaluating the oral presentations.

Some helpful questions would be:

- How sufficient was the speaker’s eye contact?

- Did the speaker project well enough?

- How confident did you perceive the speaker to be?

- Did the speaker make good use of examples to further elaborate concepts?

- What could the speaker improve on for his/her next oral presentation?

- What was one thing the speaker did well? / What were the speaker’s strengths?

Last updated: December 12, 2003

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Advice to future generations

Introduction

Oral Presentations

Article pertaining to Chapter 1

Sub-steps of task

Dr. James

Psy 409b classmate

Analysis of errors

Table 1c

Outline of Chapter 3

Sub-steps of task

Table 2b

Psy 409b classmate

Dr. James

Analysis of errors

Table 2c

Task #6: Publishing Report #3

Sub-steps of task

Analysis of errors

Table 3b

Data Collection

Pre- and Post-Ratings for Oral Presentations

Table 4a

Questions

Pre- and Post-Ratings for Task #6

Table 4b

Questions

Facing A Due Date

Conclusion

Advice to future generations and to Dr. James