13. Oral Presentation (Thesis Defense) (Summer)
The thesis defense is where students present the information from their thesis research. Consent of all readers is required before a student will be allowed to schedule their final oral presentation. The Thesis Presentation Schedule Request Form must be completed and submitted to the CSD program manager at least two weeks prior to the meeting, preferably about a month before. The student should consult with each of the thesis committee members to schedule a mutually agreed upon date and time for the thesis defense, and then send the request form to the program manager. The program manager will then reserve a room suitable for this approximately one-hour meeting. The program manager will also send out an announcement about the presentation to the IHP community, inviting them to the presentation. Typically the thesis defense meetings are scheduled in late July or early August of the final term.
Students must have completed data analysis, have a clear understanding of the meaning of the findings, and have their final written document in near-final draft form before this meeting can take place. A copy of the document must be given to all readers no later than one week prior to the scheduled meeting. Prior to the meeting, the student should print a copy of the cover page, complete with signature lines (sample cover page found here).
The oral presentation will follow a conference format for platform presentations. Students need to discuss the specific format of the presentation with their advisor prior to scheduling the meeting. The presentation should emphasize the results and the discussion, and should include visual aids for clarification of methods and results.
Usually present at this meeting are the readers, the student, guests of the student, and anyone interested in the topic being presented. The student provides a brief oral presentation and then takes questions from the audience, including the committee members. After the questions have been answered, everyone except the committee members will be asked to leave the room. The committee will discuss if the student’s work is satisfactory and if the thesis should be considered acceptable. The student is then called back into the room to discuss the committee’s decision. At this time, the readers outline specific required changes to the written document.
A suggested outline for the approximately 20-minute oral presentation is: (1) title of study; (2) purpose of the study; (3) background information, including the rationale for the study and supporting evidence from the literature; (4) methods and materials, including the design, research participants, procedures, and data analysis; (5) results; (6) discussion, including the interpretation, clinical meaningfulness, limitations of the study, and suggestions for future studies; and (7) summary and conclusions.
A computer with a projector may be used for this presentation. Students are responsible for creating their own slides. Practice sessions are encouraged to be sure of timing and accuracy of A-V order and content. It is during this oral presentation that the committee members “sign off” on the project, giving their approval that the thesis has met all the requirements and has been successfully completed to meet scholarly standards, by signing the title page of the thesis.