Final Project Instructions



Introduction

How many times have you sat in a lecture hall, the PowerPoint slides melting into each other, and finding yourself nodding off? Unfortunately, this is almost a universal experience. Too often, lectures are unilateral transmissions of facts by teacher to student. Data shows that only a small percentage of this knowledge is actually retained by the learner, and that attention is at its peak only in the first 10-20 minutes and in the last 5 minutes. For all the time we spend giving and attending other lectures, we can do better.


A well-crafted lecture allows learners to make connections, and anchor new facts to previous concepts. It often includes clear objectives, variety in presentation, real life anecdotes and cases to anchor information. The goal is not simply to maximize the amount of information transmitted, but rather to maximize the learning and honor the time spent listening by the audience. This is often done by prioritizing active over passive learning. Moreover, such a lecture shows the capability of the lecturer to synthesize large amounts of information into clear deliverables; one can only do this if one is very familiar with the content.


Objective

We are asking you to deliver a short but incisive lecture on a focused topic, in which the goal is to engage your audience and make sure that they learn during your talk. This skill will be essential during residency and beyond.


Guidelines

  1. Craft a 10-12 minute Powerpoint lecture. You can include other modalities such as break-out sessions, or audience-response, during the lecture, but at least half of the lecture time should be slide-based.

  2. The topic should be EM-relevant and is best when highly focused. Examples include:

    1. Interesting case with learning points

    2. A deep dive into a particular topic in EM core content

    3. A discussion of a current area of debate or innovation in EM

    4. Discussion of an ethical or sociocultural topic pertaining to EM

  3. Be prepared to submit the lecture in your fourth week and either record a voiceover for your slides embedded in the PowerPoint, or coordinate a Zoom presentation with your advisor in the fourth week of the rotation.

  4. Be prepared to discuss potential topics with your advisor at the Mid-rotation feedback session.

  5. Creativity is welcomed and encouraged; we ask you discuss any major innovations in advance with your advisor.


Submission

Your project is due on the final Monday of the course. Please email it to nypsubi@gmail.com.


Recommended Reading

Wolff M, Wagner MJ, Poznanski S, Schiller J, Santen S. Not Another Boring Lecture: Engaging Learners with Active Learning Techniques The Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2015; 48(1):85-93.