Poster Presentations

Poster Presentation - A poster is a single slide, when presented online, or physical poster for in person presentations. Poster presentations must be recorded but we will give students the opportunity to present posters live if they are interested. The presenter walks the audience through the different sections of the poster followed by questions from the audience. In the recording, the presenter will walk through each section of the poster. The presentation is a minimum of 5, maximum of 10 minutes.

A poster must be printed when presented in person. The presenter walks the audience through the different sections of the poster followed by questions from the audience. The presentation is a minimum of 5, maximum of 10 minutes.

Judging Forms

The following forms are for judges, but you can use them to see how your poster presentation will be judged.

• creative arts presentations
• science presentations
• service learning presentations
• works-in-progress presentations
• oral presentations

Tips

• Poster design and assembly will take longer than you expect.
• Aim to have your poster done several days in advance to give yourself plenty of time for editing and practice.
• Use one of the official UAB poster templates (not required).
• Depending on the font style, the font size should generally be no smaller than 24.
• Divide your content into short chunks of text. Numbered or bulleted lists are easy to read.
• Examples of discrete sections that can be included in a poster: title, author name(s) and affiliations, abstract, introduction/background, methods, results, discussion, conclusion, references, and acknowledgements.
• Figures, graphs, photos, and diagrams should be labeled and relevant to the topic.
• Omit distracting, superfluous decorations.
• Handouts are optional, but they can be used to provide detailed information for which there is no room on the main poster. Posters should be reasonably accessible to an educated but non-expert audience.
• Posters should be no larger than 40" x 60" (landscape or portrait) and will be assigned to either an easel or a table for display. Presenters will be provided with 40" x 60" cardboard tri-fold poster boards. These poster boards will be available on the day of the Expo.
• Posters can be printed at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine.

Additional Resources

• Planning your Poster
• Poster Design
• Poster Printing FAQ
• Tips for Presenting a Poster

Oral Presentations

Oral Presentation - A series of slides that last a minimum of 10 minutes and a maximum of 12 minutes, with 3 minutes for questions from the audience immediately following. Aspects such as creativity, discovery, integration, application, innovation, and entrepreneurship — along with enthusiasm, accuracy, and smooth delivery — are key. We encourage students to present oral presentations live but we do understand if they are not able to and will give them the choice to record an oral presentation.

Here's some general advice to keep in mind when creating an oral presentation.

• Use one of the UAB PowerPoint presentation templates.
• Content versus presentation time is a delicate and important balance.
• Aspects such as creativity, discovery, integration, application, innovation, and entrepreneurship — along with enthusiasm, accuracy, and smooth delivery — is key.
• The abstract and work to be presented does not need to be a finished product; however, it is imperative that it is logically presented and clearly demonstrated.
• Preparation will take longer than you expect. Aim to have your presentation done several days in advance to give yourself time to rehearse and edit.

Requirements and Advice

• Oral presentations will be no more than 15 minutes — 12 minutes of presentation and a three-minute question and answer session.
• A moderator will be present at each session to introduce you to the audience and keep track of your allotted time. You will receive a two-minute warning to let you know that your 12-minute time limit is about to expire.
• Include these sections: Introduction, Aim(s), Method(s), Result(s), Conclusion(s), and Reference. This is a generalized format with the understanding that presentation of material included in this section will differ across disciplines.
• Present evidence in support or in contradiction of the thesis.
• Discuss the larger significance of the research.
• The general rule is to review no more than one slide per minute.
• Handouts may be helpful for both you and the audience, although they are not required.
• You should use your prepared remarks or notes as a guide. You are not expected to memorize presentations, but you should try to make frequent eye contact with the audience.

PowerPoint Tips

• Keep slides clutter free.
• Use a dark font on a light background. Be sure to use a font size that is readable at a distance when projected.
• Italics, script, and the use of all caps should be used sparingly.
• Use of animation, clip art, sound, or other design elements are not critical and should be kept to a minimum.

Visual Aid Resources

Technology (a projector and screen) will be available for students selected to give an oral presentation. Please take note that you are responsible for the following:

• If you want to use a provided laptop, save your presentation to a portable USB flash drive and bring it with you.
• You may bring your own laptop.
• If you are using a Mac, it is your responsibility to bring an appropriate VGA adapter.

Online Presentations

Online Presentations - The online option for the UAB Expo was created to offer the opportunity for UAB students to present their research, service-learning projects, or creative activity in an online format instead of presenting in person.

The Online Expo allows you to present in one of three formats:

• Online Poster Presentation:
  • A poster is a single slide. Poster presentations must be recorded. In the recording, the presenter will walk through each section of the poster. The presentation is a minimum of 5, maximum of 10 minutes. You should record yourself on camera for the presentation to make it more personable.

• Online Oral Presentation
  • A series of slides that lasts a minimum of 10 minutes and a maximum of 12 minutes. Aspects such as creativity, discovery, integration, application, innovation, and entrepreneurship — along with enthusiasm, accuracy, and smooth delivery — are key. You should record yourself on camera for the presentation to make it more personable.

• Video Essay:
  • What is a video essay? “Video essays combine different forms of media such as video (film), audio (voice-over, music, sounds), and text to study or analyze a topic. Many have structures similar to a written essay, with an introduction, body, and conclusion. An effective video essay will have a strong thesis or argument.” Augustana Mikkelsen Library  These video essays can be creative in nature but should include an artistic statement to assist the judge and audience in understanding that it is a creative approach.

Posting your Presentations - Use Kaltura to share video presentations with people outside the UAB community (including family members). For that reason, you must upload your video to Kaltura and embed it in the discussion board using one of the following methods:

• Record using Kaltura desktop recorder, upload to Kaltura, and embed in the discussion board. Use this guide to record and upload with Kaltura.
• Record using Zoom, upload to Kaltura, and embed in the discussion board. Use this guide for the Zoom and Kaltura process.
• Record using another program, upload to Kaltura, and embed in the discussion. Use this guide to upload and embed an MP4. 
• Note: If you have already created a narrated PowerPoint and you have a Windows-based device, use this guide Links to an external site.to save it as a video then upload into Kaltura. PowerPoint for Mac does not have this option. If you have a Mac, you can record your presentation using Kaltura Capture Links to an external site.
• (Note: If you have any issues recording or uploading using Kaltura or embedding your video on the discussion board, contact eLearning Links to an external site.for assistance.)
• For both Poster and Oral presentations, judges will leave comments and questions in the discussion forum for each presentation. Make sure to check daily for these questions so that you can answer them to the best of your ability. This will create an online conversation similar to in-person presentations.
• If you are only presenting in person you do not need to upload anything to Canvas.