BUSA 465-001 TECHNOLOGICAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP
BACHELOR OF COMMERCE PROGRAM
Fall 2023
https://web.stanford.edu/group/e145/cgibin/winter/drupal/upload/handouts/Byers_et_al._Technology_Ventures_ch1-5.pdf
Instructor: Amir Taherizadeh (M.A., M.B.A., Ph.D.)
Office: Bronfman 469
Email: amir.taherizadeh@mcgill.ca
Phone: 514 398-4665
Class meetings: Thursdays 18:05 – 20:55
Classroom: Bronfman 410
Office hours: Please send me an email to book an appointment.
1. COURSE BACKGROUND
BUSA 465, Technological Entrepreneurship, is a 3-credit lecture course. The focus of this course is
to provide students with the skills to develop and execute a successful technology product
development roadmap within an entrepreneurial environment. These skills may be applied to a new
venture or as part of an existing organization.
Primarily, this course provides an integrated strategic framework for innovation -based entrepreneurs.
The course is structured to provide a deep understanding of the core strategic choices facing start -up
innovator, a synthetic framework for the development and implementation of technology
entrepreneurial strategy in dynamic environments, and the ability to scale those ventures over time.
A central theme of the course is that, to achieve competitive advantage, technolo gy entrepreneurs
must balance the process of experimentation and learning inherent to entrepreneurship. The course
identifies the key choices technology entrepreneurs make to take advantage of a novel opportunity
and the logic of particular strategic commitments and positions that allow entrepreneurs to establish
competitive advantage.
The course combines interactive lectures, case analyses, and discussions. The course draws on a
rapidly emerging body of research in technology strategy and entrepreneurship that moves beyond
the “one size fits all” approach to start-ups and instead focuses on the key choices that founders face
as they start and scale their business. The cases and assignments offer an opportunity to integrate and
apply the entrepreneurial strategy framework in a practical way and draws from a diverse range of
industries and settings. The course continues with the research behind the solutions —e.g., what limits
new ventures at their earliest stages? And we conclude by examining the common hurdles faced by
new ventures and how to confront them.
You should be prepared for every class. The class is highly interactive. For readings, consider the
choices the entrepreneurs must make that can be informed by the argument or evidence in the article,
and how you might utilize key insights in practice. For cases, identify the key choices facing the
protagonists, evaluate alternative approaches to these problems (including what additional
information you might need to gather to make a clear decision), and think about the course of action
you would recommend and why.
2. LEARNING OUTCOMES
At its core, this course is about one thing: teaching you to think critically. As you will learn, successful
entrepreneurs are the people who do not follow the recipe, so all we can do is teach you what each spice
does and then let you combine them yourself. This is not a how-to-act course, you will not leave here with
a clear business plan and an iPhone app ready to submit to Apple. This is a how-to-think course, you will
leave here with a long list of problems facing the world, a rough sense of how people believe technology
could be the answer, and an appreciation for what prevents new companies and new technologies from
providing the answers. Most importantly, you will be constantly and consistently required to think about
new ideas from new perspectives, with no obvious connection to entrepreneurship, business, or market
efficiencies. Why? Because, as we will learn, the best entrepreneurs were not driven by money, and they
were not well-schooled in accounting, they were just people that saw a problem and were inspired to find
an unconventional way to solve it. That is our learning objective: to see problems and find inspiration.
By the end of the semester students should:





Understand the basics of entrepreneurship research
Be able to provide detailed analysis on the problems facing a range of business sectors
and to offer insight into what solutions new technology might offer.
Understand the common problems faced by new ventures and possible solutions.
Have a new perspective on the world.
Be inspired.
3. REQUIRED MATERIAL AND READINGS
Lecture slides including material covered by guest speakers, assigned readings (book chapters, scientific
articles, news articles, etc.), and suggested references/links will be posted on the course website.
PowerPoint Slides for each session will be posted on myCourses 24 hours before the session starts.
Occasionally, relevant reading material will be posted on myCourses prior to class time. Make sure you
refer to it on a regular basis since it will be updated as readings become available. Here is a list of course
manuscripts:
Course Textbook (required): Byers, Thomas H., Dorf, Richard, C., and Nelson, Andrew J. (2019).
Technology ventures: From idea to enterprise. New York: McGraw-Hill
Print version available at https://mcgill.on.worldcat.org/oclc/1086202005
Course Textbook (optional): Ries, E. (2011). The lean startup. USA: Currency.
E-book available at https://mcgill.on.worldcat.org/oclc/693809631
Readings posted on myCourses, specifically:
- Gans, J., Stern, E., and Stern, S. (2017). Entrepreneurial strategy.
- Gans, J.S., Stern, S., and Wu, J. (2019). Foundations of entrepreneurial strategy. Strategic
Management Journal, 40, 736 –756
o https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.proxy3.library.mcgill.ca/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/smj.3010
4. COURSE DELIVERY MODE
The course is offered in person.
5. PARTICIPATION (15%)
In general, class participation means that students walk into their class motivated, prepared, and ready to
engage in meaningful and insightful discussions or share something new with their peers. To make class
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participation evaluation more objective and inclusive, I will offer different ways and make notes of
students’ engagements.
Here are a few ways recommended to collect points for your participation:
i. Active participator stream. Preparing a one-page summary of the readings for a session and
discussing them in class. For each performance you can gain 1.5 point.
**Let the teacher know before the class so he plans the time appropriately.
ii. Skilled presenter initiative. Taking initiative to make presentations on the topics related to
class and adding new knowledge to your class community. You will be given 7 minutes to make
an interesting presentation. Each students gets one chance to do so and can gain up to 5 points.
iii. Pop-up class discussions. I give you an unannounced short in-class case. Based on the
quality of answers, I award you points. (Maximum 5 points)
iv. Peer-to-Peer question stream. This stream is designed to make sure students attentively
listen to their peers’ project presentations and ask relevant questions based on the presentation
content. (Maximum 5 points)
6. INDIVIDUAL PROJECT - STARTUP DIAGNOSTIC REPORT (30%):
Individual reports have 2 main components: a 10-page written report and a 10-minute presentation.
Both components must be uploaded onto myCourses by the deadline. No extension will be made,
unless in case of an emergency.
Written report (20%)
You will need to identify a startup for this assignment. You have two options: you can either (a)
interview a local founder in Canada who is working on an active company/idea, or (b) identify a startup
based on news reports and online resources such as Crunchbase. If you cannot find a startup in Canada,
then you can go international and find one from the region of your choice.
For your chosen startup, based on your primary (interview or survey data) and secondary data
(preexisting data), you will first identify and describe the overall entrepreneurial strategy (Strategy A),
and the core idea of the business as is. Then, you will provide a diagnostic of the four choices: Choice
of customer, technology, identity, and competition mode. This means that you can fill out the canvas
you have been given in your class. Next, you describe the cohesion among choices. You will also state
how you will test this strategy along with value creation and capture hypotheses.
In addition to analyzing the entrepreneurial strategy as is, you are required to develop an “alternative
strategy” (Strategy B) - i.e., a different set of four choices under a different overarching strategy. Next,
you describe the cohesion among the new four choices. You will also state how you will test this strategy
along with value creation and capture hypotheses.
Finally, you conduct a comparative analysis and decide as to which strategy is the most viable and
successful one. It is important to provide a sophisticated and educated reasoning.
Structure the report in a very easy-to-read and comment format. The written report cannot exceed 10
pages (around 5000 words) all inclusive (references, graphs, tables, appendixes, etc.). Remember that
less is more! Try to include quotes from your interviews to support your claims. If you do library
research working with secondary data, then provide excerpts that support your claims. Use 12 pt. font,
1.0 spacing, single-sided. Follow APA (version 7th) format for referencing. I do not require a hard copy,
but I do need a Microsoft word format so I can leave in-text comments easily.
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Presentation (10%)
Each student has 10 minutes to present his project. Make sure the presentation is well prepared, to-thepoint and be ready to answer to follow-up questions.
Figure 1. An overview of the two individual deliverables
2. Presentation value: 10%
1. Written report value: 20%
7. TEAM PROJECT (45%)
Students will be placed into teams of four. You are tasked with developing an original business idea
the core of which relies on technology. A good example is Uber or Netflix which creates value
dominantly through harnessing the power of technology. Use the creative process presented in this
course and deliver the following four components.
Deliverable # 1 - Core idea and contextual analysis (5%):
This is an informal idea exchange session where the team discusses their core business idea with their
peers to improve on it. You will have 7 minutes to tell us about the Core Idea, Problem Statement,
Opportunity, Choices, and Challenges. You can prepare a modest supporting slide deck, if you want,
to back your project. This first deliverable has a discussion format where we all learn about your
firsthand ideas and how you convince us that it is going to be a viable project. Many things can change
as the result of the discussions. You may even scrap this idea and start over another project. Certainly,
many improvements will be made until your snowball turns into a snow man.
* Choose a team leader to make sure your project coordination activities and presentation go as
scheduled.
** On presentation day, arrive early based on the schedule provided to you, login using your McGill
account, and be ready to present on time.
***Upload the slides or notes onto myCourses at least 24 hours before your presentation session.
Deliverable #2 - Pitching strategy A (10%):
At this stage, you will have 10 minutes to describe a full-blown entrepreneurial strategy A, four crisply
developed choices, and ways to test your value creation and capture hypotheses. You have the chance
to explain why these choices make sense together and fit your overall strategy as a whole unit.
Colloquially speaking, you will deliver a pitch to a group of judges (industry experts, mostly CEOs).
Each team member is required to participate in the pitch. The pitch will be followed by a Q&A session.
Deliverable #3 - Pitching strategy B (15%):
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At this stage, you will have 10 minutes to introduce and describe a full-blown alternative
entrepreneurial strategy - Strategy B. You will describe the four crisply developed choices, and ways to
test your value creation and capture hypotheses. You have the chance to explain why these choices make
sense together and fit your overall strategy as a whole unit. You further need to compare and contrast
the two strategies (A vs. B) and decide which one is your final choice and why. Each team member is
required to participate in this comparative analysis pitch. The pitch will be followed by a Q&A session.
Deliverable #4 - the final report (15%):
The final work is a written report of your project all-inclusive and professionally designed. It is the best
and final version up to the submission date.
Thus far, you have not only received some feedback on your work from your peers and instructor, but
also have had the chance to observe others’ works and Q&A sessions. This means you are in a great
position to come up with a very advanced version of your own work (both Strategy A and Strategy B).
Further, we discussed the pivotability notion of your business elements (BM Canvas) and how feasible
it is for you to pivot based on validated learning concept of lean startup. Thus, you may want to briefly
discuss that. Lastly, so far you have been discussing about ideas and strategies without incorporating
any meaningful financial analysis and financial plan. Now it is time to do cost analysis and some forecast
of your future revenues.
Use 12 pt. font, 1.0 spacing, single-sided to write up your projects. I do not require a hard copy. The
length of your report should not exceed 12 pages. You may include up to 3 additional pages of exhibits
as appendices. Do not forget to cite your references in APA style, 7th version. As final work I wish to
see a solid defensible project that has potential to be presented to a would-be investor. The choices,
financial estimations, cohesion, all need to be well thought of.
Figure 2. An overview of the four team deliverables
1. Idea (7-min.
presentation)
5%
2. Strategy A (10min. presentation)
10%
3. Stratgey B +
Comparative
analysis (10-min.
presentation)
15%
4. Comparative
analysis (Report)
15%
8. GUEST SPEAKERS
Guest speakers will be invited to discuss different issues from their perspective and based on their
experiences and areas of expertise. Our time in class and flow of material covered might have to be adjusted
to accommodate their availability. Please show them your appreciation for taking time out of their
schedules to meet with you by asking pertinent questions and engaging in discussions.
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9. PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
Table 1. Evaluation breakdown
Performance description
1 Participation - ongoing
2
Individual project - Startup diagnostic report
 Presentation (10%) - upload by Nov 08, 23:59
 Report (20%) - upload by Nov 08, 23:59
Weight
15%
30%
Team projects
 Deliverable 1 (5%) – upload by Sep 20, 23:59
 Deliverable 2 (10%) – upload by Oct 11, 23:59
3
 Deliverable 3 (15%) – upload by Oct 25, 23:59
 Report (15%) - upload by Nov 20, 23:59
45%
Quizzes
 Quiz 1 (online-myCourses) – Oct 12 - 15-minute long - in-person, in-class via
4
myCourses
 Quiz 2 (online-myCourses) – Nov 09 - 15-minute long - in-person, in-class
via myCourses
10%
7 Total
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Class/Date
Week-by-week schedule and list of readings
Deadlines
Setting the stage: Technology entrepreneurship
Session 1
Aug 31
Session 2
Aug 31
Housekeeping/Syllabus
Required reading:
- The role and promise of entrepreneurship (Chapter 1) from Byers et
al. (2019)
Do entrepreneurs need a strategy?
- Gans, Scott, & Stern (2018). Strategy for Start-Ups.
https://proxy.library.mcgill.ca/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=129192265&
scope=site
-
Competitive strategy (Chapter 4) from Byers et al. (2019)
Module I
Choices shaping technological entrepreneurship strategy
Session 3
Sep 07
Choosing your customers
Chapter 3: These choices matter
Chapter 4: Choosing your customer
Session 4
Sep 07
Choosing your technology
Chapter 5: Choosing your technology
Case study: Lytro
Session 5
Sep 14
Teams will be
formed
automatically by
myCourses
Choosing your identity
Chapter 6: Choosing your identity
Required case: Clover Labs
Tentative Speaker: Collins Oghor – CEO and Co-Founder at Collogh Cares
https://www.linkedin.com/in/collinsoghor/?originalSubdomain=ca
Session 6
Sep 14
Choosing your competition
Chapter 7: Choosing your competition.
Session 7
Sep 21
Deliverable 1 presentations - Strict timing will be followed. The presentation
cannot continue beyond the 7th minute.
Team project
deliverable #1
Session 8
Sep 21
Deliverable 1 presentations - Strict timing will be followed. The presentation
cannot continue beyond the 7th minute.
Team project
deliverable #1
Module II
The four playbooks of technology entrepreneurship strategy
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Session 9
Sep 28
Session 10
Sep 28
IP strategy
Gans et al.(2017). Chapter 9: Intellectual property strategy
 Disruption strategy
Gans et al. (2017). Chapter 10: Disruption strategy
Gans, J. (2020). To Disrupt or Not to Disrupt? HBS.
Case studies: Ministry of supply
 Value chain strategy
Gans et al.(2017). Chapter 11: Value chain strategy
Required case: Madaket Health
Session 11
Oct 05
Session 12
Oct 05

Architectural strategy
Gans et al.(2017). Chapter 12: Architectural strategy

Raising funds
Sources of capital (Chapter 18) from Byers et al. (2019)
Tentative Guest Speaker
Session 13
Oct 12
Deliverable 2 presentations - Strategy A
Teams: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5
Quiz 1 – inperson, in-class
via myCourses
Team project
deliverable #2
Session 14
Oct 12
Deliverable 2 presentations - Strategy A
Teams: 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9
Team project
deliverable #2
Module III
Alternative models
Session 15
Oct 19
The lean startup model and its critiques
The lean startup summary
Ries, E. (2011). The lean startup. USA: Currency.
Summary: http://www.kimhartman.se/wpcontent/uploads/2013/10/the-lean-startup-summary.pdf
- Felin, T, Gambardella, A, Stern, S & Zenger, T. (2019). Lean
startup revisited
- https://medium.com/@teppofelin/lean-startup-revisitedc81fb8719614
Felin, Teppo, Alfonso Gambardella, Scott Stern, and Todd Zenger.
2020. “Lean Startup and the Business Model: Experimentation
Revisited.” Long Range Planning 53(4).
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Session 16
Oct 19
Session 17
Oct 26
Session 18
Oct 26


Cohesion among choices and pivotability of a startup project
Tentative Speaker: Craig Buntin – CEO at Sportlogiq
https://www.linkedin.com/in/craigbuntin/?originalSubdomain=ca
Financing, experimentation, and learning
The financial plan (Chapter 17) from Byers et al. (2019)
Tentative Speaker: Tim Tokarsky – Chairman at Tiaga Motors
https://creativedestructionlab.com/mentors/tim-tokarsky/
Deliverable 3 presentations - Strategy B
Teams: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5
Module IV
The “so what” of technology entrepreneurship
Session 19
Nov 02
Deliverable 3 presentations - Strategy B
Teams: 6, 7, 8 and 9
Session 20
Nov 02
Team project
deliverable #3
Team project
deliverable #3
The worthwhile problem
Spradlin, D. (2012). Are you solving the right problem? Harvard
Business Review,
https://proxy.library.mcgill.ca/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/
login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&AN=79184307&scope=sit
Sarasvathy, S. D., & Venkataraman, S. (2011). Entrepreneurship as method: Open questions for an entrepreneurial future.
Entrepreneurship theory and practice, 35(1), 113-135.
https://mcgill.on.worldcat.org/oclc/5152061949
Technological solutionism and its critiques
The Folly of Technological Solutionism: An Interview with Evgeny
Morozov https://www.publicbooks.org/the-folly-of-technologicalsolutionism-an-interview-with-evgeny-morozov/
McKibben, Bill, “The Race to Solar-Power Africa”, The New
Yorker, June 26, 2017.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/06/26/the-race-to-solarpower-africa
Session 21
Nov 09
Individual project presentation based on startup diagnostic report
Upload
individual
assignments
onto myCourses
by Nov 08,
2023, 23:59
Session 22
Nov 09
Individual project presentation based on startup diagnostic report
Quiz 2 inperson, in-class
via myCourses
Session 23
Nov 16
Individual project presentation based on startup diagnostic report
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Session 24
Nov 16
Individual project presentation based on startup diagnostic report
Session 25
Nov 23
Individual project presentation based on startup diagnostic report
Session 26
Nov 23
Individual project presentation based on startup diagnostic report
1.
Class Policies
You are responsible for being familiar with, and abiding by, the applicable policies, such as the ones listed
at the beginning of these Guidelines, in the context of remote learning, and otherwise, while you are a
McGill student. The more specific information below complements the information provided in existing
policies and is not intended as a summary of all policy information pertaining to McGill students involved
in remote learning.
2.
Code of professional conduct in the classroom - Desautels Faculty of Management McGill
University
In preparing our students for careers in business, government, and non-profit organizations, it is essential
that we strive for the highest levels of professionalism. Central to that objective is the development of a
respectful and professional atmosphere in and around the classroom. It is expected that both students and
professors will treat each other as well as visitors to our classroom with respect and consideration. In order
to foster such an environment, the following is expected of all parties:
3.
Student responsibilities
- Electronics:
- Cell phones should be turned completely “Off” (Using the “Silent” mode is not sufficient). At no
time should someone during the course of the class engage in making/receiving phone calls,
sending/receiving SMS’s/emails, using cameras, or surfing the internet with such devices.
- The use of media is at the discretion of the professor, and will be made clear by him as necessary.
Checking email, surfing the web for non-class related topics, chatting on the net, or working on
other projects are not acceptable forms of behavior.
- All other forms of electronics (i-pods, MP3 players, PDAs, etc.), should also be maintained in the
“Off” position
In the event of extraordinary circumstances beyond the University’s control, the content and/or
evaluation scheme in this course is subject to change.
Email is one of the official means of communication between McGill University and its students. As
such, all emails to students will be sent to their McGill account only.
©Copyright: Professor generated course materials (e.g., handouts, notes, summaries, exam questions,
lectures etc.) are protected by law and may not be filmed in Zoom rooms, copied or distributed in any
form or in any medium without explicit written permission of the professor. Note that infringements of
copyright can be subject to follow up by the University under the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary
Procedures and possible other legal action.
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4.
Desautels equity, diversity and inclusion statement
“As the instructor of this course, I endeavor to provide an inclusive learning environment. I work to include
topics related to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the class, to use gender neutral language where
possible, and to include diverse representation in cases and class perspectives. If you experience barriers
to learning in this course, do not hesitate to discuss them with me and the Office for Students with
Disabilities, 514-398-6009. If you experience or are aware of other EDI-related issues (e.g., microaggressions, inappropriate language, harassment) in or out of class, please see the Desautels EDI webpage
for information on your options for reporting.”
5.
Language of submission
In accord with McGill University’s Charter of Students’ Rights, students in this course have the right to
submit in English or in French any written work that is to be graded. This does not apply to courses in
which acquiring proficiency in a language is one of the objectives.
Conformément à la Charte des droits de l’étudiant de l’Université McGill, chaque étudiant a le droit de
soumettre en français ou en anglais tout travail écrit devant être noté (sauf dans le cas des cours dont l’un
des objets est la maîtrise d’une langue).
6.
Academic integrity
a. McGill University values academic integrity. Therefore, all students must understand the
meaning and consequences of cheating, plagiarism and other academic offences under the
Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures (see McGill’s guide to academic
honesty for more information). L'université McGill attache une haute importance à l’honnêteté
académique. Il incombe par conséquent à tous les étudiants de comprendre ce que l'on entend
par tricherie, plagiat et autres infractions académiques, ainsi que les conséquences que peuvent
avoir de telles actions, selon le Code de conduite de l'étudiant et des procédures disciplinaires
(pour de plus amples renseignements, veuillez consulter le guide pour l’honnêteté académique
de McGill).
b. Per McGill’s Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures, “[t]he integrity of
University academic life and of the degrees the University confers is dependent upon the
honesty, integrity and soundness of the teacher-student learning relationship and, as well, that
of the assessment process.” Note that student obligation measures under the heading “C.
Academic Offences” in the Code of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures (i.e.,
avoiding plagiarism or cheating) and associated disciplinary measures apply as much during
remotely-delivered exams and evaluations as exams and other evaluations conducted in person
on McGill premises.
c. Instructors use multiple modes of communication to share their pedagogical materials with
students. The slides, video recordings, lecture notes, etc. remain the instructors’ intellectual
property. You may therefore use these only for your own learning (and research, with proper
referencing/citation) ends. You are not permitted to disseminate or share these materials; doing
so may violate the instructor’s intellectual property rights and could be cause for disciplinary
action.


Note that to support academic integrity, your assignments may be submitted to text-matching
or other appropriate software.
Please note that individual assignments must be “individual assignments”.
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
7.
“End-of-course evaluations are one of the ways that McGill works towards maintaining and
improving the quality of courses and the student’s learning experience. You will be notified when
the evaluations are available. Please note that a minimum number of responses must be received
for results to be meaningful. Please remember to fill out evaluations near the end of term.
Health and wellness resources at McGill
Student well-being is a priority for the University. All of our health and wellness resources have been
integrated into a single Student Wellness Hub, your one-stop shop for everything related to your
physical and mental health. If you need to access services or get more information, visit the Virtual Hub
at mcgill.ca/wellness-hub or within our faculty, you can also connect with our Local Wellness Advisor
samara.yesovitch@mcgill.ca
APPENDIX: EVALUATION RUBRICS
Oral presentation rubric
Criteria
Poor
Fair
Good
Excellent
The
The presentation
RESPONSE TO
presentation responds to responds to the
ASSIGNMENT:
The presentation does the assignment
assignment and
Oral presentations are
The presentation responds to the
not respond to many of and addresses the topic, addresses the topic,
expected to completely
assignment and addresses the
the requirements of the but has significant
but has minor
address the topic
topic and all requirements, at an
assignment, and/or is
weaknesses with respect weaknesses with
and requirements set forth
appropriate technical level for
poorly tailored for the to some of the
respect to some of the
in the assignment and are
the intended audience.
intended audience
requirements and/or
requirements and/or
appropriate for
appropriate technical
appropriate
the intended audience.
level
technical level
Presented material is
analyzed and
ANALYSIS AND
The depth of analysis
Presented material is
DISCUSSION:
evaluated and
Presented material is completely
and evaluation of the
analyzed and evaluated
Oral presentations are
appropriate reasons, analyzed and evaluated,
presented material is not at a reasonable level but
expected to provide an
discussion of
providing support for main points
sufficient, and discussion is not used effectively to
appropriate level
alternatives,
with reasons, discussion of
contains unnecessary or support many of the
of analysis, discussion and
explanations, and
alternatives, explanations, and
trivial material
main points
evaluation as required by
examples are given examples as appropriate
the assignment.
for most of the main
points
ORGANIZATION:
The presentation has a
Oral presentations are
The presentation is
The presentation is
defined structure, but The presentation is
expected to be wellpoorly structured;
well structured; its organization
the organization is not generally wellorganized in overall
organizational flaws
contributes to its purpose. The
optimal for supporting structured, with only a
structure, beginning with a undermine its
problem is clearly stated, and
the presentation’s
few flaws in overall
clear statement of
effectiveness and clarity
technical content is well ordered
content
organization
the problem and ending
for clarity
with a clear conclusion.
The visual aids are
STYLE/FORM AND
The visual aids are
FORMAT:
informative and
The visual aids (e.g. PowerPoint
Visual aids are not
generally supportive of
Presentations are expected
generally supportive slides) are informative, well
designed to effectively to the presentation, but
to be stylistically effective
of the presentation, designed, easy to read, and
convey
some of them are
– that is, to consist of
but could be
complement the speaker’s
the information intended difficult to read, too
visual aids with wellimproved to more
content. The number of slides is
by the speaker
busy, and/or not
chosen words and graphics
effectively
consistent with the time limit of
necessary for the intent
which complement the
complement the
the presentation
of the talk
speaker, and consistent
speaker’s content
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2023.
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with the time limit of the
presentation.
SPEAKING SKILLS:
Presenters are expected to Speaker is not prepared
use an effective speaking and has to read from
style which
visual aids or cue cards,
exhibits enthusiasm,
does not use voice or
generates interest in
body language
the audience, and
effectively to engage
communicates the intended audience in topic
information
Speaker is prepared
and familiar with the
Speaker is reasonably
content of the visual
prepared but tends to
aids, but may
look at visual aids for
occasionally stray
prompting, and is not
from topic and/or
able to communicate all
have other
of the intended content
deficiencies in
speaking style
Speaker is well prepared,
establishes effective eye contact
with the audience, speaks clearly
and audibly, stays on topic and
finishes the presentation on time
RESPONDING
TO QUESTIONS
Questions from the
audience are answered
ineffectively or are not
answered.
Answers to questions
from the audience are
basic and are often
unclear or ineffective.
Questions from the
Questions from the audience are
audience are
clearly answered with specific
answered with basic
& appropriate information.
responses.
PROFESSIONALISM:
Presenters are expected to
dress appropriately for the
audience and act in a
manner expected in a
professional setting
Speaker is not dressed
appropriately for the
audience, does not
present themselves in a
serious and professional
manner
Speaker is
Speaker is reasonably
Speaker is appropriately dressed,
appropriately dressed,
dressed, but some lapses
avoids distracting body language
generally acts
in decorum detract from
during presentation, comports
professionally, but
the presentation’s
themselves professionally
exhibits some minor
impact
throughout the presentation
lapses in decorum
CONCLUSIONS:
Presentations are expected
to draw appropriate
conclusions
and recommendations
based on its content.
The presentation seems
to end abruptly without
any summation for the
audience
The presentation has a
brief conclusion but is
not substantial in
content
The presentation has a
Key points are clearly re-stated at
conclusion, but some
the end of the talk so that the
of the key points are
audience clearly understands the
not highlighted
purpose of the technical work
effectively
COMMENTS:
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2023.
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Furthermore, I also look at these criteria:
Creativity and originality
 Is your topic, examples, and approach interesting and original?
o Nonexistent > Low > Medium > High
 Have you managed to incorporate some elements to show creativity?
o Nonexistent > Low > Medium > High
Presentation skills
 Time management? Yes or No
 Speed of delivery?
o Low > Medium > High
 Have you ensured a seamless flow passing the baton between different speakers or moving
from topic to topic?
o Nonexistent > Low > Medium > High
 Is it a balanced presentation? Has everyone spoken equally, or it is a team performance but
a one-man show? Do presenters take turns?
o Nonexistent > Low > Medium > High
 How advanced your presentation skills are? Eye contact, connection with audience,
presenting without reading from notes, body language, tone and intonation, clarity, building
rapport, etc.
o Nonexistent > Low > Medium > High
Knowledge and analytical capabilities
 How well you have responded to the assignment’s requirements?
o Nonexistent > Low > Medium > High
 How comprehensive is your level of analysis?
o Nonexistent > Low > Medium > High
 How well the followup questions are responded to?
o Nonexistent > Low > Medium > High
 Are there any clear and insightful takeaways?
o Nonexistent > Low > Medium > High
Professionalism
 Have you demonstrated professionalism through dress code, body language, approach to
audience?
o Nonexistent > Low > Medium > High
Score: ………
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Final report assessment rubric
Criteria
Poor
Fair
Good
Excellent
Missing one or more of
the required elements as
stated in the directions/
instructions
Includes all of the
Goes over and above all
Several required
required elements as the required elements
elements are missing
REQUIRED ELEMENTS
stated in the
stated in the directions &
from the project
directions/instructions instructions
Written material is
The depth of analysis
Written material is
Written material is
analyzed and evaluated
and evaluation of the
completely analyzed and
analyzed and evaluated and appropriate
presented material is
evaluated, providing
at a reasonable level but reasons, discussion of
not sufficient, and
support for main points
is not used effectively to alternatives,
ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
discussion contains
with reasons, discussion of
support many of the
explanations, and
unnecessary or trivial
alternatives, explanations,
main points
examples are given for
material
and examples as
most of the main
appropriate
points
CREATIVITY AND
ORIGINALITY
A few original touches
Shows little creativity,
enhance the project to
originality and/or
show some
effort in understanding
understanding of the
the material
material
Thoughtfully and
uniquely presented;
Exceptionally clever and
clever at times in
unique in showing deep
showing understanding understanding
of the material
ORGANIZATION
The report is poorly
structured;
organizational flaws
undermine its
effectiveness and
clarity
The report is
well structured; its
The report is generally
organization contributes to
well-structured, with
its purpose. The issue at
only a few flaws in
hand is clearly stated, and
overall organization
technical content is well
ordered for clarity
STYLE/FORM AND FORMAT
CLARITY
GRAMMAR
The report has a defined
structure, but the
organization is not
optimal for supporting
the presentation’s
content
The report does not
follow the stated
format at all.
The report generally
follows the stated
format but there are
many flaws.
May have some
Many imprecise
imprecise or inapprop.
terms,inapprop. tone,
vocab. & tone,
confusing sentence
confusing sentence
structure. Quotations
structure, a few poorly
contradict, confuse
chosen quotations, or
your own point, with
lacking framing,
little or no framing.
explanation.
The report generally
follows the stated
format but there are
still a few errors.
Many grammatical or
Several grammatical/
mechanical mistakes
mechanic al mistakes
throughout the project.
which are distracting
Clearly not proofread.
A few grammatical/
mechanical mistakes
which are not
distracting
The report follows the
stated format completely.
Mostly precise &
Precise, appropriate
approp. vocab, mostly vocabulary & tone; lucid,
clear & engaging
engaging prose. Well
prose. Mostly effective chosen quotations,
choice of quotations, effectively framed by your
mostly effective
words, explained as
framing & explained. needed.
No grammatical or
mechanical mistakes in the
project
COMMENTS:
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