Academics

Photo Story: Teaching presentation skills to engineering students in China

Kate Waskiw, Mikhala Stevens, and Kirby Perosa give a sample team presentation to more than 200 mechanical engineering undergraduates at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. This sample presentation served as a model for the SJTU students, who delivered team presentations as the culminating assignment in the course. Credit: Dengjia YUAll Rights Reserved.

Three Penn Staters — one engineering undergraduate and two recent engineering graduates — traveled to China in May to teach undergraduate and graduate students at China University of Mining and Technology in Beijing and Shanghai Jiao Tong University how to improve their research presentation and communication skills.

Kirby Perosa, a rising senior in mechanical engineering, and Kate Waskiw and Mikhala Stevens, who received their bachelor’s degrees in industrial engineering on May 5, were advised by Michael Alley, associate professor of engineering communications. This was Alley’s fourth trip to China to help Penn State engineering students teach the assertion-evidence approach to scientific presentations.  

Michael Alley, kneeling, coaches Kate Waskiw, Kirby Perosa, and Mikhala Stevens as they prepare to teach their course at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Often, the Penn State teaching team adjusted their classes to respond to how well the students were understanding the strategies and to questions that the SJTU students asked. Credit: Dengjia YUAll Rights Reserved.

Kirby Perosa, left, provides one-on-one assistance to a Shanghai Jiao Tong University student as she works on her presentation.  Credit: Dengjia YUAll Rights Reserved.

Kate Waskiw, left, confers with Shanghai Jiao Tong University mechanical engineering graduate students, who are working on an assignment for class. Credit: Xiaoliang WANAll Rights Reserved.

Mikhala Stevens helps three graduate students from the School of Mechanical Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. The women were putting the final touches on their group presentation.  Credit: Xiaoliang WANAll Rights Reserved.

Shanghai Jiao Tong University students pose for a group photo with their Penn State College of Engineering course instructors, to celebrate the end of the program.  Credit: Xiaoliang WANAll Rights Reserved.

Mikhala Stevens, Kate Waskiw, and Kirby Perosa end their trip to China by enjoying a tour of Shanghai. Credit: Mikhala StevensAll Rights Reserved.

 

Last Updated June 15, 2017