Academic Paper Presentation Skills (3)-Mastering Thesis Defense: Data Analysis Presentation

Have you ever felt overwhelmed trying to condense years of research into a brief presentation? You're not alone. As I discovered while maintaining my website, many researchers face this challenge – my previous articles on thesis presentation techniques have become the most viewed content, especially during defense season.

The Challenge: Presenting Years of Research in Minutes

Let's face it: transforming months or years of research into a compelling presentation is daunting. Whether you're working with survey results, model analysis, or qualitative data, the challenge remains the same. Here's what makes it particularly tricky:

- Committee members often haven't read your entire thesis (yes, that's the reality!)

- Your presentation might be their primary basis for judging your research quality

- You need to balance detail with clarity to maintain audience engagement

I learned this firsthand while presenting my doctoral research, which explored how corporate learners develop new knowledge frameworks. The challenge? Condensing a 459-page thesis into a clear, convincing presentation.

Academic Paper Presentation Skills (1) - Presentation Goals

A while ago, I dedicated a substantial amount of time to complete my doctoral dissertation, and I successfully defended it in my oral examination! (Cue the confetti!). The presentation of a dissertation is, of course, a crucial aspect of the process. My dissertation was a whopping 460 pages long, employing a qualitative research approach. Throughout the journey, aside from the extensive literature review, there were numerous verbatim transcripts to showcase (a total of 160,000 words of original interview data). Moreover, given that I employed grounded theory analysis, there were phases involving open coding, axial coding, selective coding, and the ultimate process of theory model development. Not to mention the rigorous academic standards set by my advisor, Vice President Fang Guoding, which required a meticulous explanation of every step, including data triangulation, schema transformation, the connection between instructional methods and schema, and finally, the derivation process of the Triangle Learning Theory. Just by reading this, you can probably imagine the considerable challenges that came with presenting this academic dissertation!

However, what made me immensely happy was that, at the conclusion of the oral presentation, one of the examining professors said:

"This dissertation presentation was quite interesting. I initially thought it would be very dry and boring, but you explained it very well."

What is My Doctoral Research About? Introduction to the Triangle Learning Theory – TLT"

After 12 years of hard work, from enrolling in 1998 to now in 2022, from before my child was born to now they're in fourth grade and second grade. After all this time, I have finally passed my doctoral dissertation defense! 🎉

Full text of the doctoral dissertation available for download: "Exploring the Secrets of Corporate Trainers' Teaching through Variations in Learners' Cognitive Schemata." (Chinese Vesion）

"What exactly is this dissertation about?" I believe this may be a question on many people's minds.

This dissertation combines my practical experience in corporate teaching with learning theories. Through interviews with 12 respondents from four publicly listed companies, distilled from 160,000 words of interview transcripts, I identified 15 cognitive schemata (plainly put: key learning points in class) and 24 teaching schemata (plainly put: 24 common teaching techniques used by corporate trainers). Finally, I proposed the "Triangle Learning Theory" (TLT) for teaching techniques. During the defense, the committee highly praised the academic and practical aspects of this research. It truly took years of dedication and daily early morning work check-ins to complete this study...

However, I also understand that most people probably don't have the time (or patience) to read through the entire 400-plus-page dissertation (including interview transcripts). Academic research... especially doctoral dissertations, are meant to be detailed to demonstrate rigor in the process. But if we switch perspectives to a practical angle, the question becomes, "What are the results of this research? How can it benefit educators in general?"

Let's skip over all the research investigations and analysis process for now, and go straight to the conclusion: By applying the "Triangle Learning Theory (TLT)," you can check if any aspect is missing in your teaching process. Just by completing this golden triangle, you can make your teaching more effective! Students' learning outcomes will improve! There's a greater chance they'll remember what they've learned for a longer period!

"Is it really that effective? Can it be this useful?"

The key elements of gamification in corporate training – The Delphi method

Pre-reading Note:

This paper has received the 2022 Best Paper Award from the journal and is the most downloaded paper of the year.

The original research titled 'The Key Elements of Gamification in Corporate Training – The Delphi Method' is published in the SCI journal Entertainment Computing under the Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license for open access. In order to facilitate researchers and educators in Taiwan who are interested in instructional gamification for reading, citation, further research, and practical application, the original Chinese version of the paper is made publicly available.

As the blog format may not be as rigorous as a journal, the following content is provided for ease of reading. The official format and content are based on the English version published in the journal. At the end of the article, gamification references are also listed in APA format. Readers are welcome to refer to them for further in-depth research.

Additionally, the author has written an introductory article, 'From Practice to Academia, and Back from Academia to Practice: A Glimpse of Key Research in Educational Training Gamification,' explaining the reason for conducting this research, expressing gratitude, and providing a list of relevant practical experiences and articles on instructional gamification. Readers are also welcome to read it.

Journal Article DOI link: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.entcom.2021.100463

Academic citation reference (APA format): Wang, Y. F., Hsu, Y. F., & Fang, K. (2021). The Key Elements of Gamification in Corporate Training – The Delphi Method. Entertainment Computing, 40, 100463. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.entcom.2021.100463"

Abstract

Gamification of training, the application of gamification to modify training content and methodology, has become a hot topic in corporate training and school education in recent years. However, the relevant key elements have not been identified. Therefore, we aimed to engender and prioritize a list of key elements of effective gamification in the course of corporate training.

Using the Delphi method, this study surveyed 14 corporate training gamification experts to evaluate the key elements of gamification – 12 were identified and categorized into six design principles: integration with training goals, rapid feedback, team competition, clear rules, goal-oriented challenges, and freedom to fail. Points and leaderboards were also named as the keys to effective game mechanics.

The integration of educational objectives with gamification design, and the balancing between game mechanics and design principles were the conception for gamification in corporate training. This study also provided qualitative data, presenting the rich and differentiated views of corporate training experts regarding the key elements of gamification, to provide some practical tips for teachers in the development of training gamification.

Keywords

Adult learningDelphi methodEmployee trainingTraining gamification

1. Introduction

1.1. The concept of gamification

Gamification, defined as “the use of game design elements in non-game contexts” [1], gradually became a hot topic after 2010 [2], [3], [4]. The idea is to turn tasks into game-playing to boost intrinsic motivation [5], entice more participants and to increase their level of engagement in the task [2]. Gamification has since been widely used in different fields such as business operations, marketing, and education [6], [7], [8].