2022 Qualifying Round Information
For the second year, our Qualifying Round will be done via video submission. There are a lot of new elements this year, including the opportunity for competitors to receive feedback from judges, build community with one another, and debrief with Graduate Division staff. Additionally, all students who successfully submit a video for the Qualifying Round will receive a $50 gift card!
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Important Guidelines
The following guidelines must be adhered to when creating and submitting a video for the Qualifying Round:
Additionally, the Graduate Division has put together a video recording tip sheet and slide deck template that contain helpful but optional suggestions for creating a quality submission. Ultimately, we encourage you to create a presentation that you are comfortable with and proud of.
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Rules, Judging, & Scoring
PRESENTERS
Eligibility: All graduate students currently enrolled in UCSB Master’s or doctoral graduate programs are eligible to compete.
Collaboration: In cases of collaborative research, the presenter’s individual contribution to the project must be salient and clearly specified.
PUBLICITY PERMISSIONS
By entering the competition, presenters agree to allow the UCSB Graduate Division to use their video submissions for publicity surrounding the contest and/or in other contexts, such as promotional materials, website, etc. If you have questions or concerns about making your presentation publicly available, please contact Shawn Warner.
VISUALS
Presentation slides are allowed but not required. Presenters are encouraged to remember that Grad Slam is a public speaking competition, not a slideshow competition, so the focus should remain on the content of their talk rather than on their slides. If presenters choose to prepare slides to accompany their talk, they must adhere to the following rules:
- Presenters are allowed a maximum of 3 slides (note that each "click," such as to make an element appear on screen or to make a video/audio clip to be played, counts as a slide)
- NEW THIS YEAR: Presenters must include a title slide as part of their presentation, even if they decide not to include any other slides (NOTE: the title slide does not count toward the 3 slide maximum, and the 3-minute "timer" begins when the presenter begins talking)
- The title slide must include the student's name, department, and title of the talk
- Use of animation and transition effects (e.g. any of the features on the PowerPoint Animation or Transition tabs) is not allowed
- All slides must be original to the student and cannot be generated by a professional; inclusion of photos, visuals, charts, and graphics created by others is allowed but must be properly cited or attributed
- Embedding of audio and/or video clips is allowed, but no other animations or transitions; the content of the audio or video clip must be deemed indispensable to the communication of the research topic
If the presentation visuals do not adhere to these standards, presenters will have points deducted from their final score as follows (not to exceed a total of 15 points deducted for all slide penalties):
.png?sfvrsn=9f116c64_0&MaxWidth=400&MaxHeight=&ScaleUp=false&Quality=High&Method=ResizeFitToAreaArguments&Signature=412FDA2EBFE7CC64A6D89FB1CCBE35237E7A8E33 "Veronica Laos, 2018 Grad Slam finalist (1)")
Number of Slides
- 4 total slides/clicks - 3 points deducted
- 5 total slides/clicks - 6 points deducted
- 6+ total slides/clicks - 9 points deducted
Use of Disallowed Animations/Transitions
- 1 instance - 1 point deducted
- 2 instances - 2 points deducted
- 3 instances - 3 points deducted
- 4 instances - 4 points deducted
- 5 instances - 5 points deducted
- 6+ instances - 6 points deducted
Presenters are encouraged to use the Graduate Division's Grad Slam Presentation Template (in PowerPoint or Google Slides), which comes with a sample title slide and suggestions for slide design layouts.
TIMING
Presentations should be no more than 3 minutes total in length. The talk timer begins when the student starts talking. If the presentation is longer than 3 minutes, points will be deducted from the final score as follows (not to exceed a total of 15 points deducted for timing penalties):
- 3:03-3:04 - 1 point deducted
- 3:05-3:06 - 2 points deducted
- 3:07-3:08 - 3 points deducted
- 3:09-3:10 - 4 points deducted
- 3:11-3:12 - 5 points deducted
- etc.
JUDGING & SCORING
Judging for the Qualifying Round will take place asynchronously. Each judging panel consists of one STEM faculty member, one SHEF faculty member, one staff member, and one community member. All submissions will be judged according to the UCSB Grad Slam Scorecard. Judges are selected to ensure disciplinary and professional diversity, and every effort will be made to minimize conflicts of interest. To view the instruction sheet for Qualifying Round judges, click here.
NEW THIS YEAR: All participants will receive a summary of their Qualifying Round scores, as well as anonymous feedback from the judges. This will be emailed to them no later than February 14.
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Special Training Opportunities
Bri McWhorter, founder of the communications consulting company Activate to Captivate, is back again this year to help you craft your Grad Slam talk!
Join us for one or both of her workshops in January to learn more about organizing your ideas, projecting confidence in your presentation, and practicing your pitch with your peers.
NEW THIS YEAR: On Tuesday, February 15, from 1-2pm, Qualifying Round participants are invited to join Graduate Division staff for a virtual debrief session where they can discuss their scores/feedback and where the 10 Finalists will be officially announced. Details for the event will be sent directly to students after they submit their videos.
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Additional Information
NEW THIS YEAR: Qualifying Round videos will be made publicly available between February 4-15 so that participants can watch each others’ submissions and the broader campus community can appreciate the amazing research of our students. The link to the video showcase will be updated on this page and also sent directly to students on February 4.
PRESENTATION RESOURCES
PRESENTATION INSPIRATION
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Questions? Contact Shawn Warner, Director of Professional Development