Milestone 4: Presentation
June 10, 2026
Due: Wednesday, June 10 at 11:59 PM Submit: Video file (.mp4 or similar) uploaded to Canvas Points: 15
Overview
The presentation is a short recorded video where you walk through your project findings. The goal is to practice communicating data findings to a general audience — a skill that’s valuable whether you go into research, industry, or any field that uses data.
All videos will be shared with the class so everyone can see what their classmates discovered.
This is not a formal academic talk. Think of it as showing a friend something cool you found in your data.
Format
- 5 minutes maximum — videos over 5 minutes will lose points; practice beforehand
- Screen recording with voiceover — walk through your figures while narrating (you don’t need to be on camera, but you can be if you’d like)
- No fancy editing required — a simple screen recording is fine
How to record
Any of these tools work:
- Zoom — start a meeting by yourself, share screen, hit record
- QuickTime (Mac) — File → New Screen Recording
- PowerPoint — Record Slide Show (if you make slides)
- OBS — free, works on all platforms
- Loom — free tier available, easy screen + voice recording
What to cover
1. The setup (about 1 minute)
- What is your dataset?
- What question(s) were you trying to answer?
- Keep this brief — the figures are the star of the show
2. Your key findings (about 3 minutes)
- Walk the audience through 2-3 of your best visualizations
- For each figure, explain:
- What it shows (read the plot for the audience)
- What the takeaway is (the “so what?”)
- Use the storytelling principles from Session 15: lead with the finding, not the method
3. One reflection (about 1 minute)
Share one of the following:
- Something surprising you discovered
- A challenge you overcame
- Something you’d do differently next time
- What you’re most proud of
Tips for a great video
- Practice out loud before you record — 5 minutes goes fast
- Don’t read from a script — know your figures well enough to talk about them naturally
- Make your figures fill the screen — viewers need to read axis labels and titles
- Tell a story — start with the question, show the answer, explain why it matters
- It’s okay to show something that didn’t work — failed analyses and dead ends are part of data science
- One take is fine — don’t over-produce it; authenticity beats polish
How this will be graded
| Component | Points |
|---|---|
| Clear introduction of dataset and questions | 3 |
| Figures are well-chosen and clearly explained | 5 |
| Narrative is engaging and easy to follow | 3 |
| Reflection shows genuine thought | 2 |
| Within 5-minute time limit | 2 |
| Total | 15 |
Everyone in this class started the quarter at the same place. Your classmates will be impressed by what you’ve built — and you should be too. And the nice thing about video: you can re-record if you want to!