Panel presentation

Panel presentations offer students the opportunity to engage in meaningful discussions on content from their course, make real connections to the learning outcomes, and provide opportunities to experience authentic real-life panel discussions. They are particularly useful for units where content is subjective, as the content can be critically discussed and alternative perspectives presented (Willis, 2022). Panel presentations usually involve 3-6 students. Each panellist is given approximately 2 minutes to present their assigned point of view on a particular topic and then discussion takes place within a predetermined time frame in front of their peers (audience).

Panel presentations are a great way to gauge students' understanding of a topic and encourage collegial open discussion. This activity differs slightly from the Large group discussions activity in that it’s a more formalised structure of discussion.

Panel presentation is

effective for:

best to pair with:

  • Categorising and ordering knowledge
  • Collaboration and cooperation
  • Critical thinking
  • Authentic experience
  • Peer learning
  • Case study
  • Brainstorming
  • Large discussion groups
  • Socratic Questioning

How it works

  • Select groups of 3-6 students as panellists and assign them a specific topic to discuss (relevant to the learning outcomes of your unit).
  • Provide the students with the relevant readings/ learning materials on their assigned topic well before the panel presentation activity or at the beginning of the class depending on the complexity of the topic and how much preparation time you want them to have.
  • Discuss the structure of panel presentation and assign each panellist their role
  • Let students know what is expected of them. This includes the objective of the panel discussion, how to conduct themselves in a professional and ethical manner (such as being invitational, respectful and receptive to others), and detailed rubrics if the panel discussion is being assessed.
  • Ask the other students (the audience) to prepare any questions they may have.
  • Give each panellist approximately 2 minutes each to present their viewpoint on the topic at hand.
  • After each panellist has presented their viewpoint, you can open up the discussion to the audience and rest of the panel. It’s important you facilitate moderation of this discussion, or assign a student to moderate. This includes facilitating what questions are selected from the audience and which panellist will answer the question.
  • Close the discussion at a predetermined time.
  • Get students to reflect on the discussions undertaken and share their thoughts with this class. This can be done synchronously, such as as group discussion at the end of the panel presentation, or asynchronously, such as on a Moodle discussion forum.

Before the session

  • Select groups of 3-6 students as panellists and assign them a specific topic to discuss (relevant to the learning outcomes of your unit).
  • Provide the students with the relevant readings/ learning materials on their assigned topic well before the panel presentation activity or at the beginning of the class depending on the complexity of the topic and how much preparation time you want them to have.
  • Discuss the structure of panel presentation and assign each panellist their role
  • Let students know what is expected of them. This includes the objective of the panel discussion, how to conduct themselves in a professional and ethical manner (such as being invitational, respectful and receptive to others), and detailed rubrics if the panel discussion is being assessed.
  • Ask the other students (the audience) to prepare any questions they may have.

During the session

  • Give each panellist approximately 2 minutes each to present their viewpoint on the topic at hand.
  • After each panellist has presented their viewpoint, you can open up the discussion to the audience and rest of the panel. It’s important you facilitate moderation of this discussion, or assign a student to moderate. This includes facilitating what questions are selected from the audience and which panellist will answer the question.
  • Close the discussion at a predetermined time.

After the session

  • Get students to reflect on the discussions undertaken and share their thoughts with this class. This can be done synchronously, such as as group discussion at the end of the panel presentation, or asynchronously, such as on a Moodle discussion forum.

Example

Students are assigned a reading to review a week prior to a scheduled panel presentation activity. Different groups of students are assigned different readings. Before the activity, students are given direction on how to engage in the panel presentation appropriately, for example being invitational, respectful, and receptive. During the panel presentation activity, groups of 3-4 students form a panel and in front of their peers are asked to respond to their assigned reading by discussing key themes of the reading, critiquing the sources, and offer points for discussion. Each panellist is allowed approximately 2 minutes to introduce their initial perspectives on the reading before opening up for discussion amongst the other panellists. The peer-based audience listens to the conversation and asks questions at the end of the discussion. Each group gets a chance to be the panel and audience.