The COD Great Read Series Student Showcase will take place the evening of Monday, Nov. 17 in the COD Library.
Students will have the opportunity to present displays and give lightning talks inspired by this year's selection, "Foul Lady Fortune" by Chloe Gong and our thematic focus.
View our Event Program.
All student work during the Fall 2025 semester is eligible. You'll need to list the name of a faculty sponsor and select your category for consideration. All submissions are automatically considered for our scholarship awards. Each category will have a first place winner, with an award of $200, and a runner-up winner, with an award of $100.
Submissions can either be inspired by "Foul Lady Fortune" by Chloe Gong or this year's
thematic focus, Be True to Yourself: Ethics and Identity. Related themes include:
- Examining labels and identity
- Considering the impact of ideologies on our identities and actions
- Addressing responsibility and ethics in research
We welcome work presented in the following formats
Displays: these can include traditional tri-board displays or other creative projects (such as a website, art project, or other form) inspired by our book selection or thematic focus
| Category | Beginning (1-2) | Intermediate (3-4) | Advanced (5-6) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connection to selected book topics and/or thematic focus | The speaker makes some direct connections to the selected book topics and/or thematic focus. However, the extent of these connections is uncertain. | The speaker includes direct connections to the book topics and/or thematic focus. However, more discussion is necessary for clarity. | The speaker clearly articulates the information needed to understand the direct connections to the book topics and/or thematic focus. |
| Thesis | The thesis statement is somewhat relevant, a little confusing, or unclear. | The thesis statement is relevant to the topic. | The thesis is clear, well-developed, relevant to the topic, and addresses the wider personal or societal value of the project. |
| Evidence | The presenter provides minimal details from the sources to attempt to begin supporting the thesis. There are some clear attempts to place the evidence in context. | The presenter provides an adequate explanation of the information the resources offer. All discussion of evidence adequately supports the thesis statement, synthesizes the sources, and makes an effort to provide concrete details. | The presenter provides well chosen, insightful, and concrete details from the sources. They use the sources strategically to support their thesis. The discussion of evidence synthesizes the sources and clearly maps out the analysis of the topic. |
| Display Design | The student made some effort designing the display (including a visual element, such as images and/or charts/graphs for data). However, the display only provides a surface contribution to the audience’s understanding of the student’s ideas. | The student’s display relates to the chosen topic and assists in elevating comprehension of the student’s ideas. The display includes a visual element, such as images and/or charts/graphs for data. | All information on the student’s display is readable and identifiable. The student made effective use of the design of their display to creatively share their ideas. The display includes a visual element, such as images and/or charts/graphs for data. |
| Oral presentation (elevator pitch) | The presenter’s delivery is confusing, or information is misdirected. The presenter uses their notes and maintains some eye contact with their audience. | Information is clearly explained to the listener. Minimal effort is required to understand the presenter’s clear scaffolding of the information. The presenter uses their notes productively and maintains consistent eye contact with their audience. | Information was presented in a simple, clear manner. The presenter has a clear structure to scaffold the information. The speaker uses their notes as a guide and maintains eye contact to engage and connect with their audience. |
Lightning Talks: these will consist of a brief 5-10 minute presentation on your chosen topic inspired by our book selection or thematic focus
| Category | Beginning (1-2) | Intermediate (3-4) | Advanced (5-6) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connection to selected book topics and/or thematic focus | The speaker makes some direct connections to the selected book topics and/or thematic focus. However, the extent of these connections is uncertain. | The speaker includes direct connections to the book topics and/or thematic focus. However, more discussion is necessary for clarity. | The speaker clearly articulates the information needed to understand the direct connections to the book topics and/or thematic focus. |
| Thesis | The thesis statement is somewhat relevant, a little confusing, or unclear. | The thesis statement is relevant to the topic. | The thesis is clear, well- developed, relevant to the topic, and addresses the wider personal or societal value of the project. |
| Evidence | The presenter provides minimal details from the sources to attempt to begin supporting the thesis. There are some clear attempts to place the evidence in context. | The presenter provides an adequate explanation of the information the resources offer. All discussion of evidence adequately supports the thesis statement, synthesizes the sources, and makes an effort to provide concrete details. | The presenter provides well chosen, insightful, and concrete details from the sources. They use the sources strategically to support their thesis. The discussion of evidence synthesizes the sources and clearly maps out the analysis of the topic. |
| Use of visual aid | There is some use of visual aid in the presentation (including some elements of images and/or charts/graphs for data). | However, the visual aid only provides a surface contribution to the audience’s understanding of the presenter’s ideas. All visual aids are related to the topic and support the presentation (including some elements of images and/or charts/graphs for data). Visual aids are not distracting. There is clear evidence that the speaker considered how the visual aid can contribute to the audience’s ease of understanding. | All visual aids are related to the presentation (including some elements of images and/or charts/graphs for data) and assist in elevating comprehension of the presenter’s ideas. |
| Presentation Delivery | The presenter’s delivery is confusing, or information is misdirected. The presenter uses their notes and maintains some eye contact with their audience. | Information is clearly explained to the listener. Minimal effort is required to understand the presenter’s clear scaffolding of the information. The presenter uses their notes productively and maintains consistent eye contact with their audience. | Information was presented in a simple, clear manner. The presenter has a clear structure to scaffold the information. The speaker uses their notes as a guide and maintains eye contact to engage and connect with their audience. |