One-Minute Elevator Pitch Video Assignment (Presentation)

What might an ‘assignment brief’ look like for this assessment type in your context?  

The assignment brief (for the Opportunity Generation and Recognition Module) would be similar to the following;

You need to produce a 1-minute elevator pitch video describing yourself or your business idea in an entrepreneurial context. You will need to load this video onto your @tcd.ie Google Drive and send a public link to the file named as follows: “Mod2_Pitch_FIRSTNAME_SURNAME” to (email provided)

We suggest using the following framework:

• who your product/ service/ skills are for;
• the problem it/ you solve(s);
• what differentiates your product/ services/ skills in the marketplace;
• what your product/ service/ skills do(es)

This assignment accounts for 30% of the 5 ECTS module mark.  Detailed rubrics guide students and grading processes.  

What are the main advantages of this assessment type?  

This assignment is aligned with the experiential learning environment that we provide to our students in Tangent.  The assessment affords the students an authentic and real-world experience of how they would pitch their business idea to a potential funder as an entrepreneur or showcase their specific skills for a role in industry as an intrapreneur.  The priority is to set the students up for success. To that end, students are given the opportunity of delivering their one-minute elevator pitch as a dry run in class where they receive ‘real-time’ feedback. This dry run is one of the great advantages of this assessment type with students having the opportunity to clarify or change their format, timing, or script before their final submission.  Students are encouraged to ‘buddy-up’ and practice as pairs or in small groups to give additional peer review and support on their pitch and to upload their video. The timing element of the assessment lends itself well to real-world situations where students may only have a short window to authentically pitch their business idea to a potential funder or to take advantage of a networking opportunity.

What are the main challenges for using this assessment type?  

The main challenge of this type of assignment is timing, with students required to keep their pitch to one minute.  Students also need to be familiar with the technical challenges involved in recording themselves on their phone or laptop and uploading it.  One strategy which can be used to mitigate these challenges is scaffolding the assessment. This involves breaking learning experience into segments such as the dry run for the students and giving ‘real-time’ feedback.  The use of the ‘buddy-up’ system for peer feedback and troubleshooting of any technical issues helps foster a sense of online community and a supportive environment.  

Why do you use this particular assessment type in a digital context? 

This type of assessment/assignment lends itself very well to the digital context as students are required to record themselves and this gives them an opportunity to become accustomed to working and communicating in a virtual environment.  The students are trained in the discipline of timing their pitch; they cannot go over the time allocated of one minute.  This discipline affords the students the skills to articulate their message in a succinct and to the point manner when communicating with a potential funder or interviewing for a job in an online setting.   

What advice would you give a colleague thinking about using this type of assessment?  

This type of an assessment is an excellent way to capture the students’ experiential learning and communication skills.  It is important to scaffold this assessment/assignment by giving ‘real-time’ feedback to the students in class after their dry run which will help them to deliver an authentic one-minute video pitch. The ‘buddy-up’ system brings in the element of peer review with students receiving multisource feedback.
It is very important to be very clear in the assignment brief and that the requirements and parameters are explicit.  This type of assessment works best when students have been taught the theory of pitching or storytelling skills during the module.  

Do you recommend any resources or technologies to support this type of digital assessment?  

For this type of assessment, Google Drive works well for the uploading of submissions.  Alternatively, you can create a form with Microsoft Forms which asks students to upload their document and directs the upload to your own OneDrive account.

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