| Course | HS895 Doctoral Project IV: Communication and Dissemination |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 9 |
| Paper type | Defense presentation |
| Length | About 890 words, 6 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | Doctor of Health Science (DHSc) |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HS895 Unit 9
Fourteen Slides, Twenty Minutes, Six Backups: A Unit 9 Defense Presentation for a Study of Persistent Gonadal Shielding
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
HS895: Doctoral Project IV: Communication and Dissemination
Unit 9 Defense Presentation
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The study, committee and results are composite and shown as placeholders; the sources cited are real.
Principles
The slides show; the script tells. A committee that has read the dissertation does not need the text on screen, so every slide carries one figure or one sentence, and the spoken script supplies the reasoning. Timing marks in the script keep the talk inside twenty minutes with two minutes to spare for a slow start.
Main Slides With Script Summaries
1. Title. Spoken, 0:00 to 0:30: name, program, committee, one-sentence question: why do radiographers who know the guidance keep shielding?
2. A photograph of a shield hanging on a table hook. Spoken, 0:30 to 1:30: the practice, the 2019 and 2021 changes and the reasons, shields adding little protection while risking repeats (Marsh & Silosky, 2019).
3. One sentence: "A third of our radiographers still shield children." Spoken, 1:30 to 2:30: the gap between guidance and practice, and why it matters for image quality.
4. One sentence: "No study had asked what keeps it going." Spoken, 2:30 to 3:30: the gap, and the choice of the Theoretical Domains Framework (Cane et al., 2012).
5. Design diagram: survey and interviews in parallel, merged by domain. Spoken, 3:30 to 5:00: setting, census, interview selection, analysis.
6. Response and sample figure. Spoken, 5:00 to 6:00: [121] of [286], the recruitment amendment, early and late respondents.
7. Bar chart: shielding by site type. Spoken, 6:00 to 7:00: one in three overall, nearly half in outpatient centers.
8. One sentence: "Shielders knew the guidance as well as everyone else." Spoken, 7:00 to 8:00: the knowledge result, and why it changes what departments should do.
9. The joint display, fourteen rows. Spoken, 8:00 to 11:00: the four domains that differed, the two that held after adjustment and the interview beliefs beside each.
10. Three short interview quotations. Spoken, 11:00 to 12:30: habit, parents and the hook on the table.
11. One sentence: "Fear of complaints was shared by everyone." Spoken, 12:30 to 13:30: the discordant domain and what it means.
A slide that the committee has to read is a slide during which they are not listening, so the slides carry the evidence and the voice carries the argument.
12. Recommendations: two icons, a cabinet and a speech bubble. Spoken, 13:30 to 15:00: move the shields and prepare the words, and why these follow from the findings (Michie et al., 2011).
13. Limitations and two dropped claims. Spoken, 15:00 to 16:30: self-report, response, two unreliable domains, one network; no precise prevalence, no conclusion about optimism or goals.
14. One sentence: "Knowing is not stopping." Spoken, 16:30 to 17:30: contribution and next steps, then an invitation to questions.
Backup Slides
B1. Domain reliability table, for questions about measurement. B2. Early versus late respondents, for questions about the recruitment change. B3. Full regression output, for questions about adjustment. B4. Codebook excerpt and the double-coding rule, for questions about qualitative rigor. B5. The parent script with the rehearsed answer to "What if a parent insists?", added after the seminar. B6. Anatomy figure showing ovary position in young girls (Fawcett et al., 2012), for questions about the physics case.
Opening and Closing Lines
The opening line is written out and memorized: "Most radiographers I studied know they don't need to shield children anymore, and a third of them still do; this talk is about why." The closing line returns to it: "They knew. What they needed was a different room and different words." Both lines frame the talk around the study's central finding, so that a committee member who remembers nothing else remembers the gap between knowing and doing.
Rehearsal Plan
Three timed rehearsals: one alone, one with a classmate playing a skeptical practice leader and one with the chair. After each, the student will note any slide that ran over and any question that had no backup.
Anticipated Questions
Why not observe practice instead of relying on self-report? Why convergent rather than sequential? Could outpatient centers differ for reasons the study did not measure? What would you do if the pilot showed no change? Each has a prepared answer in the script's appendix, and four point to a backup slide.
Why Fourteen Slides
Earlier drafts had twenty-six slides, including separate slides for each research question's statistics and a literature review in four parts. Timed rehearsal showed the talk running past thirty minutes, with the joint display, the study's central result, arriving at minute twenty-two. Cutting the literature to one slide and moving statistical detail to backups brought the display to minute eight, where the committee's attention is still fresh. The rule used for every cut was simple: if a committee member could find the content in the dissertation and would not miss it during the talk, it left the main deck.
Logistics
The defense is held by video. Slides will be shared from the student's screen, with a second device showing the script and a timer. A PDF of the slides goes to the committee the day before, so that a connection failure does not stop the defense.
References
Cane, J., O'Connor, D., & Michie, S. (2012). Validation of the theoretical domains framework for use in behaviour change and implementation research. Implementation Science, 7, 37. https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-7-37
Fawcett, S. L., Gomez, A. C., Barter, S. J., Ditchfield, M., & Set, P. (2012). More harm than good? The anatomy of misguided shielding of the ovaries. The British Journal of Radiology, 85(1016), e442-e447. https://doi.org/10.1259/bjr/25742247
Marsh, R. M., & Silosky, M. (2019). Patient shielding in diagnostic imaging: Discontinuing a legacy practice. American Journal of Roentgenology, 212(4), 755-757. https://doi.org/10.2214/AJR.18.20508
Michie, S., van Stralen, M. M., & West, R. (2011). The behaviour change wheel: A new method for characterising and designing behaviour change interventions. Implementation Science, 6, 42. https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-6-42
What the HS895 Unit 9 assignment asks for
The ninth unit usually asks candidates to prepare their dissertation defense presentation, including slides, speaker notes or a script and preparation for questions. Defenses commonly run fifteen to thirty minutes. Instructors look for slides that support rather than duplicate the spoken argument, timing that reaches the central finding while attention is high and a clear statement of limitations and dropped claims. Backup slides for likely questions are often expected. Many prompts ask candidates to describe rehearsal and logistics, especially for video defenses. A presentation that mirrors the dissertation section by section usually runs long and buries the finding. A contingency for a dropped video connection belongs in the plan too.
How the HS 895 Unit 9 example is put together
The plan opens with its principle that slides show and the script tells. Fourteen main slides are listed with spoken content and timing, from title through the problem, gap, design, sample, prevalence, knowledge result, joint display, quotations, the discordant domain, recommendations, limitations and contribution; the highlighted sentence states why slides avoid text. Six backup slides follow, each tied to a likely question. Sections explain how the deck was cut from twenty-six slides, give the memorized opening and closing lines, set three rehearsals, list anticipated questions and cover video logistics with a PDF sent in advance. Timing marks in the script let the student see within seconds whether the talk is running long.
Where the points sit in the HS895 Unit 9 rubric
Committees scoring a defense look first at whether the argument is clear, then at timing and pacing, quality of visual design, readiness for questions and honest treatment of limitations. Clarity and timing often weigh most, since a committee judges whether the candidate can state the study's contribution plainly within the limit. Visual design earns credit when slides carry evidence without paragraphs. Readiness rewards backup slides and prepared answers for predictable questions. Honest limitations, including claims the study can no longer make, signal maturity. Rehearsal plans and contingency arrangements for technology show professionalism and are often noted by committees. Committees frequently note whether the candidate stayed within time without rushing the final slides.
Common HS895 Unit 9 mistakes, and how to avoid them
A common weakness is a deck that reproduces each dissertation chapter, running long and reaching the main finding only in the last few minutes. Another is slides dense with text that the committee reads instead of listening. Some candidates hide limitations or dropped claims, which committees notice. Others prepare no backups and improvise answers to predictable questions. Forgetting a fallback for a video connection can derail a defense. If your defense covers a different design or field, send your results summary and time limit, and a slide plan with a timed script and backups can be prepared. Reading slides aloud word for word, rather than speaking to the committee, is another habit to break.
Get an HS895 Unit 9 example written to your instructions
How long is your defense, who sits on the committee, and is the session live or recorded? Share those details, plus the Unit 9 prompt and rubric, your final results and any claims you dropped. Each slide in the returned deck holds one figure or sentence, backed by a timed script and labeled backups. First custom sample free, 24-48h. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
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HS895 Unit 9 questions, answered
How many slides suit a twenty-minute defense?
Often twelve to sixteen main slides, with backups held separately, though pace varies by presenter. Roughly a minute to a minute and a half per slide leaves room to explain figures without rushing. Timing a rehearsal against the actual limit is the most reliable check, and any slide that consistently runs long probably holds two ideas.
Should a defense mention claims the study had to drop?
Usually, and in the main deck. A committee that reads the proposal will notice promises the results no longer support. Naming them and showing the narrower wording demonstrates control of the evidence and prevents the question from arriving as a challenge. One slide is normally enough; the explanation belongs in the spoken script.
What should backup slides contain?
Material the committee may ask about but does not need to see unprompted: reliability statistics, sample comparisons, deviation details, full tables. Label each backup by the question it answers so it can be found mid-conversation. Backups that repeat main slides add nothing; ones that anticipate specific committee concerns are what make them worth preparing.
Where can I find a free HS895 Unit 9 sample paper?
This page has the complete Unit 9 defense presentation plan, with fourteen slides, a timed script and six backup slides for a shielding study.
How many slides suit a twenty-minute defense?
Often twelve to sixteen main slides. This plan uses fourteen, with detail moved to backups so the central finding arrives early.