Students’ Perceptions of the Oral Presentation Planning Tool (OPT) eBook Manual

Abstract

This study reports on students’ perceptions of the Oral Presentation Planning Tool eBook Manual, a scaffolded digital resource designed to support undergraduate students in planning and organising oral presentations. Informed by scaffolding theory, the manual integrates step-by-step instructional content and a visual planning worksheet to guide learners through speech preparation tasks. It was reviewed by an instructional design expert and a language testing specialist to ensure its validity and pedagogical clarity and appropriateness. A descriptive cross-sectional survey was also conducted with 32 undergraduate students enrolled in an oral communication course across three academic programme clusters to gauge their perceptions’ towards the manual for using Oral Presentation Planning Tool (OPT). Data were collected using a self-constructed online questionnaire comprising demographic items, six 10-point interval-scaled items, and one open-ended question. Descriptive analysis revealed positive perceptions of the manual’s content, usability, and relevance. The majority of the students also indicated interest in purchasing the manual with most preferring it in PDF format. One student suggested the inclusion of rhetorical strategies in future iterations. The study underscores the potential of scaffolded instructional materials in supporting communication-based learning within a technology-enhanced higher education learning environment.