Introduces aspects of human communication that develop and implement speech creation and presentation. Investigates strategies, principles, and theories, which impact relationship formation, maintenance and termination in platonic, romantic, work and family contexts.

Text:

Barton, M., & Holiman, J. (2015). Introducing Communication: A Digital Learning Experience.

Dubuque, IA: Kendall Hunt. ISBN: 9781792490149

https://www.khpcontent.com/

Textbook:

This year access to our book is a little different. Go to Canvas in our class, then go to the left hand side where it has all the links to our class. Go down to VitalSource Course Materials and the book should be there. Please let me know if you have any issues accessing the book because like I said, this is the first year we are doing it this way. The book is paid for with your student fees so you do not have to pay out of pocket right now.

1. Students will have opportunities to develop research skills by actively gathering relevant information, skillfully conceptualizing a speaking situation and expressing these ideas in one informative speech and one persuasive speech during this semester.

Assessment: Accomplished by completing the speech assignments and through instructor feedback on students’ speaking performance. 

Ties to SUU Essential Learning Outcome: Communication; Critical Thinking

1. Students will have opportunities to develop, organize and express ideas by learning how to locate and identify credible sources for both informative and persuasive speeches. 

Assessment: Accomplished through conceptualizing and synthesizing information into required speech preparation outlines.

Ties to SUU Essential Learning Outcome: Communication; Critical Thinking

1. Students will have opportunities to think about and systematically explore issues in interpersonal relationships in their work and personal lives by applying course knowledge to their life experiences.

Assessment: Accomplished by completing the interpersonal experience journal assignments and related module quizzes.

Ties to SUU Essential Learning Outcome: Inquiry & Analysis

1. Students will have opportunities to develop a stronger knowledge base about basic communication theories and concepts directly related to relationship formation, maintenance, and termination in personal and professional contexts and express this knowledge to the instructor.

Assessment: This objective will be accomplished through completing course readings, conversations with the professor and by completing the interpersonal experience journal assignments and related quizzes.     

Ties to SUU Essential Learning Outcome: Communication

Speeches:

You will give one informative speech, one persuasive speech and one speech based on another speech in this class. Choosing a topic can take some time, so start thinking now about topics with which you 1) are familiar and interested,  OR  2) about which you would like to know more and can then share the information in your speech. Try not to select topics that are overused (Why you should have a dog, the benefits of exercise, etc.).

Speech Information:

• Choose a topic
• Complete a full-sentence outline 
• Find your audience (at least three adults, ages 18+)
• Record and submit your Speech Video -- All speeches will not be accepted after the due date.
• Submit speeches using Kaltura through Canvas 

*Please use the Speech and Presentation Center on campus for additional help with your speeches! They offer virtual appointments as well. It is such a great resource and you can earn five points extra credit for each time you attend. 

In each eText module, you will be asked to complete short writing exercises. These assignments will help you organize your speeches and better understand the material, but they are not be graded. Please complete these assignments, but do not submit them.

Please submit speeches using Kaltura on Canvas. This drastically decreases download time and helps to keep files consistent. If this does not work, as a last resort, you may use .mov, or .mp4 formats or upload to YouTube or Google Drive and provide a link. Please follow the posted tutorial provided by the canvas team so your video uploads correctly. If I don’t get your speech or can’t open it for some reason, you will be notified and will then have one week to correct the problem, otherwise a zero grade will be issued. If you do NOT have access to a video camera or you cannot comply with these recording, conversion & upload requirements, you are required to drop the distance version of this course and take it in the traditional face-to-face setting. After you have uploaded your speech please watch it from start to finish making sure there is both video and audio. For a complete description of each assignment please click on them individually.

Quizzes

There will be short reading quizzes at the end of each module that are directly related to the public speaking content. Make sure you take each quiz & submit when you are finished. You will need to complete approximately two module quizzes per week. Quizzes are open book. Please make sure you complete all of them by the due date, as late submissions will be marked down. 

Before attempting the quizzes, read the instructions for quiz responses and submission which are provided in the eText. Again, all quizzes will be completed through the etextbook. Be sure to follow the instructions as directed or your answers will not be properly recorded. At the end of each quiz, be sure to submit the quiz or your quiz will not be recorded and thus, you will not get credit for taking the quiz.

Course Assignments

Grading Breakdown

Assignments

Quizzes: You should complete & submit a quiz for modules found in the course text.  They will be 5 questions at 2 points each (some of the quizzes have bonus questions).

Module Activities and Reading Assignments: Each module provides writing activities to help you process the information. You are not required to submit the writing activities in each module, but they are helpful in understanding the information.  If you decide to submit, please send me a message through the Canvas Inbox so we can have a dialogue about your response. These particular activities are designed for a synchronous course and as such I do not want to require them because I do not believe in busy work. Please be aware that we will not read the chapters in the order they appear in the ebook, so check the Assignments page in Canvas for which chapters are due each week.

Extra Credit: You can earn up to 5 points extra credit by answering & submitting the following questions to me in through the Canvas Inbox. This assignment must be submitted by the end of the semester. Include a short paragraph (2-3 sentences) on each question:

1) What did you enjoy most about the class?

2) What did you enjoy least about the class?

3) In order to improve the class, what would you like to see changed?

There will be other opportunities throughout the semester extra credit. Sometimes grad students need research done, when opportunities arise I will email you and let you know. You can also attend the Speech and Presentation Center, virtually or in person, or write an additional journal entry on any of the book chapters. If you have additional questions about extra credit, send me an email. 

Outline Assistant: In the book, you will see the Outline Assistant tab at the top of the page. You will also see a blue icon labeled “Time to Plan” in some sections which take you to the Outline Assistant. Remember that this content is to help you create an outline, but it will still need to be placed into the formal outline example displayed in the module, so be sure you make that change.

Please read the entire syllabus carefully to be familiar with all course policies, assignments and grading practices.

If you have questions, let me know.

SUBMITTING ASSIGNMENTS: Please pay attention to the due dates for all assignments so you have adequate time to complete them.  You will have until 11:59 PM to submit work on the day it is due. Most assignments will be due on Sunday evenings (so you have all week to do them), but please pay close attention to dates as they will sometimes change week by week. You may complete and submit any assignment before it is due.  However, late submissions will not be accepted unless a highly unusual circumstance occurs. These include legitimate and documented illness, family emergency or school approved function. Vacations, weddings and other such events are not considered emergencies. Excused absences for illness or personal emergency must be accompanied by appropriate documentation and a direct conversation with me. I will deal with these situations on a case-by-case basis and I reserve the right to make the final judgment about whether or not an absence is excused. Please run a virus scan on all documents before you submit them and keep your virus protection software current.  Documents should be submitted in word or googledoc. If you are unable to submit an assignment through the Submit button on the assignment page, please submit it through the Canvas Inbox or email it to me.  The last part of your responsibility is to make sure you have regular reliable access to the web with the most current browser available. 

Speeches: All speeches will not be accepted after the due date.

Quizzes: Please make sure you complete all of them by the due date, as late submissions will be marked down.

Please also check announcements and your inbox in Canvas regularly. I use these to communicate weekly. Please make sure to read them thoroughly so you know what to expect.

The book is paid for with your student fees so you do not have to pay out of pocket right now.

Canvas Usage

If you are not familiar with the canvas system, it is your responsibility to learn how to use it.  I would strongly encourage you to click on the red box “Students - How to Use Canvas” located in the upper right corner of the screen and go through this material.  Most of the questions that arise can be answered by reading these pages.

Reading

The reading for this course will be much different than any other course you will take because the length is much like reading a series of social media posts, it will be much easier for you to stay current and not procrastinate. You should plan to read through/explore 2 modules and other assigned readings each week so that you not only learn, but you are also prepared for quizzes and have the necessary knowledge base to complete other assignments. Since you have chosen an. online course, you are responsible for learning and understanding the material. If you get stuck on a concept or simply want to discuss it please feel free to contact me through the Canvas Inbox or via email and I will answer it as soon as I can.  If you prefer video conferencing (e.g, Google Chat, Zoom) conversation, we can arrange that too by setting up an appointment in advance. If you experience any technical issues with the book please contact Web Support and explain the issue. Provide as much information as possible, including screenshots if necessary, and then Web Support can help to resolve them. Web Support is monitored 24 hours a day.

Email & Online Etiquette

In an age of digital communication, you may have grown accustomed to instant responses through calls, texts or tweets.  Increasingly, students are frustrated because they write to me in the evenings or in the middle of the night and don’t get a response until the next morning when I’m at work.  A course like this only magnifies the problem. Please be aware that I will check my email during regular business hours, so plan your time accordingly. If I am aware of an email coming in during the evening hours, I will do my best to respond at the time, however, please don't expect this to be the norm.

When you interact with me or other students, please avoid swearing or other demeaning or threatening language.  In correspondence, please address the professor by name and end with your name. Avoid sending messages to me that place blame for those aspects of the course that are your responsibility.  For instance, “I didn’t know we needed 2 sources for the speech” or “I didn’t know I needed to record myself or speak to a live audience of my choosing,” etc. I want to help you, but your learning is your primary responsibility.     

Web Browser

Most of the tech problems in this course occur because students are not using the best choice in a web browser. As a result, I will strongly suggest that you use the most current version of one of the following: Safari, Firefox, or Google Chrome when you navigate canvas. Internet Explorer does not work as well with the canvas system. If you don’t currently have one of these newer browsers, please update as soon as you can so the course can be as trouble free as possible.

Course Evaluations

I appreciate constructive feedback from students about course content and instruction and use this information to help me make improvements to the course based on certain trends that surface. Obviously the more feedback I receive the better, so I hope you will take time at the end of the semester to share your experiences in the course with me.