Teaching Public Speaking Online

Ev Corum

USDLA

May 5, 2010

Topics for today’s presentation:

• How we got started.

• Where things stand now.

• Where we are headed in the future.

• A “Cook’s Tour” of the present classroom.

Your take-aways today:

• Learn how to construct a similar online public speaking class, utilizing existing online services.

• Observe student responses to the work assigned.

• Consider similar projects for other classes, which may still be presently heavily text-oriented.

American Public University System

Some facts and figures:

• Founded in 1991.

• Regionally accredited online University.

• 60,000 + students studying in all 50 states and 100 foreign countries.

• 70 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

How we got started

• Create an AA in Communication degree program to serve students in a global, diverse, and technological world.

• We already offered:– Communication and Gender– Ethics in Communication– Intercultural Communication– Interpersonal Communication– Mass Communication– Small Group Communication

What is lacking?

• Public Speaking

• “Can you create an online Public Speaking class?”

“Do you mean to tell me—that if we had Patrick Stewart up there on that screen—you couldn’t think of an

intelligent question to ask him?”

How do we define ‘public’ in a global, diverse, and technological world?

Are fundamental ideas (“the Canons of Rhetoric”) still useful?

Are there guidelines we should follow?

CCAF

CCAF

• Courses required to satisfy the general education requirement are as follows:

• Oral Communication 3 Speech. Courses that prepare students to organize oral presentations to persuade, debate, argue or inform in a clear, concise and logical manner. Emphasis must be on content and delivery. Group and interpersonal communication courses are not acceptable.

College Board’s CLEP

CLEP limitations

• The "public speaking exam" is NOT available on-line.

• There is no exam guide available now.

• Both CCAF and CLEP required three speeches on video or audio. For CLEP, topics were given to students.

University objectives• Academic Skill

Graduates of APUS will possess academic skill related to their specific discipline. The graduate will master the generally accepted theories, concepts, principles, and/or practices associated with their discipline enabling them to live and work productively in a global, diverse, and technological society.

• Critical Thinking Graduates of APUS will be able to analytically identify issues with the ability to evaluate problems, formulate solutions, and evaluate the consequences. Graduates will be able to express a variety of other viewpoints and methods of inquiry.

 

• Information LiteracyGraduates of APUS will be technologically proficient in accessing and using information. The graduate will be able to gather information from a variety of sources, use information in an appropriate manner to address issues, and take action.

• Lifelong LearningGraduates of APUS will have the ability to identify, pursue and acquire specific and new knowledge after the end of formal schooling. They will be able to apply this knowledge in real world settings.

• Communication Graduates of APUS will be able to clearly communicate ideas in written form.

• But what about speaking?

AA in Comm objectives

• Prepare and deliver a presentation appropriate to a selected communication setting or event.

Course objectives:

• Describe the importance of listening to the speech process.

• Describe the relationship of the audience to the speaker and analyze an audience for any speech situation.

• Select, develop, and research a topic for any speaking situation.

• Prepare an organized speech, briefing, or other public presentation, using appropriate media.

• Deliver an informative and persuasive speech, briefing, or other public presentation, using traditional and/or electronic visual aids.

Only one caveat:

• Students enrolling in this course must be able to upload video (preferable) or audio (acceptable) files of their speeches.

History

• Two pilot sections in March and May 2008.

• Five to six sections, capped at 30 students, each month beginning in July 2008; student drop reduces the class size to low- to mid-twenties: approximately 150 students a month.

• Many CCAF students who come for this class only.

Welcome to the classroom

We wanted a rigorous course

• Four speeches in eight weeks, one every other week:– 2-4 minute speech to inform (Week2)– 3-5 minute speech to inform (Week 4)– 4-6 minute speech to persuade (Week 6)– 5-7 minute speech with visual aids integrated

into the presentation (Week 8)

• Outlines due just prior to the speeches

We wanted a thorough course

• Four quizzes in weeks 1, 3, 5 and 7

• Discussion Board topics each week:– Self-introduction

– Hopes and concerns for the first speech

– What they hope to improve on the second

– Informative vs. persuasive speeches

– Good and bad speakers they have seen

– How visual aids can be used effectively

– What needs to be improved?

Rubrics for all assignments:

• Discussion Board comments and responses.

• Speeches, based on the Thinkwell.com speech rating sheets.

• Outlines.

Great American Speeches: a favorite assignment

Thinkwell.com Public Speaking

Thinkwell’s content:

• Introduction to Public Speaking

• The Audience

• First Steps

• Preparing the Speech

• Presenting the Speech

• Types of Speeches

• Next Steps

Thinkwell’s support materials

• Videos by teachers and professional speakers, who demonstrate the techniques about which they are speaking.

• Some student examples.

• Transcripts of the videos.

• Outlines of the material to be covered.

• Student quizzes with immediate feedback.

File size limitations.

• The first speeches were short enough to be uploaded directly to the classroom.

• Larger files had to be put on CDs or other media and mailed to instructors.

• One bright student uploaded to YouTube and provided the link in the classroom, which became standard operating procedure.

YouTube (Photobucket, Facebook)

Then came the “embed” code:

One student’s progress:

My biggest concern: I am unsure of what my first speech will be about.

I will try not to move around so much. I think maybe it had something to do with my nerves.

I am excited about my last speech.

Another student’s experience:

Including his visual aid:

Another student’s first effort:

And his improvement:

What our students tell us:

I appreciate the personalized feedback.

I like the practical examples used in the Thinkwell lectures.

I feel confident now in my ability to perform public speeches.

And some “constructive” criticism:

Get feedback on our outline sooner.

Students should have to reply to at least two speeches.

I wish there was a secure school site where we could post our speeches.

I thought Public Speaking online was going to be a joke. I was pleased to find out it was a

serious course with great results!

What can be done in other classes?