Transcript Teaching Public Speaking Online

Teaching Public Speaking
Online
Ev Corum
USDLA
May 5, 2010
Topics for today’s presentation:
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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 textoriented.
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:
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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 Literacy
Graduates 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 Learning
Graduates 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:
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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:
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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?