I have been asked specifically about SPCH101 by a co-worker and told him that the course is very structured and communication with the teacher is effortless. You are always there to answer any questions we might have and direct us elsewhere if you need to. And what a fast turn around on the grades this time!!!
The only thing I can see is that as students we should try to get together more about a week before the speeches to do a "test fire" of our speeches. It would give us more interaction time and probably make us more likely to give constructive criticism without a teacher present (no offense meant, but I see this in my students too. If I give them time to discuss a problem they usually come up with a solution, sometimes better than the by the book answer).
I would say go for it. It was rough getting started I think, but once I got the hang of it, I think it was easy.
Don't procrastinate. Get the work done as soon as you can. Make sure that you allow enough time for this course if you are taking other courses.
You are given what is needed.
The downfall for me, I did not have the ability in this class to have my outlines edited and worked on with an instructor before being submitted for grading. I had to learn from each mistake as I went along instead of with each outline.
I would forewarn others about taking a speech class online if they have a disability in organization. I am not used to speaking with cards or outlines - as a performer, my lines are always (or at least usually) scripted by someone else. I deliver lines; not speeches.
You need to be sure you give yourself enough time to complete your speeches. It takes time to prepare a good speech, and those speech dates sneak up on you sometimes.
This class was great in that for each chapter we read, and for each speech, there were examples and guidelines for everything that we needed to do. For other classes, you had the textbook and that was all. The best way to be successful I think if there were many guides or other examples that are provided by the course professor so that we are very clear on what we have learned, or whatever assignment we need to complete. I would say that these things are probably the most important to be successful.
I would probably tell them to make sure to read ahead the chapters in the book because they are very helpful for preparing the speeches.
If a student was taking speech online I would tell them that communication plays a great roll in this class. That you must use the discussion board for communication. Also make sure that their speeches are well prepared and allow your friends and families to listen to them before giving the speech. I believe that most of the class including myself didn't use the discussion boards to our benefit. I think we could have helped each other more than what we did.
I would definitely give them a heads-up that for the first 3 or 4 weeks, this class seems very overwhelming! There is a lot of information and it takes a while to figure out where everything is. I would make sure they knew that they must be able to take time off of work (since most people taking online classes work full-time) for the speeches. I would also tell them that this class is worth it! While I do not look forward to giving speeches any more than I did before this class, I know that I can develop and deliver a speech well and that makes me really proud!
Some advice I would give in taking this class is remember participation is very important. The discussions are not hard and don't be afraid to ask questions. Someone once told me there is no just thing as a dumb question. This class does take more time then you think.
I would tell someone taking SPCH 101 to use all the resources available to them: Ms. Heil, the textbook, the CD-ROMs, other students. There is a lot of information out there, and somewhere someone knows the answer to your question. I would also tell them to participate in discussions and get to know your classmates. Over the past few weeks, we've been communicating a lot more and I think that helps us feel more comfortable with each other when we do our speeches (at least, it makes me feel more comfortable). If we had communicated better with each other from the beginning, we might have been able to help each other out more.
Do not underestimate this class there is quite a bit of reading and learning to be done. Practice, practice, practice public speaking does not come easy its takes quite a bit of organization and preparation to be an average public speaker. So you can imagine what you need to do to be a good speaker.
Becoming a good public speaker does not come naturally and overcoming the fear and nervousness of being in front of a large group takes practice, as I mentioned before. Three speeches which are such a large part of your grade do not leave much room for mistakes.
I would tell them.. be ready to work. I honestly thought this course would be a piece of cake. I was not prepared to have to submit works cited, and audience analysis, and so forth. I felt that the course covered a great deal of information. I would also warn people in advance about the 10 audience member thing for a video. I took this class because I could not be on campus. I wish I had known that you had to appear for each speech or submit a video showing 10 people. When the class started, my husband and I had lived her about 7 weeks. I didn't even KNOW 10 people to invite to my house.
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