Course Introduction

 

Introduction

Welcome to Principles of Speech and Communication. This course focuses specifically on the relevance of communication study today and how different situations and technologies demand the evaluation and application of appropriate communication techniques. Students in the course will apply communication studies to developing applications of communication including business presentations, public speaking, organizational communication, and small group communication. Students will be required to record themselves giving speeches. Some speeches require the student to present in front of no fewer than seven people, either in person or virtually. Failure to complete these assignments will result in an automatic failure of the course. If needed, contact support for assistance in completing this requirement.

 

Assignment Descriptions 

  1. Participation (CYKs)
    Check Your Knowledge - CYK quizzes are located at the end of each lesson.  They are composed of multiple choice, multiple answers and/or true/false questions. These quizzes are auto-graded quizzes designed to help the student test their understanding of the lesson content.  Students may take these quizzes as many times as desired to help prepare for the module and mastery assignment quizzes.  It is required that students earn 100% on each quiz before proceeding to the next lesson in the course. The CYK quizzes can be taken as many times as needed to earn 100%.
  2. Discussions - Twice in the course, students will be prompted with a case study in which they will have to select the best solution to the given problem. Students will be prompted to defend their selection using evidence from the materials learned in the course and will be asked to analyze and evaluate other solutions developed by their peers. Discussion participation points are given after the completion of the Discussion post quiz. The Discussion post quiz must be completed at the time the discussion post is written and submitted. 
  3. Mastery Assignments - Mastery assignments are designed as multi-module assessments encompassing information from more than one module. Mastery assignments in this course are written assessments of skills progressing throughout the course.
  4. Module Quizzes - Multiple choice quizzes students must take at the end of each module. These assessments are are auto-graded. Students may use notes and refer back to lessons using a separate browser or the printable versions of lessons. Quizzes are not timed. Students may take the module quiz twice. The higher of the two grades will count toward the student's grade.
  5. Course Exam 1 - Proctored, multiple-choice exam that is auto-graded. Students may take this only once.
  6. Course Exam 2 - Proctored, multiple-choice exam that is auto-graded. Students may take this only once. 

 

Course Navigation

When initially starting this course, it is required to read all information the Course Introduction by clicking "Start Here".  Continue to read through the important information located in the  "Meet Your Instructor" button and in the "Get Help/Support Services" button. Select "Syllabus" from the menu on the left side of the page. After thoroughly reading the information in these tabs, complete the Course Forum by clicking on the "Course Forum" button on the homepage.  

This course is comprised of modules.  It is expected that students will complete the modules in the order in which they are presented on the course homepage.  Students complete the modules in numerical order. Navigate into the course content by selecting the module button, then using the breadcrumb trail at the top of the page to locate the next incomplete lesson.  Complete the "Inquire/Watch" section, then "Read/Expand" section in order to prepare for the Check Your Knowledge (CYK) participation grade at the end of the lesson.  After completing all lessons in the module, students will take the module quiz and any subsequent assessments at the end of module.  These assessments may include discussion posts, mastery assignments, and/or course exams. 

Students may check their progress through the "Grades" tab, which is located in the left side navigation column. 

For additional questions pertaining to the content of the course, please contact your instructor.  For technical difficulties, please reach out to our Support Team using the "Contact Support" link in the navigation column on the left side of the course. 

 

Pre-Course Survey

laptop on deskPlease consider taking the Pre-Course Survey linked below. All surveys are used to improve the quality of our curriculum offerings and to gain insight into the trends and needs of online students. All data is automatically set up to omit personally identifiable information as required by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and other federal and state law. It should take less than 10 minutes to complete this survey.

 

Please answer each question as honestly as possible. We value your feedback and will use your responses to make our curriculum and the course experience better. 

Click here to take the survey. Links to an external site.

 

 

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