The overall grade for the class is based on the following assignments and their corresponding point values:
Cyber Cafe Introduction 40
Moral of the Story Speech 50
Personal Object Speech & Outline 130
Informative Speech & Outline 200
Persuasive Speech & Outline 250
Reading Quizzes (10 X 10 points each) 100
Peer Speech Comments (4 X 30 points each) 120
Online Assignments (10 X 20 points each) 200
Total Points Possible: 1090
The following percentage totals will be used in the assignment of final grades as they are reported on Canvas:
90% and above = A
80% - 89% = B
70% - 79% = C
60% - 69% = D
59% and below = F
Your final grade will be determined from the percentage reported on your Canvas Gradebook. It is your responsibility to monitor your progress in this class on Canvas and be aware of your grade, if assignments were graded, if there are mistakes in points, etc. Your education is your responsibility. I do not search you out to inform you of your grades—I expect you are watching Canvas or keeping track of them yourself. If you find an error, please email me. If there is an error on Canvas and you tell me AFTER I’ve submitted your final grade, I may not change your permanent grade.
All speech descriptions can be found on the Canvas website. Speeches are always due on Fridays at 11:59pm except Week 1. Check the Schedule tab at the top of the webpage to check the weekly schedule. These will be recorded speeches in front of a live audience of your choosing (minimum of two people), submitted to a Discussion Board post on Canvas. Students will be required to comment on peers’ speeches. Our last three speeches will have Preparation Outlines along with the recorded videos which will have a separate assignment for submission.
Students will be required to record themselves for four presentations and submit the video recording to a class discussion board for feedback.
To meet the CalGETC Oral Communication requirement, students MUST present their speech in front of a live audience. This can be people you live with, work with, or friends or family. I am requiring a minimum of two audience members; you may have more. I have an extra credit discussion board linked with each speech. You can ask peers to be audience members and the bonus is, they can get extra credit!
To practice online presentation skills while also including an audience, all major presentation assignments will be recorded in Zoom. Audience members need to be visible in gallery view once before and after you deliver your speech (you can change to speaker view while you present). If they do not wish to be on camera, they must at least unmute and say, "hi" at the beginning, and "bye" once your speech is over. Students who fail to show (visually or auditorily) two live audience members in a speech will receive a letter grade deduction for that speech. I have a "How To" record over Zoom instructional page in Canvas.
Audience members must be human and elementary school age and older. Babies and pets do not count as audience members.
Your videos and entire speeches need to be unedited and be in one “take.” No cuts, starting & stopping in the middle of the speech, etc.
Students have two options to submit videos to the discussion board. You can use Canvas Studio which is in Canvas (I highly recommend this option) OR a YouTube channel (can stay “unlisted,” not private. We can’t see private) and share the link to the discussion board. I have an informational page with videos in Canvas on how to do these things. Please do not attach videos! This takes forever and then you will be emailing me, distressed, when after three hours your video is still not uploaded and it's now late.
Follow the online presentation skills and rules we learn through the course. Please make sure your video is clear with appropriate lighting, we can see your face, your background isn't distracting, and your audio is clear.
You should sit in your videos as this best mimics the online environment, but please show at least your shoulders and up.
Appearance: You are your own best visual aid! You do not need to dress up; however, you want to look nice for your video. For the visible parts in the video recording, avoid: hoodies/sweatshirts, gym clothes, athleisure, baseball hats, beanies, shorts, graphic T-shirts, pajamas, or anything that blocks your face. You can wear jeans and t-shirts. Not following instructions could impact your professionalism score in your speech grade.
Please keep background distractions in your video to a minimum.
Avoid using Chromebooks or smartphones for video presentations. Chromebooks do not allow you to record in Zoom and will not allow you to share your screen for slideshows and your face at the same time. Consider having a family member be the recorder or screen-sharer if you are using a Chromebook. If you don't have a traditional computer or laptop, go to the BC library and use their computer lab. Cell phones are also difficult to use once we incorporate slideshows.
As an online course, students will be expected to complete assignments through Canvas every week. All assignments are organized in Canvas Modules, labeled by Due Date. Students will complete one Module per week. It’s the responsibility of the student to check Canvas weekly for assignment updates. For a detailed list of each week, you can also check the Schedule tab at the top of this page.