May Mini 2026
Public Speaking
Public Speaking SPCH 1315-2A1 May Mini 2026 INSTRUCTOR CONTACT INFORMATION Instructor: Donna Burnside Email: dburnside@lit.edu Office Phone: 409.245.8406 Office Location: Technology Center 225 CREDIT SPCH 1315 Semester Credit Hours (3 Lec hours lecture,) MODE OF INSTRUCTION Online PREREQUISITE/CO-REQUISITE: None COURSE DESCRIPTION Application of communication theory and practice to the public speaking context, with emphasis on audience analysis, speaker delivery, ethics of communication, cultural diversity, and speech organizational techniques to develop students’ speaking abilities, as well as ability to effectively evaluate oral presentations. COURSE OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to 1. Demonstrate an understanding of the foundational models of communication. 2. Apply elements of audience analysis. 3. Demonstrate ethical speaking and listening skills by analyzing presentations for evidence and logic. 4. Research, develop and deliver extemporaneous speeches with effective verbal and nonverbal techniques. 5. Demonstrate effective usage of technology when researching and/or presenting speeches. 6. Identify how culture, ethnicity and gender influence communication. 1. Develop proficiency in presenting a variety of speeches as an individual or group (e.g. narrative, informative or persuasive). Core Objectives 1. Critical Thinking Skills: To include creative thinking, innovation, inquiry, and analysis, evaluation and synthesis of information. 2. Communication Skills: To include effective development, interpretation and expression of ideas through written, oral and visual communication. 3. Teamwork: To include the ability to consider different points of view and to work effectively with others. 4. Personal Responsibility: To include the ability to connect choices, actions and consequences to ethical decision-making. REQUIRED TEXTBOOK AND MATERIALS Our textbook for SPCH 1315 is Exploring Public Speaking, 4th Edition. This is a free e-book available online at https://oer.galileo.usg.edu/communication-textbooks/1/ in Word, PDF and EPUB (earlier editions) formats. You can also view and download the PDF attachment on Blackboard. PARTICIPATION POLICY There is expected participation on your part to be in this online course. In practical terms, that means: • Logging in regularly (daily or several times a week). • Understanding course instructions • Reading course materials • Reading ALL announcements. It is how the instructor communicates with you. • Submitting assignments and quizzes on time. Blackboard can log things like: • Time spent in the course. • Number of clicks or page views. • Assignment submissions. DROP POLICY If you wish to drop a course, you are responsible for initiating and completing the drop process by the specified drop date as listed on the Academic Calendar. If you stop coming to class and fail to drop the course, you will earn an “F” in the course. Email Policy · Email is checked in the afternoon. Allow 24 hours for a response. Weekend emails will be answered on Monday. · Please include your class time and an accurate subject. · Assignments should only be emailed if Blackboard is having technical issues. STUDENT EXPECTED TIME REQUIREMENT For every hour in class (or unit of credit), students should expect to spend at least two to three hours per week studying and completing assignments. For a 3-credit-hour class, students should prepare to allocate approximately six to nine hours per week outside of class in a 16- week session OR approximately twelve to eighteen hours in an 8-week session. Online/Hybrid students should expect to spend at least as much time in this course as in the traditional, face-to-face class. COURSE EVALUATION Final grades will be calculated according to the following criteria: Speeches: 40% MMS Speech (Common Assignment)20% Exams: 20% Homework/Participation: 20% GRADE SCALE • 90-100 A • 80-89 B • 70-79 C • 60-69 D • 0-59 F LIT does not use +/- grading scales ACADEMIC DISHONESTY Students found to be committing academic dishonesty (cheating, plagiarism, or collusion) may receive disciplinary action. Students need to familiarize themselves with the institution’s Academic Dishonesty Policy available in the Student Catalog & Handbook at http://catalog.lit.edu/content.php?catoid=3&navoid=80#academic-dishonesty. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS The latest technical requirements, including hardware, compatible browsers, operating systems, etc. can be online at https://lit.edu/online-learning/online-learning-minimum-computer-requirements. A functional broadband internet connection, such as DSL, cable, or Wi-Fi is necessary to maximize the use of online technology and resources. DISABILITIES STATEMENT The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 are federal anti-discrimination statutes that provide comprehensive civil rights for persons with disabilities. LIT provides reasonable accommodations as defined in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, to students with a diagnosed disability. The Special Populations Office is located in the Eagles’ Nest Room 129 and helps foster a supportive and inclusive educational environment by maintaining partnerships with faculty and staff, as well as promoting awareness among all members of the Lamar Institute of Technology community. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Special Populations Coordinator at (409)-951-5708 or email specialpopulations@lit.edu. You may also visit the online resource at Special Populations - Lamar Institute of Technology (lit.edu). STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT STATEMENT It is the responsibility of all registered Lamar Institute of Technology students to access, read, understand and abide by all published policies, regulations, and procedures listed in the LIT Catalog and Student Handbook. The LIT Catalog and Student Handbook may be accessed at www.lit.edu. Please note that the online version of the LIT Catalog and Student Handbook supersedes all other versions of the same document. STARFISH LIT utilizes an early alert system called Starfish. Throughout the semester, you may receive emails from Starfish regarding your course grades, attendance, or academic performance. Faculty members record student attendance, raise flags and kudos to express concern or give praise, and you can make an appointment with faculty and staff all through the Starfish home page. You can also login to Blackboard or MyLIT and click on the Starfish link to view academic alerts and detailed information. It is the responsibility of the student to pay attention to these emails and information in Starfish and consider taking the recommended actions. Starfish is used to help you be a successful student at LIT. AI STATEMENT Lamar Institute of Technology (LIT) recognizes the recent advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI). The use of generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT, is permitted in this course only in a limited capacity. Students may not use AI to create speeches, assignments, or any original content that is required for grading. The development of ideas, research, arguments, and speech drafts must be the student’s own work. AI may only be used as a supplemental tool to refine material that has already been written by the student. Acceptable uses include checking grammar and spelling, ensuring clarity and cohesion, and assisting with the organization of outlines. For example, it is not acceptable to ask an AI tool to “create a 5–7-minute informative speech on World War II.” However, it is acceptable to paste a draft the student has written into an AI tool and request a review of grammar or flow. Whenever an AI tool is used, students are required to disclose this use within their assignment by including the following statement: “For this assignment’s preparation, the author(s) utilized [Generative AI Tool Name], a language model created by [Generative AI Tool Provider]. Within this assignment, the tool was used only for [e.g., grammar correction, minor phrasing adjustments, or organizational support].” Failure to properly acknowledge the use of AI tools or relying on them beyond the limits described above will be considered a violation of academic integrity and may result in penalties in accordance with the LIT policy. ADDITIONAL COURSE POLICIES/INFORMATION 1. Academic Dishonesty (Cheating, plagiarism, etc.) will not be tolerated. On the first offense, you will fail the assignment. On the second offense, you will fail the class. 2. Student assignments are accepted solely on Blackboard. Work will not be accepted via email or in person. It is the student’s responsibility to learn to use Blackboard appropriately. 3. Blackboard training is offered to students at no cost. 4. No late work is accepted under any circumstances. 5. If you email the instructor during the week, the instructor has 24 hours to respond and, on the weekend, it will be the following Monday. 6. Speech requirements are listed below. Failure to comply with all requirements on a speech assignment will result in a zero grade for that speech. a. Students must submit: i. Full sentence/preparation outline ii. Works Cited page iii. Visual aid iv. Speech video b. The audience must have a minimum of 3 adult members. Failure to have all 3 audience members will result in a zero. c. Student speech videos must clearly show the front of the student and the 3 adult audience members throughout the entire speech. Failure to do so will result in a zero. d. Videos must be unedited. Edited videos will result in a zero. e. Videos must be correctly uploaded to YouTube with an “unlisted” or “public” privacy setting. If you set it to “private” I will not be able to view it and therefore it is as if you didn’t turn it in and will receive a zero. f. Videos must be focused (not blurry, fuzzy, etc.) and must not have background noise such as babies, children, pets, TVs, cell phones, etc. Please make sure the lights are on in the room. If the room is dark while presenting will result in a letter grade. g. Students are expected to dress appropriately for speeches. Please dress BUSINESS CASUAL if not, will result in a letter grade penalty. EX. (Polo Shirt and Khakis and Not JEANS, joggers etc..). Sometimes in the online course people get “too comfortable” when speaking in their own homes. Wearing ball caps, inappropriate clothing or chewing gum, not wearing shoes, etc. during a speech will result in a letter grade penalty. Remember this course is a college course and you are giving professional/formal presentations. Think about the impression your dress might make on your audience. h. You are expected to WATCH your videos. Watch them before you post to YouTube. Ask yourself, “Is this my best work?” If not, you may have to record it again. Do not let the first ‘take’ be the only time you do your speech. You should practice many times before you ever bring in the audience and the camera. i. Speeches that are read will be penalized up to 2 letter grades per speech. The goal of this class is to speak extemporaneously; well-researched, well-rehearsed, effective use of notecards, and overall well-prepared speeches are the expectations. Reading is not effective or acceptable. j. Speeches will receive a penalty if they are not in the assigned time limit. The penalty is 1 point per 5 second increment, over or under time. Note: Our syllabus schedule is not a contract in stone; I will attempt to maintain our schedule but there may be times when it is subject to change. It is your responsibility to keep up with any such changes. Please download your syllabus and refer to the class policies. Important Due Dates: Calendar • First Class Date: May 18th • Registration Ends: May 22nd • Last Day to Drop w/Refund: May 19th • Last Day to Drop w/o Academic Penalty: May 22nd • Last Day to Drop w/ AP: May 23rd • Last Class Day: May 30th Pay Out Dates: June 1 and July 1 Day 1 May 18 Orientation to the course-Read Syllabus, Addendum & How to Record Your Speech. Note: Many documents and tasks must be read /completed thoroughly. Module 1, 2 read and complete (Test) Day 2 May 19 Complete Chapters 3,4,5 Test (3) Ethics in Public Speaking, (4) Developing Topics for your Speech, (5) Researching Your Speeches Day 3 May 20 Speech #1 Due Introduction Speech Due Go over Delivery & Pointers Day 4 May 21 Complete Chapters 6, 7, 12 Test (6) Organizing & Outlining Your Speech, (7) Supporting Your Speech Ideas, (12) Informative Speaking Day 5 May 22 Library Assignment Due Day 6 May 25 Speech #2 Due Informative Speech Due Day 7 May 26 Complete Chapters 9,10, 13 Test (9) Presentation Aids in Speaking, (10) Language, (13) Persuasive Speaking Day 8 May 27 Speech #3 Due Monroe Motivated Speech Day 9 May 28 Listening Report Due Day 10 May 29 May 30 Complete Chapters 8, 11, 14, 15 (8) Introductions & Conclusions, (11) Delivery, (14) Logical Reasoning, (15) Special Occasion Speaking End of the Course