Instructor’s Name ________________________________________
Skill Area: Oral Communication
Course for which you are seeking approval (department and number):
___________________________________
Departments are strongly encouraged to promote consistent skill areas across multiple
sections of the same course. If there will be variation in the skill areas promoted,
separate syllabi and relevant check sheets for each section must be submitted. If all
sections of a course are being submitted for this Skill Area, state “All” for “Instructor’s
Name” above.
CRITERIA
To qualify in the skill area of oral communication a course must:
1. Designate that at least 15% of the student’s grade is based on an evaluation of oral
communication.
2. Give students multiple opportunities to communicate orally (e.g. formal presentations,
small group activity working to complete a task or project, etc).
3. Involve instructor-directed oral communication (not just question and answer sessions or
unstructured, informal talk) – the instructor must determine what the content of the oral
communication will be and must clearly indicate to students what the criteria are for
judging the quality of oral communication. Instructors should provide students with
advice and formal instruction on effective oral communication.
QUESTIONS
Please answer the following questions and attach a current syllabus. Your syllabus
must include a statement of the criteria for this category.
1. How (e.g. based on what assignments) will oral communication constitute at least
15% of a student’s grade?
2. What types of oral communication will be required in this course?
3. How will the instructor ensure that students have multiple opportunities for oral
communication?
4. How will the instructor be involved in directing oral communication and provide
students with advice and formal instruction on effective oral communication?
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