Welcome to the Fundamentals of Public Speaking online.
I am your instructor and am looking forward to meeting you at
the orientation session. At the MANDATORY orientation I will
review the requirements for this class and discuss ways you can
succeed in the course. The orientation will be held on the
Valencia Campus on February 10th 2010. The remaining
days this course meets are : 2/17, 2/24, 3/3 & 3/17. Be advised
that you cannot access our website until the day of the
orientation.
I want to urge you to go to the Thinkwell website [www.thinkwell.com]
and purchase access to the “Public Speaking” text. The
text is essentially a list of multi-media online lectures
you will be expected to watch and answer questions about. You
may also get the thinkwell “text” at the COC bookstore. Please
note, the “text” is actually a package that contains an access
code that will allow you to get on our class web site and view
the lectures and tests—it is not an actual book. At the
orientation, I will bring a compete syllabus listing all
requirements and the due dates in paper form. Make sure you
have reviewed the dates this online course meets to safeguard
against conflicts you may have in scheduling. There will be
little room for any conflicts given the short number of days we
meet.
Finally, To use the Thinkwell material on your home
computer you will need the following minimum requirements:
*Internet connection
If you use a PC: Minimum requirements- Pentium 166
Mhz with Windows 95 or NT 4.0, 32 MB RAM & sound card;
Recommended System--200 Mhz or faster with Windows 95, 98 2000,
or NT 4.0; 64 MB RAM; and a sound card.
If you use a MAC: Minimum requirements-Power PC
120 Mhz with MAC OS 8.1 and 32 MB RAM; Recommended
system—PowerPC 200 Mhz or faster with MAC OS 8.1 or later and 64
MB RAM.
*If you do not have the minimum system requirements at home,
any College of the Canyons computer lab can be used to access
the Thinkwell material.
This course runs relies upon your commitment to do the
coursework independently and this particular course—at a very
fast pace. If you are a student who needs hands-on guidance
and face-to-face interaction to enjoy a class, this may not be
the best course for you. Ideally, you should be self-reliant,
motivated and disciplined in your work ethic. It is a bonus if
you catch on to concepts quickly and have the determination to
seek out help when you need it. Additionally, I do not recommend
this course to those who have particularly high levels of public
speaking apprehension. You are far better served taking a
course that meets weekly on-campus as a means to working through
this fear.
I look forward to meeting you at our orientation. If you have
questions about this course I can be reached via email at:
Karyl.Kicenski@canyons.edu
Sincerely,
Karyl Kicenski
Professor, Communication Studies
Distance learning home page:
http://www.canyons.edu/offices/distance_learning/online/COUNS-070.asp
