Dear Student,                                                                                      Winter 2010               

Welcome to the Fundamentals of Public Speaking, Communications 105, section 73076, online hybrid course.  My name is Tammera, and I will be your instructor.  This course is a little different than many of you have taken because most of your work is completed independently through virtual instruction.  However, we do meet five times over the course of the semester.  Our first meeting will be at the orientation session on Wednesday, January 6th.  At the orientation, I will review the requirements for this class and discuss ways you can succeed in the course. The orientation will last the entire duration of class January 6th from 5:30 – 10:00 pm at the Valencia Campus in room HSLH 205, and attendance for this session—as with all other meetings—is mandatory.  You will receive a complete syllabus listing and all other requirements at the orientation.  The dates for the remaining class meetings are Wednesdays – 1/13, 1/20, 1/27 & 2/3 from 5:30 – 10:00pm in HSLH 205.  Make sure you have reviewed these dates to safeguard against conflicts you may have in your in scheduling. 

As I mentioned, this course is a hybrid class.  It is unique because your lectures are electronic and the quizzes/chapter assignments are completed online.  Your textbook for this course is virtual via the Thinkwell website.   The “book” consists of a series of video lectures that synthesize audio, graphics, and animation accessed online at www. Thinkwell.com.  

The Thinkwell Public Speaking package is available in the COC bookstore or from Thinkwell directly at www.thinkwell.com.  It is important that you purchase and have received the registration number to the online lecture series before our orientation meeting.

 If you do not have the minimum system requirements at home, any College of the Canyons computer lab can be used to access the internet. 

This course runs at a quick pace and relies upon your commitment to do the coursework independently.  Ideally, you should be self-reliant, motivated and disciplined in your work ethic.  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 face to face 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 at tammera.rice@canyons.edu.   All questions or concerns will be answered weekdays within 24 - 48 hours. 

Sincerely,

Tammera Stokes Rice

Communication Studies