Public Speaking Syllabus for 2025-2026
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Instructor Information

Course Information

AI Statement

Collusion is defined as “the unauthorized collaboration with another person or by any other means, including artificial intelligence (AI) and computer translators, in preparing work for fulfillment of course requirements.” Using AI like (ChatGPT or Google Gemini) to create a document is considered colluding. The use of Generative Artificial Intelligence on specific assignments is at the discretion of the instructor.

Title IX and Sexual Misconduct Reporting

Amarillo College prohibits discrimination and harassment based on sex, including sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking, under Title IX and Texas Education Code §51.253–255. Faculty and staff are mandatory reporters and must share any related concerns with the Title IX Coordinator at titleix@actx.edu. Reports and additional information are available at https://www.actx.edu/hr/title-ixtitle-ix. Confidential counseling and advocacy services are available through the Counseling Center and Advocacy & Resource Center.

Recording Policy

Disability Statement

If you have a disability (learning, mental, physical) that affects your ability to participate effectively and have access to any program or service at Amarillo College please contact Disability Services at (806) 345-5639 . Our offices are located in the Enrollment Center, Suite 700. More information may be found at www.actx.edu/disability.
Disability Services facilitates access to all programs and services according to the ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, as well as other federal and state laws.

Amarillo College Web Accessibility Policy Statement

Amarillo College is committed to providing equal access to all programs and services, including all working, learning, and service environments that affect equal access for persons with disabilities. This commitment to provide equal access and opportunity for persons with disabilities is in compliance with federal and state law. Amarillo College also strives to provide Electronic and Information Resources (EIR) that are accessible to all authorized users.

If you find you are unable to access material in an accessible format please contact the Disability Services Office at (806) 345-5639 . This office will work in conjunction with other campus resources to address and accommodate your issue in a timely manner.

Statement for Mental Health and Advocacy & Resource Center:

As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce a student's ability to participate in daily activities. Amarillo College offers services to assist you with addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing. If you or someone you know are suffering from any of the aforementioned conditions, you can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus by calling the AC Counseling Center at 806-371-5900. The AC Counseling Center website is https://www.actx.edu/counseling/ . Also, if you are in need of social services (affordable housing, utilities, transportation, food, clothing, childcare, medical/dental/vision, legal), please call the AC Advocacy & Resource Center at 806-371-5439. The AC Advocacy & Resource Center website is https://www.actx.edu/arc

Amarillo College Tutoring for Success Policy:

Tutoring for Success applies to any student whose overall performance in the course falls below 75%. The instructor will create the task in the Student Engagement Portal (Watermark) to direct the student to the appropriate tutoring service, which may be faculty- or SI-led, discipline-specific, and/or general. The tutoring service assigned, the due date for when the tutoring must be completed, and the amount of tutoring required are at the discretion of the instructor. Additionally, the task will alert the student’s success team. Students who do not fulfill the assigned tutoring task may be subject to program- and course-specific penalties that could result in a grade reduction and/or in not being allowed to progress in the course until the tutoring requirement has been satisfied.

Administrative Drop Policy

Students who do not attend class on or prior to the census date will be administratively dropped. Effective Fall, 2016

Student Withdrawal Procedures

Students who wish to withdraw from a course must complete all steps indicated on the Academic Withdrawal Request form by the course withdrawal deadline.

NOTE: Students who are attending Texas institutions of higher education, for the first time fall 2007 and later, may not withdraw from more than six courses during their academic career. This withdrawal limitation does not include dual credit or developmental classes (Senate Bill 1231 Rule 4.10.) For more information on Drop and Withdrawal Policies, please visit the Registrar's Office Web site.

Privacy Statement

The Amarillo College Privacy Policy is found at https://www.actx.edu/-amarillo-college-privacy-notice , and applies to all Amarillo College students.  If you have questions about this privacy statement or you believe that your personal information has been released without your consent, send email to humanresources@actx.edu .

Course

SPCH-1315-002 Public Speaking

Prerequisites

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.

Student Resources Student Resources Website

Department Expectations

Occupational License Disclaimer

Notice to Students enrolled in an educational program for preparation of issuance of certain occupational licenses:

Students enrolled in an educational program in preparation for obtaining certain occupational licenses are potentially ineligible for such license if the student has been convicted of an offense. For further information, please contact:

Melodie Graves
Justice Involved Advocate
Student Service Center 117
mgraves24@actx.edu
806-371-5995
Make appointment at https://melodiegraves.youcanbook.me

You can also contact the Legal Clinic, or the faculty member in charge of the educational program that you seek to enroll in. The further information you will receive will include notification to you of your right to request a criminal history evaluation letter from the licensing authority in order to clarify your particular situation.

Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec)

Class Type

Hybrid

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

Student must purchase an access code to Lucas' Art of Public Speaking through McGraw-Hill Connect.

Where can students purchase access:

1. Amarillo College Bookstore
2. Directly through the Blackboard Ultra course links in Week One

Purchasing directly through the course links is a little cheaper but must be paid out of pocket (cannot use Financial Aid funds to purchase the text). Students have 14-days of complimentary access to the text, but must purchase access to be successful in the course.

Students should not purchase any other type of access to this book. Connect is a required tool for the course.

All daily work, quizzes and exams (bi-weekly and final) are completed through McGraw-Hill Connect (over 50% of the overall course grade).

More Information:

• Connect Access Code and Purchase FAQ
• Connect Where to Go for Help with Connect
• Connect Loose Leaf Option

Supplies

• access to laptop/desktop (can be personal or through AC's Underground)
• access to high-speed internet
• camera for recording speech performance and audience
• Optional: free Zoom account to record speeches and upload into GoReact
• Optional: a lapel microphone (depends on your recording needs and is not a necessary tool)
• Optional: phone/tablet tripod (depends on your recording needs and is not a necessary tool)

Student Performance

Hybrid/Online Speech Performances and Technology

Hybrid and online speech courses offer flexibility and convenience, but they also require a strong level of comfort with technology and independent problem-solving. These courses move quickly, and success depends on students coming in with the ability to manage their devices, software, and online platforms confidently.

Basic Course Structure

• This course requires students to perform a speech in front of an audience, record the performance, and upload the performance to GoReact to earn a grade. This process takes planning and preparation - it is not a quick assignment submitted in a few minutes.

  • Hybrid courses meet weekly in person. Two of the three major speeches are recorded and submitted through GoReact.

  • Fully online courses require all three major speeches to be recorded and submitted through GoReact.

Speech Deadlines, Performance, and Upload Expectations

Major speech performances are due:

• Week Three (hybrid courses will do this speech in class)

• Week Five

• Week Seven

All are due by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday of the assigned week.

• Your video must be fully uploaded and submitted by the deadline.

• Starting an upload at 11:58 p.m. does not count.

• An incomplete upload at 11:59 p.m. earns a zero.

Online Speech Performance Rules

• No editing. Speeches must be recorded in one continuous take. Editing results in a zero.

• No reading. This is public speaking, not public reading. Reading from a script results in a zero.

• Stay on camera. If you cannot be seen, your speech cannot be graded. This includes poor lighting situations as well as being off-camera. Off-camera results in a zero.

• Audience visibility is required. No audience or edited-in audience results in a zero.

• Any evidence of AI alteration, creation, editing, or reading will result in a zero.

Rehearsal and revision

• Each speech requires rehearsal, feedback using the GoReact AI Coach, and then recording a final performance with an audience.

• This process takes time and cannot be rushed on the day a speech is due.

Audience coordination

• For each major speech, you must arrange five adults (18+) to serve as your live audience.

  • A good plan is to coordinate with your classmates to serve as each other’s audiences.

• You will do this two separate times for hybrid speech courses and three separate times for online courses during the term.

• Audience members' details:

  • Physical audiences:

    • Must be visible at the beginning and end of the speech

    • Must remain for the entire performance

  • Virtual audiences:

    • Must show themselves (no off-camera moments) during the entire speech

• Audience members may not be edited in later. They must be present in real life.

A controlled and distraction-free filming environment

• You are responsible for lighting, background, sound quality, and camera framing.

• Your face and gestures must be clearly visible at all times.

• Poor lighting, framing, or sound directly affects your grade.

• Speeches may not be recorded in cars, bathrooms, while clocked in for work, or spaces where you cannot control noise or interruptions.

• The AC Underground offers excellent spaces where you can record and invite your audience.

• If you need help locating a suitable space, contact me early so we can plan.

Student Technology Skills Expectations

While I am excited to engage with you this term, and support your learning in public speaking & business and professional speaking, I am not able to coach students on basic computer or technology skills. For that reason, technology readiness is an expectation, not a learning outcome, of this course format.

If you are still developing confidence with your computer, camera, audio, or online platforms, that is completely okay. It simply means that a fully online or hybrid speech course may not be the best fit for you right now, or that you may need to seek outside help from the Tutoring Center (located in the WARE).

Reliable technology

• You must have access to a laptop or desktop computer. Phones, tablets, and Chromebooks may not always be sufficient (testing in our course uses Proctorio).

• A working webcam (from your phone or computer) (and possibly a microphone) is required to record your speech in front of your audience.

• Your internet connection must be strong enough to upload multi-minute video files reliably to the GoReact platform.

If managing the technology, filming setup, and three live audience recordings feels overwhelming with your current schedule, that does not mean you cannot succeed in college or in public speaking. It simply means this specific course format may not be the right match right now. An academic advisor can help you explore other options that better fit your needs.

Technology Requirements for GoReact

You must have reliable internet access to upload speech videos. Before the term begins or within Week One, do the following:

Check your internet speed

• Visit speedtest.net, fast.com, or Google “speed test.”

  • Here is an example of Speedtest.net results:

• Minimum upload speed: 5 Mbps

• Recommended upload speed: 10 Mbps or higher

• Test on Wi-Fi and, if possible, with a wired connection.

• In Week One, complete the quick assignment called “Internet Speed Test” to earn credit for your work

Test video uploads

1. Record a 60–90 second video.

2. Upload it to Google Drive or YouTube (unlisted).

3. If it uploads smoothly, your setup is likely ready.

4. Next, record a 3–4 minute video and upload it.

   1. This simulates the size of an actual speech submission.

   2. Note how long it takes. This matters near deadlines.

If uploads are slow or fail

• You must identify a backup upload location before Week Two.

• Know your backup plan now

  • Have at least one alternative ready:

• The AC Underground or other campus tutoring/computer labs

• A public library

• A trusted friend or family member’s home

• Your phone’s hotspot (emergency use only)

Verify your camera and microphone

• Your image should be clear and well-lit.

• If your face looks shadowy or grainy, fix the lighting.

• Your microphone should capture your voice clearly without distortion or heavy background noise. 

Course Technology Platforms

McGraw-Hill Connect

• Connect houses your eBook, GoReact, quizzes, exams, and assignments.

• Students who do not purchase Connect access cannot pass the course.

Proctorio

• Used for quizzes and exams.

• Does not work on tablets, phones, or Chromebooks.

• A laptop or desktop is required.

GoReact Assignment Timeline

• Week One: GoReact practice upload (1–2 minutes, pass/fail)

• Week Two: Practice “This Is Me” speech + AI Coach review

• Week Three: “This Is Me” speech with live audience

• Week Four: Informative speech practice + AI Coach review

• Week Five: Informative speech with an audience

• Week Six: Persuasive speech practice + AI Coach review

• Week Seven: Persuasive speech with an audience

Using Your Phone to Record

• Stabilize it. Shaky video hurts your delivery and your viewer.

• Use proper lighting. Avoid backlighting.

• A tripod or stacked books can help with height.

• A lapel microphone is optional but often improves audio quality.

Plan so that technology does not become an emergency.

• Upload at least one hour before the deadline. Two hours is safer.

• Never start an upload right before 11:59 p.m.

• Use a strong, stable internet connection.

• Avoid public Wi-Fi, mobile hotspots, and crowded networks.

• Close streaming, gaming, and other bandwidth-heavy apps.

• Before the due date, test uploads outside GoReact using Google Drive or YouTube.

• Use the Week One practice assignment as your official GoReact test.

• Identify your backup upload location before Week Three.

• Always allow time for a re-record with an audience if needed.

Technology hiccups happen. Planning prevents them from costing you a grade.

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Log in using the AC Connect Portal

In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .

If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

Technology policy:

• Laptops and tablets are not permitted unless explicitly required for an in-class activity or approved as an accommodation.
  • Caveat: If we all agree that a laptop/tablet would help our learning for that portion of the day's learning we will use them and then put them away.
• Cell phones are not permitted unless being used for attendance on Watermark. Phone use counts as non-participation.
  • If there is a situation that requires you to have your phone out and available, please talk to me. I'm a mom, daughter and wife - I get being connected. My goal in this policy is to keep your brain - and your peers brains here - learning.

Participation in a Discussion-Based Course

This course depends on discussion, dialogue, and interaction. When questions are asked and the class responds by avoiding eye contact or remaining silent, learning stops. That behavior does not meet the participation expectations for this course.

Students are expected to engage each class period through discussion, small-group work, and in-class activities. Participation includes speaking, responding to peers, contributing ideas, and being prepared to engage with the material.

If a student is present but does not participate, they may be marked absent for the day. To assess preparation and engagement, I may also use brief, unannounced quizzes over the current week’s material.

If you are having an off day or something is interfering with your ability to participate, communicate with me before or during class. Silence without communication will be treated as non-participation.

Class time is not open work time for other courses. If you are using class time to complete homework, study, or work for another class, you are not participating in this course.

Students engaged in work for other courses during class may lose attendance credit for the day.

Use of AI Tools in This Course

This course intentionally includes AI use so you can learn how to use these tools ethically and professionally. 

You may use AI to:

• Brainstorm ideas
• Check clarity or grammar
• Ask questions about course concepts

You may not use AI to do the thinking, writing, analysis, or speech content for you.

Misuse of AI

If I determine that AI has been used to complete the majority of the work on any assignment:

• The assignment will receive a zero.
• I will document the concern in your student record as suspected AI misuse.
• You will be required to complete tutoring specific to that assignment.
• After tutoring is verified, you may submit a replacement version of that assignment.

This is a one-time opportunity for the entire course.
If AI misuse happens again, the zero will stand and no resubmission will be allowed.

Special Rule for Outlines and Speeches

Your outlines and speeches must reflect your original thinking and communication skills.

If an outline or speech is reasonably determined to have been generated primarily by AI:

• The performance, outline and self-evaluation will receive a zero.
• The zero is final.
• There is no opportunity to perform a new speech or submit a replacement outline, self-evaluation.

This consequence applies even if your one-time tutoring resubmission has not yet been used.

Grading Criteria

Presentations (40% of total grade)

Categories:

• Speeches: 24%
• Outlines: 10%
• Reviews & Self-evaluations: 6%

Students will complete three speeches. All speech guidelines, including information about outlines is located in the Blackboard Ultra course in the "Speech Guidelines" folder.

• Week Three (in-class): "This Is Me" 2-3 minutes
• Week Five (GoReact): AI in Higher Education
  • 3 sources (see assignment for details), 4-5 minutes
  • Recorded performance must follow the recording guidelines including an audience
• Week Seven (GoReact): Why Does the World Need My Career?
  • 4 sources (see assignment for details), 5-6 minutes
  • Recorded performance must follow the recording guidelines including an audience

Each speech performance students will submit the following assignments:

• outline (in specified format - varies based on speech type, 10% of overall course grade) 
• in-person/recorded performance (24% of course grade)
• peer & self-evaluations (see assignments for details, 6% of total course grade)

At this time there are 14 grades in the category.

In-Class Participation (33.5% of total grade)

Each class period will have an opportunity to engage with your peers and faculty to learn more about public speaking. Attendance and engaged participation are a must. These grades may only be earned in class by students who are actively engaged in the activity/work. Students who are absent may not make up the grade as it is based on the collaborative learning done in the classroom.

Unless specified, computers, tablets or phones should not be out during class. There will be days when we as a class opt to use these tools; however, we will agree together on those days and how we will use the technology to benefit learning.

Why?

I often feel students deserve more of an answer than they get, so here's some research to help strengthen the control of technology in our learning space.

Author, faculty and speaker James Lang's Distracted explores the impact distraction has on student learning. In the book, Lang discusses a research study done in two sections of a psychology course. During half of the class meetings, students were able to use their technology however they wanted to use it (open-access), but during the other half of the meetings, all students were restricted in their use of technology (restricted access). The researchers found students scored half a letter grade better on the material they encountered on the restricted access days compared to the open-access days. Additionally - and this is why it matters for us - "the difference persisted even for students who reported in surveys that they had not used their devices on the open-access days. In other words, even when students did not succumb to digital distractions, their learning was still harmed by observing distracted peers around them" (Lang, 2020, p. 52). Lang goes on to share his own experience: "Whenever I could see a student doing off-task work on a laptop, especially when it involved video or social media, I could also see nearby students swiveling their heads regularly toward that screen. The enticement of those flashing pixels a desk or two over proves incredibly difficult to resist, even for the most well-intentioned student" (Lang, 2020, p. 52). 

Assignments (11.5% of total grade)

The work in the category is to support our in-class learning and the preparation for speech performances. These assignments are done within Blackboard Ultra (each week has a listing of assignments due that week with a link to the due dates) and McGraw-Hill Connect.

Exams (10% of total grade)

Exams are bi-weekly (Weeks Two, Four, Six). Week Seven is a review of all chapters and it counts as an exam. This exam/review has unlimited attempts.

Final Exam (5% of total grade)

Week Eight is the final exam and students have two attempts. Each exam in the course (5 in total) is 3% of the total course grade. 

The final exam is due in Week Eight on Thursday at noon. There are no exceptions to this due date.

Exams in Weeks Two, Four, Six and Eight have the following policies:

• Proctored through Proctorio
  • Proctorio will not work on tablets or mobile devices
  • Proctorio works with the following browsers:
    • Edge
    • Chrome 
    • Opera
    • Brave
  • Each student must install the Proctorio browser extension: https://getproctorio.com/
  • More information about this tool can be found here: https://proctorio.com/support/setup
• Each test is 50 questions
• Time limit: 100 minutes
• Two attempts, highest grade recorded
  • There is no penalty for taking the test a second time
• After the first attempt, students only answer the questions they did not get correct on their second attempt.
  • For example, if during your first exam you missed 10 questions, on the second attempt, you would only answer those 10 questions
• During the exam students have access to the eBook and resources
• Students may "check their work" once for each question with no point penalty

The Week Seven exam/review follows the guidelines above with the exception  that it has unlimited attempts.

Attendance

You must attend and engage in class.

Hybrid classes are not online classes. By enrolling in a hybrid course, you chose to attend and participate twice each week.

I take a grade for attendance and participation. Participation means:

• Being present and engaged
• Contributing to class or group discussion in an audible and visible way

What is a Hybrid Course?

In this learning format, we combine the benefits of in-person classes with the flexibility of online learning. This structure enables you to engage with course material in multiple ways, fostering both self-discipline and collaborative skills. Below, I outline the essentials of a hybrid course to help you navigate it successfully.

Definition of a Hybrid Course

A hybrid course is a blend of:

1. In-Class Learning: Regular face-to-face meetings where we engage in discussions, activities, and group work.
2. Online Learning: Assignments, readings, and other course materials are completed through an online platform, like Blackboard.

This format leverages the strengths of both approaches. It allows for rich, interactive in-person experiences while giving you flexibility in managing your online coursework.

The Balance Between In-Class and Online Components

In-Class Components:

• Participation is critical during our scheduled class meetings. These sessions focus on activities, discussions, and concepts that are challenging to replicate in an online environment.

• In-class participation often contributes significantly to your overall grade. Please refer to the course technology policy.

Online Components:

• Speeches, assignments, readings, quizzes, and other work are completed independently. This is your opportunity to dive into the course content at your own pace.

• Online activities are designed to reinforce and expand on the material covered in class.

Participation is based on observable behavior, not intent. Being present without contributing does not count as participation.

Calendar

Additional Information

Late Work

This course has a no late work policy. All assignment must be submitted by the due date. Students who have perfect attendance during the week may request an extension (see more below.)

Week One 

This is the only week with carte blanche or a "blank page." This means if you don't get a Week One assignment done by the due date, I will extend the due date for you. Here's the fine print:

• All missed Week One assignments must be requested for reopening by the Tuesday of Week Two.
• After this deadline, no further extensions will be offered.

Oops Tokens

Each student has one "oops" token to use on an assignment during the term. Here are the details on when and how to use this:

What's Eligible?

Any assignment in Week Two through Six that is not in the Presentation category is eligible. These assignments impact other learners and must be completed on time.

Fine Print

• To use your Oops token your request must include:
• The exact assignment name
• The date you plan to submit it

Example of an acceptable request: Hi Courtney, I would like to complete some Week One work I missed. Could you please reopen Proctoring Enabled: Quiz over Chapter 1? I can submit it by Wednesday, {Month} {Date}, {Year}. Thank you for the opportunity.

What I will not do:

• I will not search for assignments on your behalf.
• I will not guess which assignment you mean.
• I will not reopen Week One work after Tuesday of Week Two.
• I will not respond to vague requests.

Examples of what not to say...

• “Can you open that assignment for me?”
• “I missed something in Week One.”
• Asking about Week One assignments in Week Five.

... unless you're finishing the thoughts with more details.

Extensions