The expectations were way too high for an intro course. Felt like we were supposed to become professional speakers. I thought it was unfair to have worked so hard for so long on a speech to not make an A. It felt impossible to meet all the expectations. Walking away from it, I am just glad it’s over, and I don’t think I will use anything I learned in the future. You may feel differently if you plan on writing essays or speaking afterward.

You take graded notes on many textbook chapters. In class, there are mainly lectures and group activities. Some of the content was helpful to writing your essays. There was time in class dedicated to working on your speeches but not enough.

Dr. Brown was enthusiastic about the course and generally nice in personality. She encourages questions and tries to help when she can. Her lessons and modules are organized. It was very hard to meet all of her grading criteria, whether it came to delivery, essays, or other things like journals. Not many people made As on their speeches. Even during small class activities, I found it hard to complete what she wanted in time. Not having a lot of time was a usual struggle. She was not the most easily accessible after class. She also expected lots to be done between classes.

Time between speeches will move very fast. Start writing and practicing as soon possible. Be sure to follow speech guidelines closely and get feedback from Dr. Brown. I’d recommend taking with a different professor or at a community college above all.