Oral Communication Assessment

Oral Communication - Assessment Committee Paper 2012

Over the past ten years, we have endeavored to develop the oral communication skills of our students in a number of ways, from faculty development to expanding the mission of the Writing Center into the WORD Studio, and providing student tutors with training in both rhetoric and written communication and rhetoric and oral communication.  Read more...

First Year Seminar Oral Communication Assessment Spring 2015

This project assessed formal oral presentations delivered by first-year students during the spring 2015 semester, using the university's oral communication rubric (see link below). Read more...

Upper Level Oral Communication Assessment Spring 2016

As a follow-up to the earlier First Year Seminar Oral Communication Assessment, in spring 2016, the University Assessment Committee assessed speeches of 56 students in 11 upper-level courses. Overall, we were pleased with how many upper-level students had speeches with a proficiency level of 3 or 4, suggesting growth and that most upper-class students are generally effective communicators. However, the assessment also indicated that the intensive instruction in oral communication and rehearsal opportunities students receive in the First Year Program courses may need to be reinforced in upper-level courses. Read more... 

Resources & Suggestions for Teaching Oral Presentation Skills

This annotated guide identifies a range of resources and pedagogical suggestions for instructors teaching oral communication skills.  Resources are tailored specifically to the items of the University's Oral Communication Rubric.

Additional Resources: