Oral Communication Skills

We stress oral communication skills throughout all programs. Oral communication skills include the areas of content, language, nonverbal delivery, organization, questioning, use of visual aids, and vocal delivery.

Evaluating Oral Communication Skills in Education Courses

The Oral Communication Skills Evaluation Form is used to assess student development across seven areas that comprise essential oral communication skills. The assessment of student development will be completed in all courses when it is appropriate to assess oral communication skills (e.g., microteaching, class presentations).

In the event that a faculty member finds a student to demonstrate unsatisfactory skill development in an area or its sub elements, the evaluation form will be completed by the faculty member and shared with the student. If necessary, the faculty member will also complete the Oral Communication Skills Intervention Referral Form. This may be done during the course when a problem arises or at the end of the term.

The procedure for identifying and documenting areas of concern includes:

When a faculty member assigns a student a U in any of the seven-descriptor headings, that faculty member will also complete the Oral Communication Skills Evaluation Form by assigning an S- or U to each of the sub elements under that heading in which the student is deficient. The faculty member will share the evaluation with the student, and if necessary will complete the Oral Communication Skills Intervention Referral Form.
The faculty member will give a copy of the Dispositions Evaluation and Intervention Referral Forms to the Education Department Office where the information will be entered into a database. The documents will be placed in the student’s file.
The appropriate Initial Licensure Program Director will be informed when a student receives a U in two or more descriptor headings in two or more courses.
As a result of the referral, a conference with the Program Director, student, and Academic Advisor will be scheduled and/or the referral may be referred to the Admission and Retention Committee for further consideration. In either situation, action may include completing a course, working individually with a counselor, or choosing a different field of study. A summary of the action taken will be placed in the student’s department file.

Evaluating Oral Communication Skills during the Portfolio Review

In addition to students’ communication skills being assessed during courses, their communication skills will also be assessed prior to student teaching during their portfolio presentation. The Portfolio Evaluation Form will be used to assess their presentation. The procedure during the portfolio review is the following:

Students are evaluated on their communication skills during the presentation according to the four criteria: Underdeveloped, Emerging, Developed, Exemplary.
The portfolio review team will consider the communication skills evaluation when determining if the student is ready to student teach. If the review team finds the student’s skill level to be Underdeveloped, the student will be required to do a second presentation. Following the portfolio review, the student will receive written feedback regarding the areas of concern and recommendations for addressing underdeveloped skills. The student is responsible for addressing any deficiencies before the second presentation. In the event the student receives a second mark of “Underdeveloped”, the review team will complete the Oral Communication Skills Intervention Referral Form. As with the courses the following action will be taken:
The Initial Licensure Program Director will be informed when a student receives a second “Underdeveloped” score on the portfolio review.
As a result of the referral, a conference with the Program Director, student, and Academic Advisor will be scheduled and/or the referral may be referred to the Admission and Retention Committee for further consideration. In either situation, action may include completing a course, working individually with a counselor, or choosing a different field of study. A summary of the action taken will be placed in the student’s department file.

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