Designing Oral Competency Assignments
Before creating a learning outcome or designing an oral communication assignment, it’s helpful to answer a few strategic questions first:
- What does oral communication look like in your field?
- How do professionals in your field inform and persuade one another?
- Who are the change-makers, and why are others listening to their ideas?
- In what settings will your students likely communicate their findings?
Writing Oral Competency Learning Outcomes
It’s all about outcomes.” (Nilson, 2016, p. 281)
Learning outcomes specify what a student should be able to demonstrate as evidence of learning. When it comes to planning valid assessments, thinking about your learning outcomes enables you to align your assessments so students know what and how well they're learning. Specifying what you expect students to know and be able to do empowers you to design learning opportunities and experiences where the targeted skills have real value as practical tools rather than academic abstractions. Additionally, clearly stating and explaining what content and skills students are expected to learn, why they are important, and how they will be assessed makes students more active participants in their own learning.
Let's look at a useful format for writing learning outcomes:
“At the end of the course, students will be able to [action verb] + [knowledge, skills, or attitudes the student is expected to develop].”
Think carefully about your “action verb.” Below is a modified diagram of Bloom’s Taxonomy that can help you be specific about what you want students to be able to know or do. For more information on Bloom’s Taxonomy, download our PDF document Download PDF document.
- Students will be able to field questions from an audience or panel.
- Students will be able to synthesize research and adapt to a lay audience.
- Students will be able to create and present a persuasive pitch.
- Students will be able to create a PowerPoint presentation that enhances rather than detracts from the message.
- Students will be able to give an informative and accessible poster presentation.
- Students will be able to demonstrate effective verbal and nonverbal communication skills during a presentation (e.g., vocal variety, gestures, and eye contact).
Best Practices: Faculty Voices
What are your learning outcomes for oral competency? Watch the videos below to learn from UT faculty the best practices for designing oral competency assignments.
Dr. Keri Stephens (Associate Professor of Communication Studies)
“We have so many different things we have to teach.” Dr. Stephens shares how she uses a broad learning outcome, “develop oral competency,” to hone her students public speaking skills as well as their confidence. Download Dr. Stephens' syllabus Download Dr. Stephens' syllabus to learn more.
Dr. Holli Temple (Clinical Assistant Professor in the Health Outcomes & Pharmacy Practice Division)
“Get more comfortable.” “Learn to speak extemporaneously.” These are Dr. Temple’s learning outcomes that she hopes will help students not only in her own course, but in their future courses as well as in their future careers. Download Dr. Temple's syllabus Download Dr. Temple's syllabus to learn more.
Dr. Gwen Stovall (Assistant Professor of Practice, College of Natural Sciences)
“Develop science communication skills, in particular argumentation skills.” Dr. Stovall seeks to empower her students to think critically about reasoning and evidence to help them form stronger oral communication skills. Download Dr. Stovall's syllabus Download Dr. Stovall's syllabus to learn more.
Interested in a one-one consultation with an expert to review your communication assignment, rubric, or activities? Looking for a workshop on teaching oral competency? How about a Public Speaking 101 workshop for your students? Visit the Sanger Public Speaking Center webpage Links to an external site.or send a message to: slc.speaking@austin.utexas.edu. Our team looks forward to empowering you and your students!