I am taking Oral Communications, also known as speech, purely because I have
too. That being said, I really like speaking in public and I am really enjoying this class. I
enjoy it to such an extent that I have actually started enjoying going to school more.
Unfortunately this coin has two sides and there are times that I just do not like this
class... at all.
At times, class feels very disorganized. There literally isn’t a day that goes by that
I don’t hear, “What’s going on?” or “What are we doing in class?” The worst of it is,
Professor Wittner seems totally unapproachable with issues and students are actual
afraid of asking questions. Worst still, those simple questions could easily be addressed
via email, but Professor Wittner chooses not to answer emails and in an age of
technology I feel like this is totally unacceptable.
Group project are another aspect I do not like in this class. Group projects are
supposed to teach students about communication, responsibility, collaboration, and
teamwork, but for most students all they learn is to trust no one. Many students, like
myself, are not fresh out of high school, living with mommy and daddy, and have school
paid for them. I have fourteen units, as I am catching up on missed units, and I work
forty to fifty five hours a week. I DO NOT have time for group projects I just don’t and
other students like me are in the exact same boat.
Despite the general environment of confusion, Professor Wittner keeps the class
very interesting. She doesn’t just tell you example, she shows you. Professor Wittner
will bring in props to better and more completely explain her points. In class, we will
work in small groups which is wonderful! It allows us to develop better relationships
among our peers. In small groups, I feel that we can discuss topics more in depth and
explain thing to each other in a manner that we can actually understand (since your
directions and assignments can be difficult to understand).
At the beginning of the semester, Professor Wittner required the students to do
the most childish, most “middle” school thing I could think of: she made us talk to each
other and learn each other’s names. Unbelievably, it was the best thing any of my
college professors have ever done. Even though college is supposed to be a
educational experience, it is also a social, cultural, and personal time