Advanced Public Speaking

Reviewed by Amy Rawson, Professor, Century College on 10/26/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

I really like the content of this OER textbook. I have looked over many OER textbooks and this one is by far the best. I love how the author organized the content into smaller chunks for students and the information provided was relevant, current, and helpful. I could see myself using this in class. This textbook covers all areas and ideas of the fundamentals of public speaking appropriately--the only thing I would change would be the word "Advanced" in the title as I think this textbook could be applied more broadly to Introduction to Public Speaking courses. There was not a glossary that I could find, but a strong and detailed table of contents was provided. Each of the chapters were so rich with content, I do not think a glossary and/or index is necessarily needed.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

I only found 1 typo which was an extra space in the introduction. The overall content of this textbook was extremely accurate and I loved the links to useful video examples and websites, etc. The textbook is unbiased in my opinion.

Relevance/Longevity rating: 4

The content of the textbook is currently up-to-date, but I could see that quickly changing based on the next current event, social unrest, and/or next election. This has the potential to make the textbook seem more dated within a short period of time, but no necessarily obsolete. I do believe that this textbook is well written and organized in such a way that necessary updates should be relatively easy and straightforward to implement such as changing videos, links, and some content.

Clarity rating: 5

One of the main reasons I like this textbook is because it seems written with a focus of the audience of students. It is written well and any jargon/technical terminology is explained. It seems written in a laid back, casual, conversational tone which I think will strongly appeal to students and instructors.

Consistency rating: 5

Yes, the textbook is internally consistent in terms of framework and terminology. Although there are multiple chapters within a section of this textbook the author clearly explains this is on purpose so students can quickly access what they need.

Modularity rating: 5

This textbook is readily and easily divisible into smaller reading sections that could easily be assigned at different points within the course. As I stated before, there are multiple chapters within each section. However, the author clearly describes that this intent was purposeful so students can readily access what they want and/or need. The textbook is well organized and should not present much disruption to the reader. The textbook has a nice flow.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

This textbook is well organized and topics are clearly presented in a logical way. This textbook covers all of the important aspects of a public speaking textbook and could be used (in my opinion) both advanced or introductory college-level speech classes.

Interface rating: 4

Overall I do not think there are interface issues. There is no glossary or index, but this may be by design. The only piece that may distract or confuse students could be all of the chapters listed in one section.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

There were no grammatical errors that I found.

Cultural Relevance rating: 5

This textbook uses inclusive examples (and so do the links and videos) which I appreciated. It is not offensive or culturally insensitive in any way.

Comments

It is a great textbook! Thank you for this opportunity to review.