COMM 210 is a University Core Curriculum course that focuses on communication concepts and skills with the goals of helping you to understand basic communication principles, providing you with the opportunity to improve your own oral communication skills, and enhancing your awareness of the role of communication in culture.

An emphasis is placed on preparing, selecting, organizing, and delivering oral messages, as well as analyzing and evaluating the speaking-listening process. Additionally, many of the activities of the course are of a collaborative nature, allowing you to work with others to enhance your communication skills.

For additional information on COMM 210, contact Mary Moore.

Comm 210 Test Out Information

All Ball State students pursuing a baccalaureate degree must complete the University Core Curriculum, including the course COMM 210 Fundamentals of Public Communication.

Some students may be eligible to test out of the course. You must apply here to receive COMM 210 credit by examination.

To be eligible to apply for credit by examination for COMM210, you must:

  • NOT have senior standing
  • NOT be currently or previously enrolled in COMM210 (dropping during drop/add period is OK, but the class must not appear on your transcript)

Apply

First, you should declare your intent to do so by filling out the application form.

Apply for the Exam

Register

Once your application is received and the test-out coordinator confirms your eligibility, pick up the Credit by Examination form from the Department of Communication Studies office.

Fill out the form and take it to the Student Financial Services office (Lucina Hall, room 027) and pay the $50 credit by examination fee.

Return the form with proof of payment to the Department of Communication Studies office.

Submit your portfolio

Finally, you will be asked to submit a portfolio of at least FOUR public speaking artifacts. These artifacts should mostly be video recordings of speeches you've delivered, although other types of artifacts can be considered as well.

The artifacts:

  • Must be of the speaker's original intellectual/creative work (if you're delivering a script written by another party, that won't work for this process)
  • Must NOT all be for the same general purpose (to persuade, to inform, to entertain). For example, you might offer one persuasive speech and three informative speeches, or two speeches to entertain, one to persuade, and one to inform, etc. You may not submit four artifacts that are all persuasive, for example.
  • Must all be longer than four minutes
  • Should be accompanied by manuscripts, transcripts, outlines, or speaker's notes (with references/bibliographies when applicable)
  • (at least two) Should be delivered to a live audience of at least five adults

More submission details will be provided by the test-out coordinator at the time of application. Test-out portfolios will be reviewed and evaluated in October and March each year. Portfolios will be evaluated holistically (rather than speech-by-speech). Successful applicants are those who are evaluated at 'intermediate' or 'superior' overall effectiveness, with ratings of 'effective' or better on at least three of the four emphasized skills-- audience centeredness, organization of ideas, supporting material, delivery.