Hi everyone, and welcome back. In this episode, I want to walk you through how you’ll be evaluated in this course and, just as importantly, why the course is structured the way it is.
One thing I want you to know right away is this: there are no exams, no trick assignments, and no single “make or break” moment in COMM 1035. Instead, your grade is built over time through a variety of activities that reflect how listening actually works—in practice, not just on paper.
Let’s start at the very beginning.
Each unit opens with a Pre-Assessment. These are ungraded and make up zero percent of your course grade. Their purpose is simply to help you check what you already know before we begin a new topic. There’s no pressure, and there’s no need to look anything up.
Think of these as your personal baseline— a way to notice how your understanding grows as you move through the unit.
After that, you’ll listen to the unit lecture and complete a Lecture Knowledge Check. These are short, graded quizzes made up of a few multiple-choice questions focused on key ideas from the lecture. You can take each Knowledge Check as many times as you want to earn a perfect score.
There is one in each of the eight units, and together they make up 5 percent of your overall course grade. These are designed to support learning, not punish mistakes.
A big part of this course is practicing listening by actually listening. That’s where the Listen to Learn assignments come in.
First, there are Listen to Learn: Audiobook assignments, which together make up 10 percent of your course grade. In each unit, you’ll listen to assigned chapters from the required audiobook and complete a short written reflection using a template.
These assignments help you practice identifying main ideas, noticing evidence, and reflecting on your own listening process.
You’ll also complete Listen to Learn: Video assignments, which make up another 10 percent of your grade. For these, you’ll choose one expert video from the unit and complete a similar listening reflection.
These assignments focus on understanding ideas, evaluating credibility, and applying listening strategies to real-life situations.
Next are the Discussions, which together make up 15 percent of your course grade. There are three ongoing discussions that stay open all semester: The Listening Advice Column, The Listening Resource Exchange, and Listening with AI.
In each discussion, you’re required to post at least three original contributions over the semester and reply meaningfully to classmates at least ten times. These discussions are about growth over time— you’re expected to revisit ideas, deepen your thinking, and apply new listening strategies as you learn more.
Each unit also includes applied assignments, which together make up 15 percent of your course grade. These assignments ask you to move beyond definitions and actually use listening concepts. You might analyze scenarios, reflect on your habits, create visual explanations, or apply theory to academic, professional, or personal contexts.
These assignments build on each other, so steady effort really matters here.
The largest portion of your grade comes from the Major Assessments, which make up 25 percent of the course grade. In each unit, you’ll create a short advice-based video called a Listening Advice Reel.
These videos are designed for a specific audience you choose early in the course, and they show how well you can apply listening concepts, explain ideas clearly, and offer practical advice. There is one Major Assessment per unit, and together they show your growth across the semester.
At the end of each unit, you’ll complete a Post-Assessment Quiz, which makes up 10 percent of your course grade. Each quiz has ten multiple-choice questions covering the main ideas from the unit. You can attempt these quizzes unlimited times, but you must wait twenty-four hours between attempts.
To move on to the next unit, you’ll need to earn at least a 70 percent. These quizzes are checkpoints to make sure you’re ready to build on what you’ve learned.
You’ll also complete a series of Bodyswaps Virtual Reality assignments, which place you in realistic communication scenarios where you can practice listening and responding in real time.
All Bodyswaps assignments are averaged to make up 5 percent of your overall course grade, and they give you a low-risk space to experiment, reflect, and improve.
Now let’s talk about time expectations, because this is where planning makes a real difference.
This is a 3-credit-hour course, which typically means about 120 hours of work across a 15-week semester. Since the course is organized into 8 units, you should plan to spend about 10 hours per unit.
That 10 hours includes everything: listening to podcasts, watching videos, completing assignments, participating in discussions, and studying. How you structure that time is up to you.
For example: You might spread the work out as about one hour a day across the unit, or you might prefer two focused five-hour work sessions.
Or, if you procrastinate—and it happens—you could end up doing one very long ten-hour day. The total time is the same. The difference is how manageable it feels.
One helpful strategy is knowing that many parts of this course can be completed using the Canvas Instructure app. Not every assignment—but enough that you can regularly tap into the course.
Instead of scrolling Instagram, Snapchat, or Netflix during short breaks, you can: Listen to a podcast, Watch a lecture or expert video, Review course content, Draft ideas for an assignment, Reply to discussion posts.
Those short moments add up, and they count as real learning time.
Now, I want to be very clear about the late work policy, because clarity helps everyone plan and reduces stress.
All due dates in this course are firm, final, and non-negotiable. I do not grant extensions on assignments. You are encouraged to submit work well ahead of deadlines, especially since all deadlines are posted in advance.
You do not need permission to submit work late. If you miss a deadline, submit the missing work as soon as you are able so you can continue progressing in the course. Late work is automatically accepted during designated late-work periods, with a 1 percent per day late penalty applied after grading.
If you believe the late penalty should be removed due to circumstances beyond your control, you must submit documentation through the Extenuating Circumstances assignment, which is located in each module. Documentation must meet standards recognized by the college. Requests sent by email or Canvas messages will not be reviewed for penalty removal.
There are two late-work submission periods in the course.
Late-Work Period One: All coursework with due dates before March 14th may be submitted through March 14th, with a 1 percent per day late penalty applied after grading. On March 14th, all coursework due before that date will lock. No further submissions will be accepted after that date without approved documentation submitted through Extenuating Circumstances.
Late-Work Period Two: All coursework with due dates after March 14th may be submitted through May 9th, again with a 1 percent per day late penalty. On May 9th, all coursework due between March 15th and May 9th will lock. No further submissions will be accepted after that date without approved documentation submitted through Extenuating Circumstances.
This policy is designed to be fair, consistent, and predictable. You always know the deadlines, the penalties, and the correct process for requesting consideration when serious, documented circumstances arise.
When you step back and look at the big picture, your grade isn’t based on one test or one project. It’s based on steady effort, meaningful practice, and growth across all eight units.
If you keep moving through the Modules, plan your time intentionally, and stay engaged, you’ll be in a great position to succeed.
Thanks for listening, and I’ll see you in the next unit.