Course Syllabus

Fall 2026 | COM-1020-VO03 - Interpersonal & Small Group Communication

Online Class

Online courses take place 100% online via Canvas, without required in-person or Zoom meetings.

Faculty

Katherine Maynard
View Faculty Credentials
View Faculty Statement
Hiring Coordinator for this course: Ashraf Alamatouri

General Education Requirements

Communication

Note

Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.

Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

Theories of effective communication will be examined and practically applied. Emphasis will be placed on active listening, observation, reflective responses, and the use of clear language in interpersonal and small group situations.

Essential Objectives

1. Identify barriers to effective communications and apply strategies for overcoming them.
2. Evaluate communication styles and their relative appropriateness in different situations.
3. Describe and apply, in a variety of situations, reflective listening, assertiveness, and negotiation skills.
4. Describe common roles for participants in small group situations.
5. Identify, describe, and evaluate different forms of decision-making in small groups.
6. Prepare a formal presentation that demonstrates proficiency using the CCV Oral Communication Rubric.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV computer recommendations Support page.

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

This course uses one or more textbooks/books/simulations, along with free Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials.

Fall 2026 textbook/book details will be available on 2026-05-18. On that date a link will be available below that will take you to eCampus, CCV's bookstore. The information provided there will be specific to this class. Please see this page for more information regarding the purchase of textbooks/books.

For Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials details, see the Canvas Site for this class.

The last day to use a Financial Aid Advance to purchase textbooks/books is the 3rd Tuesday of the semester. See your financial aid counselor at your academic center if you have any questions.

Methods

In this course we will explore distinct elements of communication, including:

• how to understand both verbal and nonverbal communication,
• building (and ending) friendships, romantic partnerships, etc.
• understanding romance, love, marriage, family relationships
• skills to get along better with others, and meet your own needs too,
• the roles of perception and self-concept/identity
• improve your conflict resolution skills,
• explore the impact of culture on communication
• explore dynamics of power and influence relative to communication
• gender differences in communication
• decipher relationship dynamics & dysfunctions,
• examine productive group process,

INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS:

This class is highly participatory, with many exercises and activities. I typically include the following in my approach:

1. Weekly online Discussion Forums
2. Weekly Learning Activities that prompt you to apply course concepts
3. Brief Instructor Lectures/Video Demonstrations
4. Individual short Oral Presentations by classmates
5. "Engagement" papers (designed to foster deeper personal reflection on skills and concepts under review)
6. Films and video clips
7. Self-Assessments
8. On-line chapter Quizzes - note these are untimed and you get two tries, with highest grade recorded. I drop the three lowest quiz scores.

Evaluation Criteria

D. Criteria and Methods for Evaluating Students:

Participation and Attendance Expectations:

We will "meet" online, using CANVAS as our learning platform. There will be links in each week's CANVAS module directing you to things to READ/WATCH/LISTEN/DO each week, with specific assignments to complete each week.

CCV policy states that to be considered "Present" in an online course, a student has to complete at least one activity of assignment in that week's module. If you do not do so, this is considered an Absence.

• In terms of my grading, participation in the Discussion Forum is a high priority, because this is how we'll connect and share our learning.
• IMPORTANT: Regardless of points earned, Students who do not consistently post in the Forums should not expect to earn more than a C for the class.
• IMPORTANT: Regardless of points earned, students who don't submit the Oral Presentation/don't engage with classmates on THEIR presentationscan not earn more than a C.

To stay in good academic standing in this course, students should not accrue more than two absences, to be used in case a serious emergency or sickness prevents one from participating. See my full ATTENDANCE POLICY BELOW. All absences can detract from your grade.

CIVILITY

At all times, we will strive to be respectful and assure that everyone can be heard and be as comfortable as possible.I ask each student to commit to creating a positive classroom dynamic.

Civility doesn't mean we can not disagree, but we must at all times:

• display respect,
• remain open to hearing out others' viewpoints,
• employ logic and provide rationale for assertions we make,
• rely on information sources based on evidence using sound academic critical thinking
• credit our sources appropriately
• avoid personal attacks, disparagement, or offensive language (that which demeans others, use of swear words, etc.)

a). Quizzes

• Quizzes will be used to measure students’ basic comprehension, understanding and application of selected theories and concepts introduced in Chapters in the text, lectures and discussions. They will be used as a means to measure knowledge and skill application across all the aforementioned learning objectives.
• Expect weekly Quizzes - to be completed online within the weekly deadline.
• Missed quizzes may not be made up. I drop the 3 lowest quiz grades. quizzes are open book, untimed and allow two tries, with highest score recorded.

b. Homework & Engagements. These assignments help assess students' knowledge and skills in relation to specific subject areas, and prompt students to self evaluate and apply course concepts to daily life situations.

c. Oral Presentation REQUIREMENTYour may work alone or if you wish, pair up with one other classmates, to prepare and record an Oral Presentationon a topic related to our course content. Presentation dates and topics will vary. I will provide a list and schedule.

d. Substantive and thoughtful in-class participation in online discussions

A limited number of extra credit assignments will also be available.

All assignments will receive a numerical raw score. Final letter grades will be based on your cumulative total of points out of 1000 total possible points.

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Weekly Schedule

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Participation Expectations

We will meet ONLINE this semester:

Class will meet online through CANVAS where you will participate in online class discussions and interactive studies).

The course will start on Sept. 8, 2026 and runs through Dec.21, 2026. Plan to preview our CANVAS course, especially my welcome letter and the FAQ's (How will this class work?) before our first class week. Feel free to email me with questions at Katherine.Maynard@ccv.edu

Important: If you have never used CANVAS or participated in an ONLINE DISCUSSION FORUM, please sign up for a free CCV CANVAS workshop prior to the start of class. I will also provide some introductory videos to help explain the process.

CANVAS: There will be links in each week's Module directing you to that week's class content( the weekly forum, what to read, watch listen to each week), and specific Assignments to complete. See the FAQ's for more detail.

At all times in our online communication with one another, we will strive to be respectful and assure that everyone can be heard and be as comfortable as possible.

ATTENDANCE:To be counted as “Present” for class, you must log in to the CANVAS class each week and submit/completeat minimumcomplete one assignment or activity for that week. Although doing this will count you as "Present" for purposes of financial aid, just doing the minimum alone will not earn much in the way of points towards a passing grade.

For maximum points, you need to:

• Participate fully in the Learning Activities,
• Submit substantive posts in the Discussion Forums,
• Take the weekly Quiz.
• Completing other Module Assignment posted each week.

Absences: To stay in good academic standing in this course, students should not accrue more than two absences, to be used in case a serious emergency or sickness prevents one from participating. Three absences will put you on thin ice, and four is usually an Automatic Fail. All absences can detract from your grade. Whenever possible, notify me in advance of your absence in an given week.

Student Work and Responsibilities:

Complete each week's assignments to the best of your ability. Discussion on the assignments take place in online Discussion Forums. The critical thinking questions in the assignments are designed to increase your comprehension of the material. Therefore it matters that you complete reading and assignments in a timely fashion. It's also a good idea to “reread” each chapter for clear understanding and to look over the great chapter summaries provided by or textbook authors.

Missing & Late Work Policy

Assignments Policy:

All assignments need to be completed on time to earn full credit.

Late assignments have the following point deductions:

• 15% deduction for work 1-week late,
• 30% deduction for work 2-weeks late, and
• barring extreme circumstances (alien abduction), I don't accept any work that is more than 2 weeks late.

EXCEPTIONS: The following assignments are not accepted late:

QUIZZES: These need to be submitted within the class week they are are assignment. However, I drop the three lowest quiz scores, so if you are having a bad week or two, don't stress too much.

DISCUSSION FORUM WILL BE NOT BE ACCEPTED LATE, because participation in the forum impacts the work of classmates.

Homework assignments and resources will be posted on CANVAS in the weekly MODULES.

Please submit all work in the format requested for that particular assignment. This may vary.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/student-support/accessibility-services/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity

Apply Now for this semester.