SPEAK! 2.0: A Version with Enhanced Technology and Broader Student Participation

While fear of public speaking is prevalent among many people, this project aimed to expand the existing resources on the SPEAK! platform and create a unique voice database, providing a better online platform to facilitate the learning and practicing of public speaking skills. Continuing the effort and success of SPEAK!, this project implemented the platform as a learning tool for students to gain feedback directly from the platform’s target audience. Based on the positive feedback from student users, as well as observations of the learning progress of students, the learning experience and performance of the platform were enhanced. By using SPEAK!, students improved their understanding of public speaking concepts and put these into practice, resulting in a better classroom performance. SPEAK! was promoted at the community level through promotional activity created with the help of student partners. Despite disruptions caused by COVID-19, the SPEAK! platform received positive feedback from local secondary school teachers, who claimed it was a useful teaching and learning tool.
This project concluded by showing evidence of the enormous potential of the SPEAK! platform to enhance the public speaking skills of learners; as well as the importance and significance of involving students as project partners.