SPPA 6010 Advanced Speech Science

WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY

Department of Speech Pathology & Audiology

SPPA 6010: Advanced Speech Science / Instructor: Stephen Tasko
Fall, 2011 / Office: Rm. CHHS 4478
When: Mon 4:00-6:30 PM or 4-6:40 PM with 10 minute break / Phone: 387-8049
Where: CHHS 2073 (& CHHS 1416) / e-mail:
Credit Hours: 3 / Office hours: 3:00-4:00 PM Mon

Course Description:

This course is an overview of the anatomy, physics, biology, physiology, and psychology of human speech production and speech perception. This course is intended to focus not only on well-established concepts in speech science, but also on the many research areas in which our understanding is incomplete. Prerequisite: Department approval.

In my own words…Speech communication involves the process of encoding and decoding the speech signal by speaker and listener respectively. Speakers use voluntary bodily movement to generate complex acoustic waveforms that listeners recognize as speech. Listeners must be able to extract the relevant information from those waveforms to recover the intended message. The principles that govern both processes are relevant to the speech language pathologist and audiologist. The speech language pathologist must be proficient in identifying, categorizing, and quantifying speech disorders. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the physical basis of how normal and disordered speech codes are generated. The audiologist is concerned with how listeners decode the speech signal, particularly when the listening apparatus is impaired.

Course Objectives:

·  Gain familiarity with current empirical and theoretical understanding of the physical basis of speech communication.

·  Understand, through experience, the variety of approaches to the measurement of speech-related events.

·  Apply speech science concepts to clinical problems that face speech and hearing professionals.

Knowledge and Skills Areas (KASA) Addressed

The Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology requires that all students must acquire sufficient knowledge and skills in a variety of areas. Following are the areas that will be covered by this course experience. The specific competencies addressed in this course are attached.

SLP

Standard III-A: Mathematics

Standard III-B: Normal Processes: Neurological, acoustic, psychological, linguistic

Standard III-B: Disorders: Characteristics (Speech sound disorders, voice and resonance)

AuD

B7: Normal processes of speech and language production and perception over the life span

B13: Physical characteristics and measurement of acoustic stimuli

Required Materials:

·  Behrman, A. (2007) Speech and Voice Science San Diego: Plural

·  Various written materials, speech data files and software distributed in class, on CD and posted on website & internet http://homepages.wmich.edu/~stasko/

·  Calculator

Evaluation:

Test 1 25 % (10/10/11, 4-5:30 pm)*

Test 2 25 % (11/14/11, 4-5:30 pm)*

Test 3 (Final)** 35 % (Monday, 12/12/11, 5-7 pm)

Assignments 5 % (throughout semester)

Case Study 10 % (Due Date: Monday, 12/12/11)

100 %

*These dates are approximate and may vary slightly depending on how quickly we get through material

**Students must earn a passing grade on the final exam to earn a passing grade in the course


Additional info regarding evaluation: It is important to recognize that ASHA Academic Accreditation standards are now based upon students demonstrating competencies across a wide range of areas rather than simply completing a course sequence successfully. Therefore, it is conceivable that a student could receive a passing grade in a course, but has failed to demonstrate competency across all of the topics covered in that course. If you fail to demonstrate competencies in a particular area through organized class activities (tests & lab assignment), you may have to complete additional work (i.e. remediation) in that area before a passing grade can be assigned.

Tests

·  Tests 1 and 2 will run from 4:00-5:30 pm.

·  Test 3 (Final) is comprehensive, but with emphasis on material covered after Test 2.

·  Test format will be a mixture of multiple choice, fill in the blank, short answer and essay. You will be routinely required to perform calculations, interpret quantitative statements and graphs and draw graphical representations of various phenomena. It is possible that for some tests, some questions will be provided ahead of time.

·  Absences from scheduled exams without prior approval of the instructor will result in a test score of zero

Assignments

·  There will be a number of small assignments distributed throughout the semester to which are designed to help solidify key concepts and allow some practical application of the material learned in the course.

·  Assignments will require the use of a recent PC computer with a sound card. Unfortunately, the software will not operate on Mac computers.

·  Each student must complete and submit her own assignment.

·  Late assignments will not be accepted without prior approval of the instructor.

Case Study

·  This activity is to give you an opportunity to apply information covered in the course to a clinical case. See website for details.

·  A late case study will not be accepted.

Attendance

While class attendance is not technically required, as with any graduate level course, attendance is expected.

Grading scheme:

93-100: A
88-92: BA
83-87: B
78-82: CB
70-77: C

65-69: D

below 65: E

A caveat and some advice:

A significant number of students struggle with the course material. I think there are a number of reasons for this. Here are a few. First, as with most graduate level courses, SPPA 6010 is content-heavy and we move through material at a brisk pace. Second, prior undergraduate exposure to speech science is quite variable. Not everyone comes into the course with the same level of preparation. That is unfortunate, but unavoidable. Third, some students find the material conceptually challenging. Many of you, rightly or wrongly, have the impression that quantitative subjects are particularly difficult. In order to prevent this course from being a struggle for you, it is imperative that you come to class prepared and do the necessary ongoing study throughout the semester. At a minimum, I expect that you will attend class each week having completed the assigned readings and any other activities. If you are finding class or reading materials particularly difficult, look for alternate materials on reserve at the LRC or in the stacks at Waldo library. There are literally dozens of speech science books out there. Some may work for you better than the readings I chose. I will do what I can to facilitate your learning and have attempted to organize the course so that learning can take place in a variety of ways. Do not hesitate to come to me if you are having difficulty with some course content. However, I am only one of many different resources available to you. The bottom line is that learning this material is your responsibility and it doesn’t begin and end with each week’s lecture.


Accommodation for Disabilities

If you have a documented disability (e.g., physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) that requires some form of accommodation, you must contact Ms. Beth Denhartigh at 387-2116 and/or at at the beginning of the semester. I cannot provide any specific accommodation unless a disability determination has been made.

Finally, a reminder…

You are responsible for making yourself aware of and understanding the policies and procedures in the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs that pertain to Academic Honesty. These policies include cheating, fabrication, falsification and forgery, multiple submission, plagiarism, complicity and computer misuse. [The policies can be found at http://catalog.wmich.edu under Academic Policies, Student Rights and Responsibilities.] If there is reason to believe you have been involved in academic dishonesty, you will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct. You will be given the opportunity to review the charge(s). If you believe you are not responsible, you will have the opportunity for a hearing. You should consult with your instructor if you are uncertain about an issue of academic honesty prior to the submission of an assignment or test.

Finally, see http://osc.wmich.edu and www.wmich.edu/registrar to access the Code of Honor and general academic policies on such issues as diversity, religious observance, student disabilities, etc.