Joel Sakakihara

SPEEC1 · SPCH01 · SPEECH1 · SPCHD001 · SPCH1 · COMMD10 · COMM1 · SPECH10 · SPCH001 · SPCH10 · 54 lifetime ratings

AI rating: 94/100
RMP rating: 4.6/5
Take again: 90.32%
Difficulty: 2.4

The decision

if you want a and can handle regular participation and speaking practice.

Best fit · Beginner FriendlyComfortable public speaking environmentFunny and caringClear feedbackParticipation-heavyMandatory speeches

Most students describe him as funny, caring, and unusually effective at making public speaking feel less intimidating.
The course is usually manageable, but students should expect frequent speeches, participation, and .
Grades are generally reachable with effort, though several reviews warn that major speeches and absences can hurt the .

Key questions

Four answers before you build your schedule.

Is this an easy A?

EasyA

78/100

An A is very realistic because as , but students still need to attend, participate, and complete frequent speeches.

Online evidence sounds slightly easier, while , absences, and tougher grading.

Is the course easy?

Beginner

72/100

The content is not conceptually hard, but the course can feel challenging for students with public speaking anxiety because speaking is frequent.

Both formats describe manageable material, but in-person reviews emphasize daily speaking practice more strongly.

Is attendance flexible?

Mandatory

22/100

as required or important because participation and mini speeches are central to the course.

, though one in-person review says attendance did not cost much.

Is this professor recommended?

MustTake

92/100

Students overwhelmingly recommend him because he makes speech class fun, supportive, and useful for nervous speakers.

Both formats are highly positive, but the online set has one severe negative review that slightly lowers confidence.

Course guide

See how this professor fits your week.

Grading

Lenient

68/100

Most , and reachable grades, but several students call him tough on major speeches or absences.

Format shift

Online reviews lean more generous, while and attendance.

Workload

Moderate

62/100

The workload usually includes several major speeches, minor speeches, reflections, quizzes, and sometimes papers, but many students still call it manageable.

Format shift

Online reviews call the workload not heavy, while and papers.

Teaching experience

Excellent

92/100

Students consistently , and ability to create a comfortable public speaking environment.

Format shift

Both formats praise his teaching, though one online and two in-person reviews report negative experiences.

Assessment method

FocusOnAssignments

32/100

Assessment is driven mainly by speeches, reflections, participation, quizzes, and papers rather than traditional exams.

Format shift

Online reviews mention Zoom mini speeches and easy quizzes, while , and some tests.

Luni fit check

Weigh these signals against your actual schedule.

Get help balancing workload, grading, and timing when no option is an obvious fit.

Course format

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Classroom format

In person

42 reviews

High confidence · Best fit for Effort For Reward

, and ability to make frequent speeches feel comfortable.

Main concern

Students must speak often, attend consistently, and prepare major speeches carefully.

What students said

“This professor was outstanding and made me very comfortable giving speeches.”
COMM1

“Both SUPER easy and fun.”
COMM1

“ , and work hard on your speeches and outline.”
SPCH001

Remote format

Online

8 reviews

Medium confidence · Best fit for Beginner Friendly

Online reviews are mostly very positive, with students praising the , and manageable workload.

Main concern

Attendance and participation still matter, and one review strongly criticized his teaching style.

What students said

“Easy class, just show up.”
COMM1

“ ! Take him! Take him!”
COMM1

“The workload is not heavy and is easy to keep track of.”
COMM1

Exam style

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

Reviews mention quizzes, tests, speeches, and a , but they do not clearly prove open-book rules, webcam use, Lockdown Browser, or strict proctoring.

Easy QuizzesMajor SpeechesVisual Speech FinalNo Clear Proctoring Evidence

Assessment risk

Standard

62/100

Low score means less forgiving assessment conditions.

In person

, and a visual speech final, but do not clearly prove closed-book rules or strict proctoring.

Weekly QuizzesTests From TextbookVisual Speech FinalHard Midterm Mentioned

“He gives weekly/bi-weekly quizzes on chapters from the free online textbook.”
COMM1

“the .”
SPCH001

“the though”
SPCH1

Online

Online reviews mention easy quizzes and Zoom mini speeches, but do not clearly prove webcam, proctoring, Lockdown Browser, open-book, midterm, or .

Easy QuizzesZoom Mini SpeechesNo Clear Proctoring Evidence

“Not too hard, 3 , and easy quizzes.”
COMMD10

“He also asks for mini speeches during zoom.”
COMMD10

Student evidence

See what students actually said.

Top student voice
“This professor was outstanding and made me very comfortable giving speeches.”
Voice snapshots generated from 50 reviews, highlighting key themes in , and format differences; credibility rating: High.

🎯 Teaching Quality

92/100

“Joel did a great job of creating an environment where it was fun to learn and you could be relaxed.”

👍 Recommendation Level

92/100

“ ! Take him! Take him!”

⚖️ Grade Effort

78/100

“ and if you worked hard on the speeches, you will easily succeed.”

Theme 1

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

He's a really interesting person to get to know, made the class fun, and knows what he's talking about.
and .
He creates a feeling of familiarity and closeness in his class to help everyone feel comfortable.

Theme 2

📈 About Difficulty And Grades

Both SUPER easy and fun.
It's little difficult to get an A but the class itself was VERY enjoyable to me.
Gotta work for an A

Theme 3

🗣️ About Participation

Expect to speak almost every day for about a minute or two.
.
You will basically be giving a speech every single day which sounds dreadful, but he makes it enjoyable.

Data context

See exactly what the AI read.

Analysis sample

Recent reviews read by the AI

Lifetime ratings

92/100

Evidence confidence

The dataset has 50 reviews across many years, strong detail, recent reviews, and a mostly consistent pattern of praise with a .

Inside 50 stored ratings

Quality ratings

5 out of 543

4 out of 57

3 out of 51

2 out of 52

1 out of 51

Course coverage

SPCH116 reviews

COMM113 reviews

SPCH0016 reviews

SPCHD0014 reviews

SPEECH14 reviews

Show 5 more courses

SPCH012 reviews

SPCH102 reviews

COMMD101 review

SPECH101 review

SPEEC11 review

Reported outcomes

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

31 reported outcomes

A range

A+ 9 · A 3 · A- 7

B range

B+ 3 · B 5

C range

C+ 1

D range

D+ 1

F

No reported values

No letter grade reported

Drop/Withdrawal 1 · Not sure yet 1

Joel Sakakihara

x x if you want a x x x and can handle regular participation and speaking practice.

Four answers before you build your schedule.

EasyA

Beginner

Mandatory

MustTake

See how this professor fits your week.

Compare the in-person and online experience.

Know what to expect from exams and major assignments.

In person

Online

See what students actually said.

🎯 Teaching Quality

👍 Recommendation Level

⚖️ Grade Effort

👨‍🏫 About Teaching Style

📈 About Difficulty And Grades

🗣️ About Participation

See exactly what the AI read.

Quality ratings

Course coverage

A range results lead the reported letter grades.

A range

B range

C range

D range

F

No letter grade reported

if you want a and can handle regular participation and speaking practice.