Even though she is the teacher, she doesnt actually grade anything but your final speech. There are Instructor Assistants that teach the class where you are with 8-12 people. I had a great expirence but my IA was amazing. Jennifer is really blunt but if you put effort out she appreciates it and will be a little more leniant. Not very friendly

Reminds me a lot of a class that i would have taken in high school. Group projects and other bussy work. Go to class, do well on the quizes you have once or twice a week and you will be find. The class is out of 100 points so every point counts.

Good Professor, very helpful, wants you to succeed. Go to class (attendance taken!), read and pass the daily quizzes, and work well with others in your group. She is really easy to talk to and can be very flexible when approached maturely. Has High expectations but supports you all the way.

Pay attention in class, she will call you out on it if you are not. You only meet with her 5 or 6 times throughout the quarter, other than that you are in small groups so you don't have much contact with her besides your final speech. she knows her stuff though, don't be intimidated

Overall easy class. Mostly group work. Pay attention in class before quizzes, most the time she says exactly what is on the quizzes. Be prepared to write a lot of papers during the last week of class. Good teacher overall, fun class!

Effective and flexible professor. She's very in tune with her students. This class takes a lot of dedication, but is easy and rarely boring. Jenn has taught me some valuable skills that I'll hold onto for the rest of school and my future careers.

She was cool. IA really makes it or breaks it. Im a terrible public speaker. Didn't study for the test. But yet I still managed to get a B+. Take the class as a filler class. Not a lot of work compared to other classes.

i hate public speaking but as long as you practice a ton, you'll be fine. hopefully you get a good IA because that's who grades you. don't be scared of jennifer she's actually cool even though she tries to make it seem like your final speech is the most important thing you'll ever do. take this class! unless you're a total idiot, you'll get an A.

Way too much work for a 200 level class. Chapter presentation & community project (with a peer group) were the main parts, the community project was a nightmare. Don't take this class if you don't have a lot of free time. I did like Hays as a person, though, just hated the class itself.

she is serious in class to gain respect from everyone, but she is more laid back and nice one on one. first day of class go and introduce yourself to her. she was very helpful in and out of class.

this class is great! you get the opportunity to work with a nonprofit organization. This class is mostly group work; weekly quizzes are done with your group. Exams are easy also. She does a review before the exam which helps a lot. I highly recommend her!

Comm 450 is the IA class and this revies is on Jennifer way more than on the Comm450 class itself.Jennifer is amazing and works super hard day in and day out for not only her section but all of the sections of Comm101.She is probably the most willing prof ive ever seen to give extra help.I took my students to her at times and she was not their prof

She's is very focused on what she does. Very helpful if you ask. If you follow the handbook exactly the class is fairly easy to get a good grade in. The tests are a bit tricky but nothing a little studying won't help.

This class helped me a lot with my public speaking ability. Before taking this class I was horrified of public speaking abut now I am more capable of doing so. However, we only practiced one style of public speaking and had no other practice.

This class is a great GUR and is also fun if you just want to get better at speaking in public. During the last month of the course its all final speeches so once you go there's no more work. Also no final exam, just a 5 minute speech. 2 MC exams: 10% of your grade, everything else is speeches in front of your peers. 1st 3 are in groups of 10 or so

Jennifer is a warm and extremely approachable professor. Almost the entire course consists of group projects and group work, even the majority of the quizzes were completed as a group. Just put in some effort, show up to class, and an A is certainly not impossible.

Get passed her attempt to establish herself as a hard nosed professor, and she is very good at what she does. Make an effort to meet her, show effort in what you do, and you will get an A and think she is great. Act ignorant, don't put out effort, and you won't like her. It's that simple.

One of the best professors out there. If you need help, shes more than willing to offer her assistance. Shes very knowledgeable about what she teaches. Definitely recommend her!

When I took this class I was intimidated by Jenn and thought she was condescending. When I met with her for my final speech I saw a different side of her, she's actually VERY approachable. I've IA'd for her twice now and she is one of my favorite people at WWU. If you do the assigned work you'll get an A or B. You really don't need to read the text

A very nice teacher who's class is not really helpful. It feels the class is based off what you say in your speech and not if you can actually speak well in public. The book is useless and almost common sense questions. Hays will know you and help but speaks to you as if you were five. Overall, good teacher who wants to help and actually does.

Animated interactive lecture protocol due to her studies in theater. I earned a B on every assignment, skipped a one page paper and missed 6 classes, brought me down to a D. In an email she admitted her syllabus does not reflect speaking ability or improvement therein. She described herself to me as authoritarian on the first day. Obey for an A.

She was very informative, but, you are only able to miss one day of your small group days if people are talking. Watch final speeches for extra credit and pay attention to the class/ mandatory days for the exams. Very kind and helpful if you seek out help.

Overall, Professor Hays is very straight forward and simple. Do EXACTLY what she says, and you will get an A. Don't use the book at like all, except for the tests. Easy class, just got to follow the rules outlined for you, and do the speeches right. If you can follow directions to the dot, you will get an A.

I adore Jennifer. She goes above and beyond to help her student and those who are interested in the Comm program. Over email she may seem a little short but that is only because she does a million and one things in a day. I have IAed for her twice now and she is one of my favorite faculty members at WWU. I am grateful to have met her!

Very busy class, don't take if you have a heavy course-load. Almost too much work for a 4 credit 200 level class. Hays is great though, very passionate about teaching and builds relationships with students. Everything is done in your group and you work with a non-profit organization, so you're really taking the class for more than a grade.

Jennifer is great. She is very helpful and has clear expectations of students. The only part of this class that I disliked was the service learning. Other than that, I would recommend her.

She was very helpful and had very clear guidelines. Follow examples exactly, and spend time practicing, and you will get the A. Tests are very common sense based.

Jennifer has high expectations- but she makes them clear. She pushes you to become better, and as long as you try than you will succeed. This class makes you a better speaker, student, and worker. Jennifer is strict and does not put up with slackers. She will call you out on it.

As far as of what everybody else say about her, how intimidating she is and how strict she might be. I think that she is the best teacher I've seen at WWU. She is organized and has high expectations. Her class is well structured and lecture is very interesting. Her help for student who put in efforts is by far very constructing. I recommend her.

This was probably the most useful class I have ever taken in my three years of college schooling. The skills taught in this class are essential for anyone who plans on working with people for any reason ever. Jennifer was clear, kind and made herself readily available for discussion outside of class during her open office hours. Very excellent.

Jennifer seems intimidating at first but she really cares about each and every one of her students and puts a lot of effort in to insure that you succeed. Definitely one of my favorite professors in the Comm department and I will miss her when I graduate.

Jennifer is a fantastic teacher. I have had her twice now, and have not been disappointed. Take her!

If you have the option to take a different teacher do it. She doesn't really teach you much. I would not take her again.

Jennifer is a tough grader but she is very clear on her expectations for students. One-on-one, Jennifer is much easier to talk to than when she is lecturing or in a large classroom environment. Jennifer demands respect from students and she is very no-nonsense.

Jennifer is a GREAT professor, if you have the chance take any class with her. A lot of students are intimidated by her when taking comm 101 but she's actually so friendly and kind! She is extremely helpful and wants her students to succeed. She makes the classroom feel comfortable and by the end of the quarter we were all friends.

She comes off intimidating, but is actually pretty helpful. You have to write outlines for speeches, and she is very specific in the formatting which is pretty annoying. You give 4 total speeches, 3 of which the IA's watch and grade. The final persuasive is given in front of the whole class, about 60 people.

Jennifer is the director of and one of the profs for the COMM101 dept. She sometimes seems strict but it's because the program is so important. Get to know her a bit better and you'll realize that she is so supportive and easy to talk to about issues and ideas, because she really wants all the IAs to succeed. SU grading. P.S. Know the handbook!

Excellent lectures and extremely organized.

I will have to admit, I dreaded going to class at first partially because of the impromptus. But don't worry, this class gets better over time. I ended up enjoying the class. I learned lots of life skills, more than I originally expected. Jennifer has a positive attitude and is willing to help you with a smile when you need one during a speech.

She is a great professor with clear instructions. Fallow the instructions and you will do great. The exams are straight out of the book and the lectures on Tuesday are pointless. If you read the book the tests will be easy.

Jennifer cares about the Comm program so much and it shows in her teaching. Some people find her mean or intimidating but it is only because she expects her students to care about her class and put in the effort. She wants her students to do well and if you use your IA and her help when you need it you will do great in this class and learn so much!

Jennifer is a great professor. The biggest thing I can say is she will help you out, you just have to do your part too and communicate with her. I really appreciated her feedback. 224 is a really busy class that has a LOT of group work and time out of class. You get the experience though and can use it on a resume! She's a great person.

TAKE 224 with her. YES there are 3 group presentation you have to do but they are not that complicated if you stay on top of your work. She is an amazing person, so nice and she really cares about her students. Her quizzes are group quizzes after the first one, they are very text/lecture related. Just do the work and try.

Jennifer is definitely intimidating, but she is super nice. I am still intimidated by her but I have a lot of respect for her. She's very clear about her expectations and is willing to help students who are struggling. You just have to really make the effort to do well.

Jennifer is an awesome teachers. She might be intimidating but she is loving and caring and wants to see you succeed. She expects a lot from her students. If you go to her office you will see how nice and caring she is. She is one of my favorite teachers at Western

I absolutely loved COMM 101 with Hays! She's caring, fun, and very easy to talk to. She offers the best advice and has really helped me grow within her class. Some may say she comes off as rude and aggressive, but if you try hard and exemplify care for the class, she'll treat you with kindness and respect. I highly recommend classes with her.

Jennifer cares about the subject she is teaching. She is respected and always willing to work with you to help improve your work. Utilize her office hours, schedule appointments. She is very specific in her expectations, do as she says and you will succeed.

This is a public speaking class! The class is easy, they give you lots of help for your papers/speech's. It is one of those show up and do what is expected and you can pass.

I absolutely loved Jennifer, I had her for mandatory days and Tuesday lecture. If I just would have known her from mass lectures I would think she'd be very rude. But getting to know her on smaller group days is so different, she has high expectations but is really such a nice and caring professor. All she does during your speeches is smile and nod

This is a public speaking class, so it's hard, yet it's hard for good reason. Jennifer is strict but she is easily the best instructor for this course, by the end her students can really give a speech and knows every aspect of how to do so including how to get through speech anxiety. She may seem tough, but she really cares and is a great teacher.

Pretty hard, but not impossible unless you simply can't speak in public. Extremely organized, and taught mostly in small groups by TA's, so they're relatable. The 2 tests were unreasonably hard, which is why I got an A- instead of an A. Beware: one group speech. The other 2 are individual and you have to put in effort and research to meet req.

I really enjoyed this class, however you really need to put in the work. You also need to be comfortable with public speaking (or get comfortable with it quick). The feedback and small groups have a unique approach to this course that made it enjoyable and easier to navigate however it is a heavy load.

Great professor, she's a tough grader, but she only does it to see you grow. She gives good feedback, she literally tells it to you straight, which I appreciate. The work's not that hard, but that's just me since I'm used to the workload--this is my third year. Easy grade if you actually want to get better at public speaking.

I took Hays' class in 2022 Spring and she was a great professor. She is pretty meticulous on presentation and report grades, but didn't matter too much as long as you did your in-class, homework, and project work well enough. Be thorough but brief for presentation and reports. Work hard and show your interest, she'll notice and work with you well.

I do not understand where all these negative reviews about her come from. It's so obvious that she cares about seeing her students succeed. She is a generous grader and gave very constructive feedback. She is the clearest instructor that I've ever had, and also has by far the best canvas page I've ever had. Very useful class, highly recommend.

Jennifer's section class is revolved around 4 speeches, she is great about making a welcome environment but does get upset if things don't go to plan with her students. Speeches are graded easy if you follow the rubric. Get ready to do research and critique others' speeches. Attendance is mandatory but class is fun to watch others and get inspo.

My favorite professor at western, she is so kind and cares about her students. She makes her classes so interesting and make you want to go to class. There are a lot of readings at first but its easy to manage, as for speeches, her rubrics are clear on what is expected of you. If I took this my first year, it would make me want to major in comms.