The history of the basic course in speech communication in college shows that it has maintained a continued emphasis on public speaking and that change has been slow. A review of the literature revealed that the course has been typically viewed as a public speaking course taught in self-contained sections with one instructor responsible for teaching 20-25 students. While theoretical rifts abound, major deviations from the predominance of public speaking are found in isolated situations only. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the emphasis did not change; however, a significant change has taken place in the basic course as a result of pragmatic issues. Economics, in particular, have encouraged the use of more graduate assistants and have forced departments to look for ways to increase enrollments without sacrificing quality. In the 1980s experimentation was done with a new teaching technique called Personalized System of Instruction (PSI)--a format which uses large groups of students (often 70 or more) with one instructor. Continued experimentation with new formats for instruction and research into optimal learning of communication skills appear to be called for. (Thirty-seven references are attached.) (KEH)