In the personalized system of instruction (PSI) used in beginning communication courses at George Mason University (Virginia), the students do more than read text materials and master cognitive course objectives. They are encouraged to have experiences that reinforce what they read and to consider how these experiences relate to everyday life. The students are also required to do a substantial amount of writing. The COMM 100 Introduction to Communication course is a survey course with several goals for students: (1) to learn basic principles of communication, specifically, interpersonal, intercultural, group, public, and persuasive communication; (2) to communicate in order to reinforce newly learned ideas; (3) to master minimal skills of public speaking; (4) to write graded and ungraded assignments; and (5) to understand the concept of free speech. To achieve these goals, students work at their own pace, proceeding to the next phase of the course without necessarily having mastered the previous phase. Many PSI courses rely heavily on testing, but this course has only three required examinations--required ungraded self-check tests--plus optional unit quizzes. The course also includes group work, which inhibits the self-paced nature of the course but reinforces the ideas learned through experiencing the act of communication. (Syllabus, course objectives, outlines for special projects, and a sample self-check test with answers are appended.) (SRT)