Education Commons^™

Perceptions Of Basic Communication Texts: Factors In Student Learning And Textbook Adoption Decisions, Donald D. Yoder, Robert A. Davilla

Basic Communication Course Annual

The purpose of this study is to assess existing pedagogical assumptions about basic communication course textbook features. Two separate surveys were administered to students (N= 1,379) and instructors (N= 118) in basic communication courses at 15 colleges and universities.

The findings of the study are twofold. First, students and teachers differ in their perceptions of usefulness of textbook pedagogical features. Second, students perceive basic course texts to be less difficult and less theoretical though more interesting, enjoyable, relevant, and practical than other introductory course texts. When making publication and text selection decisions, the findings help authors and teachers better choose …

"The Elephant In The Room": Post-Tenure Review, Ronald L. Applbaum

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article examines the tenure systems used in colleges and universities in the U.S. In psychotherapy, a patient who ignores a central reality in his/her personal situation is said to manifest the elephant-in-the-room syndrome. Similarly, in colleges and universities across the nation, many faculty and administrators are ignoring calls for either elimination of tenure or revision of the tenure process. Many policy makers and taxpayers regard tenure as a system that protects faculty members from evaluation. The purposes of this paper are to explore some of the factors leading to calls for post-tenure evaluation, to compare the definitions of post-tenure …

Curricular Fidelity, Diversity With Connection: The Duquesne Experiment, Janie M. Harden Fritz

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article presents information on a conceptual scheme detailing the functions of a communication curriculum applied at the University of Duquesne in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. From an organizational systems perspective the excellence of any academic department is shaped by its relationship to its field, its position and role with regard to the mission of the university setting that forms its particular context, and how it relates to the outside world-the community and larger society that it serves. The nature of the undergraduate curriculum is important not only for disciplinary maintenance but also because it concerns a primary enabling public of the …

Perceptions Of Quality In Journalism And Communications Education: A Delphi Study, Marian A. Smith

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article provides information on a study on the perceptions of quality in journalism and communications education. In many academic disciplines, including communications, accreditation has been the ruling paradigm of quality assurance for many years. Accreditation standards often have been used to measure many characteristics of institutions, but such standards may not be capable of identifying and measuring the true quality of institutional excellence. The study gathered information from a selected group of participants about those characteristics students, faculty and practitioners consider to be necessary components of high quality programs. The study also examined whether the accreditation standards used for …

The Oral Communication Competence Dilemma: Are We Communicating Competently About Speech Communication?, Cathy A. Fleuriet

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article discusses the oral communication competence problem among students in public schools, colleges and universities in the U.S. In response to concerned administrators who question the value of the study of speech communication, communication specialists are providing definitions and assessment of oral communication competence in order to solidify the speech communication discipline's role in ensuring competence among students in higher education. Many of the schools fulfilling the mandate through English/Language Arts courses included initial statements in their documents explaining that the requirement is being met through communication courses. A major problem in monitoring the oral communication competency mandate, such …

Graduate Study In The Communication Discipline: An Extension Of 1994 Directory Data, Michael W. Shelton

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article provides information on the evaluation of communication education programs at the graduate level in the U.S. American society has become virtually obsessed with evaluation and analysis of its educational institutions and programs. Federal investigations have spotlighted a near crisis state in elementary and secondary education. Scholars and investigators within the communication discipline have devoted much effort to the appraisal of instructional programs, particularly at the graduate level. Specific graduate courses, such as argumentation theory have been examined. Specific programs of study, including mass communication have garnered attention. More generally, masters-level programs in speech communication have been evaluated. The …

Using Cognitive Assessment Testing To Evaluate And Improve A University Program In Communication Studies, Michael R. Neer, Joan E. Aitken

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article attempts to demonstrate how cognitive assessment may be used to empower both faculty and students by offering pedagogical and administrative strategies that enhance student learning in the U.S. The faculty limited its cognitive test, the Pre-Communication Assessment Measure to the four competencies--critical thinking, interpersonal, decision-making and theoretical competencies--common to two of five required courses. The components of the cognitive test are: critical thinking competence, interpersonal competence, decision-making competence and theoretical competence.

The Historical Account Of Undergraduate Theatre Curricula's Rise In The Academy, Anne Berkeley

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article discusses the history of post-secondary theatre education in U.S. colleges and universities. The sheer volume and speed of growth of theatre curricula in undergraduate education contradicts the marginal attention it has received by historians of education and theatre. The first phase of collegiate theatre instruction, between 1900 and 1925, grew out of universities' official sanction of extracurricular clubs and productions after the Civil War. As historians of higher education explain it, higher education in the latter half of the nineteenth century initiated a process of democratization and professionalization that provoked radical change and dislocation in the academy. Theatrical …

Are Home Offices Feasible In A University?: Faculty Perceptions Of A Home Office Experiment, Kathy J, Edwards, Richard D. Halley

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article examines faculty perceptions of how the new technologies of E-mail and voice mail that were widely adopted as a result of the home office experiment changed the ways of working and ways of thinking about what is important. The authors discussed both first- and second-level effects of communication technologies in three areas: (1) on faculty interaction both within the department and in the larger campus community, (2) on student/faculty interaction, and (3) on work styles and the ways faculty members think about their work. When the home office project was envisioned, the goal was to use communication technology …

National Preferences In Business And Communication Education: A Survey Update, Jerry L. Winsor, Dan B. Curtis, Ronald D. Stephens

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article discusses the results of a survey in the U.S. regarding national preferences in business and communication education. From the results of this and the previous study, it appears that the skills most valued in the contemporary job-entry market are communication skills. The skills of listening, oral communication (both interpersonal and public), written communication and the trait of enthusiasm are indicated to be the most important. Again, it would appear to follow that university officials wishing to be of the greatest help to their graduates in finding employment would make sure that basic competencies in oral and written communication …

Using The Internship As A Tool For Assessment: A Case Study, Beverly Graham, Pamela G. Bourland-Davis, Hal W. Fulmer

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article presents a case study involving public relations internship letters that were used to generate a checklist for the assessment process. The case study suggests three key points about the usefulness of internships in assessment. First, the internship can be translated into empirical results, greatly assisting those individuals who directly shape the public relations program. This empiricism should also be advantageous when confronting non-program administrators (deans, vice-presidents) with the need for additional human and physical resources. Second, this case study highlights the significant confluence that occurs between the program administrator (the faculty typically), the students of the program, and …

The Department Chair: A Symbolic Perspective And Some Implications, D. F. Treadwell

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

Discusses the role of department chair in universities and colleges. Assuming appropriate academic qualifications, most institutional requirements for a department chair are academic leadership, administrative leadership, successful teaching, active scholarship, and in some cases professional experience. Because teaching and scholarship are normally expected of all faculty, the broad roles that seem unique to the chair are academic and administrative leadership, resource acquisition and allocation, and constituent relationships/boundary spanning. In summary, the rhetorical ability to develop appropriate symbolic structures for departments is the essence of the chair's role and a way to reconcile the many tensions inherent in the job; conventional …

Front Cover

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Author Information

Basic Communication Course Annual

Biographical information about those who contributed scholarly content to this issue.

Ua11/1 A New Level Of Excellence With A Personal Touch, Wku Public Affairs

WKU Archives Records

Promotional booklet about WKU, includes students Joy Greer, Brian Bixler, Shelley Stephens, Christian Karlsson, Chris Powers, alumni Becky Baker, Terry Wilcutt, Thomas George, Sean Dollman and president Thomas Meredith.

Ua12/8 Chief News, Wku Police

WKU Archives Records

WKU Police departmental newsletters for 1997.

1997 Miracle Yearbook, Cedarville College

Yearbooks

No abstract provided.

Ua35/11 Student Honors Research Bulletin, Wku Honors Program

WKU Archives Records

The WKU Student Honors Research Bulletin is dedicated to scholarly involvement and student research. These papers are representative of work done by students from throughout the university.

• Bullington, Brittany. A History of the Piano Girl and Her Accomplishments: Women and Music in Nineteenth-Century England
• Ellis, Joseph. The Howl of the Mob: Adapting to Violence in Somalia
• Farrar, Mary. Expectations of Family Physicians: Perceptions of the Doctor and Patient
• Freeman, Tracy. Martha Gellhorn: The Hemingway Years
• Guillory, Anne. The Flemish Mare: Anne of Cleves
• Jordan, Pat. Marketing a Deadly Addiction to Youths
• Marx, Sarah. Comic Books: Carnage in Living Color
• May, …

Ua21/1 Access & Opportunities, Wku Equal Opportunity / 504 / Ada Compliance

WKU Archives Records

This publication is meant to be a key resource for students with disabilities who are attending Western Kentucky University. This guidebook contains valuable information that will direct students to the tools and resources necessary to gain access to programs and services at the University.

Editorial Board

Basic Communication Course Annual

Editors and manuscript reviewers for Basic Communication Course Annual Vol. 9 (1997)

Editorial Policy

Basic Communication Course Annual

The Editor and the Basic Course Commission invite submissions to the considered for publication in the Basic Communication Course Annual. The Annual is distributed nationally to scholars and educators interested in the basic communication course. Articles are accepted for review throughout the year for publication consideration. Manuscripts exploring significant issues for the basic course, research in the basic course, instructional practices, graduate assistant training, classroom teaching tips, or the status, role, and future of the basic communication course are invited. It is incumbent on contributors to establish a position on how the work they seek to have published advances knowledge …

Contents

Basic Communication Course Annual

Table of contents and abstracts for all articles in the volume

Culture Shock In The Basic Communication Course: A Case Study Of Malaysian Students, Eunkyong Lee Yook

Basic Communication Course Annual

Malaysian students compose a large student group coming to the U.S. for higher education. Despite these numbers, however, there has been little attention given to their culture shock in the classroom. The present study investigates the concerns of Malaysian students in the basic communication course. Through interviews with Malaysian students, this study concludes that Malaysian students perceive having three major problems in presenting speeches in basic communication courses.

The first problem is the language barrier. Another is that certain nonverbal behaviors such as gesturing and talking in a loud tone are seen as disrespectful in their culture. Third, they have …

Two Heads Are Better Than One? Setting Realizable Goals In The Basic Course, Glen Williams

Basic Communication Course Annual

Establishing goals is central to the success of the basic course. The degree to which those goals are realized depends, in large measure, upon the manner in which they are established and reviewed. This article assists course directors and instructional staff by examining the process of defining objectiveness, a process which encompasses goals, mission, and vision and which benefits from widespread, active involvement. This article presents sample objectives for consideration, and it notes the conditions under which the process of defining objectives thrives or is threatened.

Faculty Instructional Development And Oral Communication In Freshman Seminars At The College Of William And Mary, Tamara Louise Burk

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Co-Opertition: Competitive Communication Behavior During A Cooperative Task, Daniel M. Hlavac

Masters Theses

A combined effort of two classes at separate universities was examined. Each class boasted six groups which were paired with another group at the other university. These teams used computer mediated communication to engage in a cooperative task. The communications between groups were analyzed using conversational analytic techniques to reveal a competitive communication pattern. The results show that a lack of communication can produce competitive behaviors even in situations intended to nurture cooperation. Future concerns should focus on teaching groups to use computer mediated communication (CMC) to its fullest potential by recognizing and accounting for the critical differences between CMC …