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Education Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Higher Education

Western Michigan University

2020

Instructional communication

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Education

Wiser Assessment: A Communication Program Assessment Framework, Michael G. Strawser, Lindsay Neuberger Jan 2020

Wiser Assessment: A Communication Program Assessment Framework, Michael G. Strawser, Lindsay Neuberger

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Learning outcome assessment is a fairly recent trend in higher education that began in the 1980s (Lubinescu et al., 2001). Today, many faculty perceive assessment reporting to be tedious, time-consuming, and irrelevant busywork (Wang & Hurley, 2012). Unfortunately, this systematic process created to use empirical evidence to measure, document, and improve student learning has in many cases lost sight of this central goal. As a result, faculty may be justified in their opinions about it. This essay proposes a framework for addressing this thorny issue via WISER. WISER is an acronym for five content pillars of the communication discipline faculty …


Project-Based Learning: Lessons Learned With Teaching The Non-Communication Majors, Sarah Leblanc Jan 2020

Project-Based Learning: Lessons Learned With Teaching The Non-Communication Majors, Sarah Leblanc

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Family communication, as an upper-level communication course, attracts communication majors and students studying in other disciplines. As such, instructors employ pedagogies that appeal to both majors and non-majors. This essay reflects on how I used project-based learning (PBL) in a family communication course filled with mostly non-majors. The essay highlights my rationale for choosing PBL, provides an explanation of the PBL activity, describes how PBL addresses two key problems I experienced in teaching the family communication course, and offers conclusions regarding lessons learned.


You May Call Me Professor: Professor Form Of Address In Email Communication And College Student Reactions To Not Knowing What To Call Their Professors, Grace M. Hildenbrand, Evan K. Perrault, Taylor M. Devine Jan 2020

You May Call Me Professor: Professor Form Of Address In Email Communication And College Student Reactions To Not Knowing What To Call Their Professors, Grace M. Hildenbrand, Evan K. Perrault, Taylor M. Devine

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This experimental study tested whether a professor’s form of address (FOA) and email signature influenced students’ perceptions of the professor’s credibility, approachability, and likability. Guided by communication accommodation theory, the study investigated the likelihood that students would reciprocate a professor’s FOA in email communication. Participants were randomly assigned to one of seven conditions varying by professor FOA (doctor, professor, first name) and email signature (present or not), with a signature only control condition. Results indicated students were more likely to reciprocate the FOA when an email signature was not present. Open-ended responses suggested students perceive instructors more positively when instructors …