Education Commons^™

Encouraging Feedback In The Large College Class: The Use Of A Question/Comment Box, Sandi W. Smith, Jenifer E. Kopfman, James Ahyun

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article examines the use of a question/comment box in a large course, as a communication strategy to enhance student participation and involvement in the said courses. Specifically, the categories into which questions and comments were coded are reported, and examples of actual messages received are included. In addition, the results of a questionnaire that assessed student perceptions of involvement, instructor quality, course quality, and learning as a result of the question/comment box are reported for male and female lower-division and upper-division students.

Scientific Management In Higher Education: Concerns And Using Collaborative School Management To Improve Communication, Chas Koermer, John Petelle

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article discusses problems associated with using scientific management in the improvement of communication in higher education in the U.S. Within the spectrum of higher education, it is reasonable to assume that a degree of hierarchical control permeates. That is, every member reports to some higher authority and receives direction from the authority. The faculty member is involved in roles of both management and governance requiring participation in both endeavors. This approach to management is also countenanced in the academic arena exemplified by verbal directives. The paper bureaucracy is another burdensome aspect of scientific management that exists in higher education.

Teaching Communication Behaviors/Skills Related To Cultural Diversity In The Basic Course Classroom, Nancy Rost Goulden

Basic Communication Course Annual

Basic course educators find themselves responsible for a number of new and often difficult curricular decisions that come from the awareness of changing student populations and needs. The impetus for curricular change based on response to cultural diversity issues differs somewhat from some curriculum movements in recent history. Most waves of curricular modification occur after and as a response to some disruptive event such as the publication of A Nation at Risk, the launching of Sputnik, the passage of the GI Bill. In the present ease, educators are not put in a position of damage control or crises management. Although …

Author Information

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Introduction To Cultural Diversity In The Basic Course: Differing Points Of View, Lawrence W. Hugenberg

Basic Communication Course Annual

The scholars participated in the one-day seminar and submitted their papers for wider dissemination through the Basic Communication Course Annual. Each participant approaches cultural diversity in the basic communication course from their own frame of reference.

The manuscripts include theoretical approaches to cultural diversity, rationales for the importance of integrating cultural diversity in the basic course, teaching tips and assignments for integrating diversity, and an analysis of some textbooks specifically prepared for the basic communication course.

Cultural Pluralism: Language Proficiency, Bayo Oludaja, Connie Honken

Basic Communication Course Annual

In response to the growing diversity of the U. S. society, many institutions of higher learning are making some adjustments in their programs. For instance, Levine and Cureton (1992) claim that "54% of all colleges and universities have introduced multiculturalism into their departmental course offerings" (p. 26). They specifically identify English and history as leaders in this endeavor. As communication educators, we cannot afford to ignore the challenges of cultural pluralism in the basic course.

The Speech Of Diversity: A Tool To Integrate Cultural Diversity Into The Basic Course, Deanna D. Sellnow, Robert S. Littlefield

Basic Communication Course Annual

The Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education (1991) documented the demographics of the changing university population and supported the earlier findings of the American Council on Education's study that within the next fifteen years, one-third of the nation will be people of color. As representatives of these diverse groups enter higher education, institutions will be forced to transform their curricula to address and meet the needs of this growing constituency. As Garr (1992) suggested: "The question is no longer whether students should learn about diverse cultures, but how" (p. 31). Cultural diversity is "one of the largest, most urgent challenges …

The Differential Impact Of A Basic Public Speaking Course On Perceived Communication Competencies In Class, Work, And Social Contexts, Michael W. Kramer, J. S. Hinton

Basic Communication Course Annual

Communication departments generally choose between a public speaking and a hybrid course of their basic course. Previous research has shown that students' perceptions of their communication competencies increase after completing a hybrid course (Ford & Wolvin, 1992, 1993). After noting similarities between public speaking and hybrid courses, this study examines students' perceptions of their competencies after completing a public a speaking course.

Results indicated that students' perceptions of their competencies changed significantly in class, work, and social contacts in such areas as public speaking, interpersonal and group communication, interviewing, listening, and self-confidence. The largest gains were in perceptions of their …

[En]Visioning Success: The Anatomy And Functions Of Vision In The Basic Course, Glen Williams

Basic Communication Course Annual

The success of the basic course depends largely upon a vision that values the course and its place in the undergraduate curriculum, emphasizes the necessity of ongoing training and development of teaching assistants and other instructors, and that values the scholarship that will enhance those efforts as well as improve instruction.

Facilitated by a participative style of leadership, the vision and the process of visioning helps to forge group consciousness and dedication, and it helps to clarify tasks, enabling peak performance. The vision also acquaints outsiders with the course and its goals in a manner likely to foster appreciation and …

Contents

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Diversity In The Public Speaking Course: Beyond Audience Adaption, Christine Kelly

Basic Communication Course Annual

Most approaches to public speaking are based on the works of Plato, Aristotle and other classical Greek scholars and have not been updated to include the views of women or minority scholars who can make great contributions to our understanding of rhetoric and public speaking (Gregory, 1993; Hanna and Gibson, 1989; Osborn and Osborn, 1994). The few attempts that have been made to include women and minorities in textbooks are generally limited to the inclusion of a speech or two by a woman or minority speaker or hints on how to be sensitive to gender and culture issues in audience …

Basic Communication Course Annual Vol. 8

Basic Communication Course Annual

(207 Pages, 7.696 MB)

Title Page

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Editorial Board

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Students Who Stutter And The Basic Course: Attitudes And Communication Strategies For The College Classroom, Bryan B. Whaley, Aimée Langlois

Basic Communication Course Annual

Individuals who stutter are erroneously perceived by those who do not as having undesirable personality traits. As a result, those who stutter are discriminated against in social situations, in the workplace and, of special concern here, college classrooms. However, the college experience for those who stutter can be enhanced when they are provided with a communication atmosphere that meets their needs. This essay, therefore, argues the necessity for communication instructors to have a basic understanding of stuttering, and provides strategies for meeting the classroom communicative needs of students who stutter.

Rethinking The Role Of Theory In The Basic Course: Taking A 'Practical' Approach To Communication Education, Shawn Spano

Basic Communication Course Annual

This essay advances a particular form of communication theory, known as "practical theory," and illustrates how it can be integrated into the basic course. A practical approach to theory involves the "rational reconstruction of practices" such that the events studied and the principles used to study those events co-evolve through the act of theorizing and the actual performance of communication. The essay examines some of the obstacles prohibiting the use of practical theory and provides a model and extended example for illustrating how the practical approach can be used in the basic communication course.

Rethinking Our Rethinking Retrospectively: A Rejoinder To Spano, Mark Hickson Iii

Basic Communication Course Annual

After reading Spano's (1996) essay several times, I was struck by the title of the work in opposition to its substance. When I read "practical" approach in the title, I first thought that the discussion would progress (or regress) into the work of Watzlawick, Beavin, and Jackson (1967) and their "pragmatics," or perhaps even further back to the pragmatic philosophy of Peirce (Houser & Kloesel, 1992). However, nowhere in the paper did I find these works mentioned. As I reread the paper, I detected a vocabulary that was more reminiscent of phenomenology than pragmatism: "here-and-now," "situated communication action," "embodied persons," …

Should Class Participation Be Required In The Basic Communication Course?, Jennifer Wood

Basic Communication Course Annual

This article explores the purpose of the class participation requirement in the basic communication course. In it the following arguments are developed: 1) Class participation is not an effective measure of students' abilities nor does the requirement encourage students to participate in class. 2) Class participation is better conceptualized as a skill which can be taught to students. If instructors require students to participate in their classes, instructors are obligated to teach students how to participate. 3) The basic communication course offers an excellent framework for teaching students the class participation skills.

The Basic Course: A Means Of Protecting The Speech Communication Discipline, Charlene J. Handford

Basic Communication Course Annual

During the summer of 1995, Spectra included articles and news items regarding speech communication programs designated for elimination. Some leaders in the discipline warned that this trend would likely continue.

This article argues that departments of communication, operating under federal and state requirements for communication competency, may be well advised to work toward establishing the basic course as the sole fulfillment of their institutions' core requirement in communication and to plan a marketing strategy for their discipline. In addition, this paper suggests that the basic course, taught as public speaking, may be more easily defended in meeting the course requirement, …

Call For Papers And Editorial Philosophy

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Meeting The Challenge Of Cultural Diversity: Ideas And Issues For The Public Speaking Course, Kimberly A. Powell

Basic Communication Course Annual

Cultural diversity has become a central concern at most levels of education. The term itself has become so accepted and commonplace that we often do not stop to ask what cultural diversity means for our respective fields. R. Roosevelt Thomas Jr., president of the American Institute for Managing Diversity at Morehouse College in Atlanta, defines diversity as building "systems and a culture that unite different people in a common pursuit without undermining their diversity. It's taking differences into account while developing a cohesive whole" (Gordon, 1992, p. 23). This seems a fruitful way to view cultural diversity in communication education. …

Telecommunications Research Article Productivity In The U.S.: 1985-1993, David Atkin

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article discusses the telecommunications research article productivity in the U.S. from 1985 to 1993. Scholars have intensified their focus on research productivity as an evaluative measure of communication programs in the country. Such information seems especially important in an era of fiscal austerity measures dating to the late 1980, which has seen enrollments in mass communication decline. Although scholarly productivity may not be a remedy for troubled programs, past work confirms a link between productivity and program size which acts as a hedge against downsizing.

Censorship Of The Collegiate Presses, Serjit Kasior, Ed Darrah

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

An essay on the effects censorship policies being implemented by the U.S. government on rulings made by the judiciary system. There are those who still refuse to accept the fact that the U.S. judiciary system has determined both students and faculty members have the constitutional right to express their individual or collective thoughts to all people within or outside of their communities. Censorship has been imposed upon university student newspapers throughout the country despite the aforementioned U.S. federal judiciary rulings. Administration-sponsored censorship policies have been instituted by those refusing to accept the fact that bad news occurs on their campuses.

Factors Affecting Affiliate Station Loyalty Towards Broadcast Television Networks, Carolyn A. Lin

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article examines factors that may influence the future ties between television networks and their affiliate stations. In particular, it examines affiliate loyalty, or willingness to maintain symbiotic relations with their affiliated network. Due to the sparsity of theories addressing network affiliate relations, several factors were broadly clustered into financial, organizational and programming components and developed as proxy measures to assess network-affiliate ties. Results suggest the importance of network entertainment offerings in the network affiliate relations. Such a finding is consistent with conventional industry wisdom, as entertainment programs bring in compensation as well as a large chunk of local advertising …

A Comparison Of Leadership Practices Used By Male And Female Communication Department Chairpersons, Trudy L. Hanson

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article compares the leadership practices used by male and female communication department chairpersons in the U.S. The position of academic department chair has the potential to be one which most influences faculty, and yet it remains the most underrated position in a college or university. The problem to be explored in leadership in higher education is the participation of women. Research in the communication behavior of men and women managers has revealed that neither men nor women seemed to favor characteristics defined as feminine. Women in higher education seem to face a much more difficult path to tenure than …

Scans And The "Goals 2,000: Educate America Act" -- External Validation For Expanding Communication Instruction Requirements Across The Undergraduate Core Curriculum, Craig Newburger

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article discusses the role of the Goals 2,000: Educate America Act in expanding communication instruction requirement across the undergraduate core curriculum. The act provides funds to underwrite states development and implementation of content and performance standards and associated assessment methodologies directed towards helping students meet nationally determined academic and occupational skill standards. The National Council on Education Standards and Testing recommended the development of education standards that will provide direction for voluntary compliance by the states. The speech communication field has been actively involved in developing a national assessment agenda and corresponding communication skills assessment instruments and methodologies.

The Politics Of Undergraduate Curricula In A Downsizing Culture: A Primer For Department Chairs, Mark Hickson Iii

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article discusses the political factors affecting the decision making regarding the curricula in higher education in the U.S. The courses taught in a department provide the campus community with a perception of the department, but curricular decisions must first be made within the department. The department should agree about a total number of courses in the curriculum. The department should have an understanding of administrative perspectives on curricula. Curricula development should be discussed with faculty in other departments that may feel communication studies in infringing on their subject matter.

Research Productivity And Positive Teaching Evaluations: Examining The Relationship Using Meta-Analysis, Mike Allen

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article reports on the importance of research as a standard for tenure and merit for college professors. The reasons for increasing the emphasis on research are probably several and varied depending on the various internal pressures of the institution. Another issue involves the separation that a research emphasis creates between the student and the instructor. The alternative line of argument suggests a connection between research productivity and teaching quality. Research shows not only knowledge but shows a dedication to the content and material not possible for a person that only teaches.

A Description Of Merger Applied To The Montana State University Context, Stephen L. Coffman

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article reports on the description of merger applied to the Montana State University context. Eastern was renamed on July 1, 1994, as Montana State University (MSU)-Billings. The Billings Vocational Technical Institution was then merged with MSU-Billings, and renamed the College of Technology. There is considerable debate on campus as to the nature of the merger. There is also potential benefit for students in this merger. MSU-Billings should be better able to attract the best students if enough of these positive outcomes are realized. The final positive outcome of the merger to be presented concerns the public. If history and …

A Response To "A Description Of Merger Applied To The Montana State University Context", Robert P. Sexton

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article presents a comment on the study A Description of Merger Applied to the Montana State University Context. The Merging section reflects quite accurately on key issues from the perspective of students, parents, staff, taxpayers, alumni, and the general public. The manuscript section focused upon the Eastern Montana College-Montana State University merger presents many excellent insights into the merger/affiliation process that were and continue to be real experiences and perceptions, accurate or inaccurate, of an institution being forced into the merger/affiliation. The merger/affiliation process appears to have produced modes, positive shifts in public perceptions regarding the Montana University System. …