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A Professing Parent's Reflection On The Covid Classroom And Research Illustrates The Full Utility Of Communication Pedagogy, Robin S. Mathis
A Professing Parent's Reflection On The Covid Classroom And Research Illustrates The Full Utility Of Communication Pedagogy, Robin S. Mathis
Journal of Communication Pedagogy
This essay uses an ethnonarrative method to illustrate why and how to communicate compassion in the K–12, college, and workplace classroom during a pandemic. Reflecting on my experiences as a parent and professor, my students’ journal entries March–May 2020, and field research notes, I conclude that the feeling of powerlessness in the classroom and compassion within the organization creates an innovative ethnonarrative research opportunity for the Journal of Communication Pedagogy reader. Ultimately, my reflection as a parent and professor emphasized the value of communication pedagogy. Ultimately, I argue that practitioners in traditional classrooms, as well as the workplace, can advance …
Lessons From The Pandemic: Engaging Wicked Problems With Transdisciplinary Deliberation, Miles C. Coleman, Susana C. Santos, Joy M. Cypher, Claude Krummenacher, Robert Fleming
Lessons From The Pandemic: Engaging Wicked Problems With Transdisciplinary Deliberation, Miles C. Coleman, Susana C. Santos, Joy M. Cypher, Claude Krummenacher, Robert Fleming
Journal of Communication Pedagogy
Some crises, such as those brought on or exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, are wicked problems—large, complex problems with no immediate answer. As such, they make rich centerpieces for learning with respect to public deliberation and issue-based dialogue. This essay reflects on an experimental, transdisciplinary health and science communication course entitled Comprehending COVID-19. The course represents a collaborative effort among 14 faculty representing 10 different academic departments to create a resource for teaching students how to deliberate the pandemic, despite its attending, oversaturated, fake-news-infused, infodemic. We offer transdisciplinary deliberation as a pedagogical framework to expand communication repertoires in ways useful …
Encouraging College Student Democratic Engagement Through A Collaborative Voter, Angela M. Mcgowan-Kirsch
Encouraging College Student Democratic Engagement Through A Collaborative Voter, Angela M. Mcgowan-Kirsch
Journal of Communication Pedagogy
Drawing on challenges I experienced when teaching a political communication course, I designed an upper-level undergraduate course with the objective of developing students’ civic competence and democratic engagement. The major class assignment, which is the focal point of this best practices essay, was a four-step collaborative voter mobilization project designed and executed by undergraduate students. I use research, classroom conversations, and student observations to discuss four best practices for encouraging students to participate in electoral politics: (a) fostering political efficacy, (b) peer-to-peer learning, (c) experiential learning, and (d) learning through reflection. This essay breaks a four-step collaborative voting mobilization project …
Toward An Invitational Andragogy: Articulating A Teaching Philosophy For The Andragogic Classroom, Whitney Tipton, Stephanie Wideman
Toward An Invitational Andragogy: Articulating A Teaching Philosophy For The Andragogic Classroom, Whitney Tipton, Stephanie Wideman
Journal of Communication Pedagogy
Students older than 25 years are a growing population on our campuses. However, separating these students and labeling them as “nontraditional” further isolates them from campuses that are already geared toward younger learners. This reflective essay explains the need for a philosophy of invitational andragogy—a classroom approach rooted in invitational rhetoric (S. Foss & Griffin, 1995) and Knowles’s assumptions about older learners (1980, 1984). While inviting transformation is important in all classrooms, it is especially important for older learners who often feel separated from the campus at large. To explain how an invitational approach to the andragogic classroom can be …
Toward A New Community Of Care: Best Practices For Educators And Administrators During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Cody M. Clemens, Tomeka M. Robinson
Toward A New Community Of Care: Best Practices For Educators And Administrators During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Cody M. Clemens, Tomeka M. Robinson
Journal of Communication Pedagogy
The onset of COVID-19 left people feeling unsettled, confused, and afraid of what tomorrow may hold. As university professors specializing in health communication, we too were left with these same feelings. As health communication scholars, we focus on issues surrounding illness, risk, crisis, care, health inequities, and wellness. COVID-19 is a health crisis, yes, but it has also changed the way we operate not only in higher education but in daily life. We begin this essay with an overview of COVID-19 and its impact on students, educators, and administrators. Then, we suggest four best practices to foster a community of …
Pandemic Pedagogy: Elements Of Online Supportive Course Design, Nate Brophy, Melissa A. Broeckelman-Post, Karin Nordin, Angela D. Miller, Michelle Buehl, Jeff Vomund
Pandemic Pedagogy: Elements Of Online Supportive Course Design, Nate Brophy, Melissa A. Broeckelman-Post, Karin Nordin, Angela D. Miller, Michelle Buehl, Jeff Vomund
Journal of Communication Pedagogy
The purpose of this study was to identify which course design elements students perceive as supporting an easier transition to emergency remote teaching due to COVID-19, as well as to use those items to develop the Online Supportive Course Design (OSCD) measure. By asking students to rate their course with the easiest transition and hardest transition to emergency remote teaching, this study identified which structural elements were most important for supporting students during the transition. Using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, a seven-item measure was developed to operationalize OSCD, and initial validity was established by examining the relationships between OSCD, …
"It's Been A Good Reminder That Students Are Human Beings": An Exploratory Inquiry Of Instructors’ Rhetorical And Relational Goals During Covid-19, Victoria Mcdermott, Drew T. Ashby-King
"It's Been A Good Reminder That Students Are Human Beings": An Exploratory Inquiry Of Instructors’ Rhetorical And Relational Goals During Covid-19, Victoria Mcdermott, Drew T. Ashby-King
Journal of Communication Pedagogy
As colleges and universities moved to remote learning during the Spring 2020 semester due to COVID-19, the traditional higher education classroom format was challenged. This study examines how instructors reconceptualized their rhetorical and relational goals in the pandemic classroom. A thematic analysis of 68 qualitative survey responses revealed that instructors adapted their rhetorical and relational approaches to instruction due to a perceived change in students’ needs. Moreover, findings suggest that instructors intend to continue to use many of these instructional changes in their post-pandemic classrooms. These conclusions confirm that instructors should consider contextual factors not only during but also after …
Invisibility As Modern Racism: Redressing The Experience Of Indigenous Learners In Higher Education, Amy R. May, Victoria Mcdermott
Invisibility As Modern Racism: Redressing The Experience Of Indigenous Learners In Higher Education, Amy R. May, Victoria Mcdermott
Journal of Communication Pedagogy
Indigenous Peoples represent the smallest group of ethnic minorities in the United States, and they are significantly underrepresented in the academy. The tumultuous relationship between institutions of higher learning and First Nation Peoples can be explained in part by the use of education to colonize and force the assimilation of Native Peoples. The end result of centuries of dehumanization and marginalization is invisibility, “the modern form of racism used against Native Americans” (the American Indian College Fund, 2019, p. 5). Educators are challenged to identify institutional inequities and redress barriers to promote social justice through informed and genuine practice, indigenization, …
“No Justice, No Peace”: Yard Signs As Public Pedagogy And Community Engagement At The Intersection Of Public Health Crises, Brigitte Mussack
“No Justice, No Peace”: Yard Signs As Public Pedagogy And Community Engagement At The Intersection Of Public Health Crises, Brigitte Mussack
Journal of Communication Pedagogy
This paper examines yard signs as a site for public pedagogy that engages two concurrent, and comorbid, public health crises: the COVID-19 pandemic and racism. Specifically, I reflect on how yard signs responding to the George Floyd murder in my own Minneapolis neighborhood exist during a kairotic moment; as myself and my students are increasingly confined to our own homes, and as the boundaries between school and home are blurred, the public health crisis of racism and the specific community response of yard signs present opportunities for examining how these signs can act as entry points into difficult conversations among …
Pedagogy, Protests, And Moving Toward Progress, Nannetta Durnell-Uwechue, Deandre J. Poole, Felton O. Best
Pedagogy, Protests, And Moving Toward Progress, Nannetta Durnell-Uwechue, Deandre J. Poole, Felton O. Best
Journal of Communication Pedagogy
Our world is in constant flux and educators are at the ship’s helm steering toward what former U.S. Representative John Lewis called “good trouble.” However, in many cases, educators lack the training required to be most effective in doing so. As instructors face student demands to address topics on race and social justice, many educators are unsure about how to respond appropriately to the chants of “No Justice, No Peace!” Thus, this essay explores humanistic and pragmatic approaches for doing so in terms of fostering cultural communication competence when incorporating topics on race and social justice issues in the classroom.
Connection Over Correction: Engaging Students In Conversational Commitments For Effective Communication Across Difference And Difficulty, Jennifer Sandoval
Connection Over Correction: Engaging Students In Conversational Commitments For Effective Communication Across Difference And Difficulty, Jennifer Sandoval
Journal of Communication Pedagogy
In light of a national reckoning with racism in the U.S., many instructors are assessing their own pedagogical practices with regard to handling these topics in their classrooms. In developing my authentic teaching philosophy over the course of 18 years, I have adapted many practices I used in my prior career in dispute resolution. To clarify, I center classroom engagement around what Hart (2007) describes as “a pedagogy of interiority.” Classroom engagement focuses on connection rather than correction as we help students develop their “authentic inner potentials” (p. 2). I regularly challenge myself to invite students to develop their authentic …
Unpacking Privilege In Pandemic Pedagogy: Social Media Debates On Power Dynamics Of Online Education, Roy Schwartzman
Unpacking Privilege In Pandemic Pedagogy: Social Media Debates On Power Dynamics Of Online Education, Roy Schwartzman
Journal of Communication Pedagogy
As one of the world’s major social media hubs dedicated to online education during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Facebook mega-group Pandemic Pedagogy provides a panoramic perspective of the key concerns educators and students face amid a public health crisis that forces redefinition of what constitutes effective education. After several months of instruction under pandemic conditions, two central themes emerged as the most extensively discussed and the most intensively contested: (1) rigor versus accommodation in calibrating standards for students, and (2) ways to improve engagement during classes conducted through videoconferencing, especially via Zoom. Both themes reveal deeply embedded systems of privilege …
What Covid-19 Taught Us About Pedagogy And Social Justice—Pandemic Or Not, Brandi Lawless, Yea-Wen Chen
What Covid-19 Taught Us About Pedagogy And Social Justice—Pandemic Or Not, Brandi Lawless, Yea-Wen Chen
Journal of Communication Pedagogy
The COVID-19 pandemic (in conjunction with the Black Lives Matter Movement) exposed pervasive inequities, challenges, and opportunities to explore and implement “best” pedagogical practices to improve how we address social justice issues. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic intensified intergenerational gaps for the already vulnerable, under-resourced, and marginalized in our society. In response, we propose four “best practices” to embrace in our classrooms. These are: (a) fostering flexibility to bridge equity gaps; (b) rethinking the pedagogical panopticon; (c) emphasizing listening to and affirming students’ struggles; and (d) employing student-centered accountability. The authors detail some specific inequalities that were brought to the surface …
Community Colleges And Covid-19: An Exploration Of Challenges And Inequities, Tammy Bosley, Holly R. Custer
Community Colleges And Covid-19: An Exploration Of Challenges And Inequities, Tammy Bosley, Holly R. Custer
Journal of Communication Pedagogy
COVID-19 drastically changed many aspects of life in the U.S. and most certainly changed standard operating procedures in higher education. Moving all classes completely online created numerous challenges not only for students, but also for faculty. For students, these challenges included issues related to physical and mental health, job loss, and caregiving, as well as access to internet and even access to a home computer. Faculty also faced challenges. For example, many colleges and universities rely on adjunct faculty who are compensated on a course-by-course basis. Although most institutions provided faculty development sessions to make a smooth transition to online …
Incorporating Virtual Reality Training In An Introductory Public Speaking Course, Kevin Kryston, Henry Goble, Allison Eden
Incorporating Virtual Reality Training In An Introductory Public Speaking Course, Kevin Kryston, Henry Goble, Allison Eden
Journal of Communication Pedagogy
This study presents the results of two studies using a virtual reality (VR) public-speaking training simulation as an instructional aid in a basic communication course. Results from the first study suggest that VR practice was associated with higher subsequent speech delivery grades in the course compared to no practice. However, VR practice did not reduce public speaking anxiety (PSA). In a follow-up study, VR practice was compared with other forms of lab-based practice including in front of a mirror and a recorded video session. All forms of lab practice (VR, mirror, or video) were associated with higher speech grades than …
Eureka: Identifying What It Means To Practice Student- Centered Teaching In A Hypermodern Age, Audra Diers-Lawson
Eureka: Identifying What It Means To Practice Student- Centered Teaching In A Hypermodern Age, Audra Diers-Lawson
Journal of Communication Pedagogy
Contemporary professional reports and research suggest that in corporate communication and related programs, we are not creating environments for modern students to thrive nor are we meeting the industry’s expectations in a ‘hypermodern’ world. Using personal ethnography, this article to analyzes industry-articulated limitations in the knowledge and skill sets of new communication practitioners, reviews contemporary literature identifying the learning needs of today’s students, and proposes a set of best practices based on the literature and the author’s own journey as a higher education practitioner of 20 years. Best practices identified incorporate elements of entertainment, engagement, and an ‘open-world’ approach that …
Variations On Exposure Therapy: Best Practices For Managing Public Speaking Anxiety In The Online Communication Classroom, Sarah K. Chorley
Variations On Exposure Therapy: Best Practices For Managing Public Speaking Anxiety In The Online Communication Classroom, Sarah K. Chorley
Journal of Communication Pedagogy
Exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy techniques offer unique opportunities for comprehensive management of public speaking anxiety in the online public speaking classroom beyond exposure to only the speech-giving act itself. This best practices article outlines nontraditional strategies for incorporating ERP practices in a distance-learning setting.
Defining Feedback: Understanding Students’ Perceptions Of Feedback In The Introductory Communication Course, Drew T. Ashby-King, Raphael Mazzone, Lindsey B. Anderson
Defining Feedback: Understanding Students’ Perceptions Of Feedback In The Introductory Communication Course, Drew T. Ashby-King, Raphael Mazzone, Lindsey B. Anderson
Journal of Communication Pedagogy
Feedback is an essential part of the teaching/learning processes. This statement is especially true in the introductory communication course where students receive feedback throughout the presentational speaking process. This paper explores how students define useful feedback based on 1,600 qualitative questionnaires that asked students about their perceptions of feedback. A thematic analysis of a randomly selected subset of 163 responses uncovered two themes: (1) feedback content characteristics (e.g., specific, constructive, praiseworthy, and purposive) and (2) process of instructor-provided feedback (e.g., iterative, timely). Based on these findings, a set of best practices for providing feedback is offered as a means to …
Toward Improving Physician/Patient Communication Regarding Invisible Chronic Illness (Ici): The Potential Of Mhealth Technology In Instructional Communication, Jami Leigh Warren, Karen Clancy, Christy Brady, Kendall Rump, Tayla New-Oglesby
Toward Improving Physician/Patient Communication Regarding Invisible Chronic Illness (Ici): The Potential Of Mhealth Technology In Instructional Communication, Jami Leigh Warren, Karen Clancy, Christy Brady, Kendall Rump, Tayla New-Oglesby
Journal of Communication Pedagogy
Patients that suffer from invisible chronic illness (ICI) such as autoimmune conditions, neurological conditions, and gastrointestinal problems often struggle to obtain a proper medical diagnosis due to a lack of objective indicators to help health-care providers diagnose patients with ICIs. Thus, researchers conducted interviews with 21 participants with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) to determine what messages they received from health-care providers as they pursued a diagnosis, how they interpreted those messages, and what role mHealth technology may play in improving patient/provider communication and effective diagnosis/treatment of ICIs. Several themes regarding potential instructional communication intervention content emerged from the interview …
Communication Pedagogy: The Coronavirus Pandemic, Ron C. Arnett
Communication Pedagogy: The Coronavirus Pandemic, Ron C. Arnett
Journal of Communication Pedagogy
In this historical moment defined by the coronavirus, the global community struggles with and against a seemingly invisible foe. Students, faculty, and administrators open the blinds on windows in the morning, witnessing the brightness of the sun and seemingly the clarity of a morning welcome. Yet, there lurks, not in the shadows, but in the brightness of the everyday sunshine, the possibility of sickness and death. This responsive essay weaves together my communicative rejoinders to the coronavirus and its implications for this challenging time in human history. I turn to the autoethnographic insights of Art Bochner and Carolyn Ellis (2016) …
Integrative Ethical Education: An Exploratory Investigation Into A Relationally Based Approach To Ethics Education, Drew T. Ashby-King, Karen D. Boyd
Integrative Ethical Education: An Exploratory Investigation Into A Relationally Based Approach To Ethics Education, Drew T. Ashby-King, Karen D. Boyd
Journal of Communication Pedagogy
The purpose of this exploratory study was to investigate the effect of a curricular application of the integrative ethical education (IEE) model and its effect on first-year college students’ ethical development. Using a pretest posttest design, participants’ moral judgment and reasoning were measured before and after they participated in an IEE-based academic course and compared using descriptive analysis. Results revealed that participants’ moral judgment and reasoning increased while participating in the program. These results provide initial support for the use of IEE-based curricula and academic experiences to promote college students’ ethical development. Implications for communication education and future research are …
Project-Based Learning: Lessons Learned With Teaching The Non-Communication Majors, Sarah Leblanc
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
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 …
Try It, You Might Like It: On Teaching Rhetorical Theory And Criticism, Deanna D. Sellnow
Try It, You Might Like It: On Teaching Rhetorical Theory And Criticism, Deanna D. Sellnow
Journal of Communication Pedagogy
Students rarely question the relevance of most communication courses. For example, most students realize that courses focused on improving public speaking and interpersonal skills will benefit them personally and professionally after graduation. Convincing them that a rhetorical theory and criticism course is equally empowering can be a bit more challenging. This essay explores one approach for teaching rhetorical theory and criticism as uniquely relevant in the educational experience of communication students. By applying various rhetorical perspectives to artifacts that resonate with students’ actual lived experiences, students become empowered advocates for positive change.
Basic Course: Informing Communication Pedagogy Through Teacher Training And Program Assessment, Cheri J. Simonds
Basic Course: Informing Communication Pedagogy Through Teacher Training And Program Assessment, Cheri J. Simonds
Journal of Communication Pedagogy
The basic course serves as a training ground for our future faculty as well as an introduction for students to the discipline. Through curriculum design and assessment, the basic course provides a context for practicing communication pedagogy and research within general education.
Critical Communication Pedagogy In/About/Through The Communication Classroom, Kathryn B. Golsan, C. Kyle Rudick
Critical Communication Pedagogy In/About/Through The Communication Classroom, Kathryn B. Golsan, C. Kyle Rudick
Journal of Communication Pedagogy
Critical Communication Pedagogy (CCP) signals a critical approach to Communication and Instruction scholarship. Critical signals a recognition that social reality is inherently political and encourages individuals to work with/in communities to identify, intervene into, and change oppressive systems. Communication and Instruction scholarship refers to (a) research concerning how to teach communication principles, theories, or knowledge (i.e., Communication Pedagogy or Communication Education) and (b) research about communication as it manifests in or about all types of educational spaces (i.e., Instructional Communication). CCP is not guided by a single methodology; rather, it signifies both an intellectual tradition and an umbrella term for …
Classroom Ideas For Promoting Social Justice: Encouraging Student Activism In Intercultural And Gender Communication Courses, Amy Aldridge Sanford
Classroom Ideas For Promoting Social Justice: Encouraging Student Activism In Intercultural And Gender Communication Courses, Amy Aldridge Sanford
Journal of Communication Pedagogy
Communication courses (e.g., intercultural communication and gender communication) dedicated to the promotion of social justice often result in students’ raised consciousness regarding privilege and the oppression of people who have been marginalized historically. Affected students, however, often are at a loss about what to do with the newly acquired knowledge; consequently, they may experience anger and frustration that causes them to feel overwhelmed and leaves them with a sense of hopelessness. This essay provides 10 suggestions to help communication pedagogues guide students from anger and hopelessness to action and empowerment. Tips offered center on classroom discourse, curriculum choices, and potential …
Privileged Pedagogy, Vulnerable Voice: Opening Feminist Doors In The Communication Classroom, Danielle M. Stern
Privileged Pedagogy, Vulnerable Voice: Opening Feminist Doors In The Communication Classroom, Danielle M. Stern
Journal of Communication Pedagogy
This interview study analyzes 22 communication scholars’ experiences of teaching about feminism. Beyond questioning understandings of feminism in the communication classroom, a theory of privileged vulnerability emerged regarding the privilege of teaching about feminism and the vulnerability we--as self-identified feminist educators--embody via this privilege. Implications include recognizing our privileges and vulnerabilities, as well as how they relate to student interactions, to enact a reflexive, embodied pedagogical praxis.
Making A Difference: The Launch Of The Journal Of Communication Pedagogy, Scott A. Myers
Making A Difference: The Launch Of The Journal Of Communication Pedagogy, Scott A. Myers
Journal of Communication Pedagogy
Communication pedagogy is the systematic study, reflection, and identification of teaching practices across communication course curricula that results ultimately in effective classroom instruction, gains in student learning, and the establishment of a supportive learning environment. Systematic study focuses on the teaching, the assessment, or the scholarship of teaching and learning of a specific communication course, extra-curricular activity (e.g., forensics), or curriculum (e.g., internships, concentrations/areas of emphases, undergraduate programs). Reflection centers on a pedagogical problem or issue encountered by instructors when teaching a specific communication course. Best practices offer tips for teaching or assessing a specific communication course, extra-curricular activity, or …
Assessing Students’ Writing And Public Speaking Self-Efficacy In A Composition And Communication Course, Terrell K. Frey, Jessalyn I. Vallade
Assessing Students’ Writing And Public Speaking Self-Efficacy In A Composition And Communication Course, Terrell K. Frey, Jessalyn I. Vallade
Journal of Communication Pedagogy
One avenue for assessing learning involves evaluating self-efficacy, as this psychological beliefis a strong predictor of academic achievement. As such, the purpose of this study was to evaluate writing self-efficacy and public speaking self-efficacy in a composition and communication course. This course is structured to develop both writing and public speaking competencies; the research sought to determine whether students believed they were leaving the course feeling more confident in their capabilities within each respective academic domain. Results (N= 380) from pre- and post-test data suggest that students’ reported writing and public speaking self-efficacy significantly increased over the semester. Additionally, students’ …