Education Commons^™

Four Functions Of Statistical Significance Tests, Xinshu Zhao

Professor Xinshu ZHAO

Icils At A Glance: Highlights From The Full Australian Report – Australian Students’ Readiness For Study, Work And Life In The Digital Age, Lisa De Bortoli, Sarah Buckley, Catherine Underwood, Elizabeth O'Grady, Eveline Gebhardt

Elizabeth O'Grady

The International Computer and Information Literacy Study (ICILS) is the first international comparative study that examines students’ acquisition of computer and information literacy: ‘the ability to use computers to investigate, create and communicate in order to participate effectively at home, at school, in the workplace and in society'. This publication includes highlights from the full Australian report called ICILS 2013: Australian students’ readiness for study, work and life in the digital age which is available for download from http://research.acer.edu.au/ict_literacy/6/

Suit My Heart: Staging Foster Youth Narratives That Hit Home, Michelle Hayford

Michelle Hayford

While devising Suit My Heart, I relied upon my training in the ‘three A’s’ of performance studies conceived by my late mentor Dwight Conquergood as “artistry, analysis and activism” (2002: 152). With these ‘three A’s’ in mind, I set out to facilitate a devising process and create an artistic product that would positively serve all communities involved. The quality of the project would be determined not only by the efficacy of the play that we produced in the end, but by the personal growth of my students and the empowerment of our community partners throughout the process. Discovering the reach …

Workplace Incivility And Bullying In The Library: Perception Or Reality?, Shin Freedman, Dawn L. Vreven

Shin Freedman

Strengthening The Introductory Communication Course: An Opportunity Through Better Alignment With Today’S Needs, Jon A. Hess

Jonathan A. Hess

More than a century after its inception in contemporary form, the discipline of Communication has encountered a tremendous opportunity—the chance to become an “essential discipline” in the academy, one like Math or English, which universities consider indispensable to the work they do. And yet, as a discipline, we have not sufficiently moved toward taking advantage of that opportunity. While such a move will require action in curriculum, scholarship, and service, one of the highest-impact areas in establishing the necessity of Communication is the introductory course. In order to understand the opportunity that lies before us, we have to understand how …

Student Learning Outcomes: Primary Drivers Of Course Design, Samuel P. Wallace

Samuel P. Wallace

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) should be the core around which every college course is centered. As a result of taking this course: What should students know? What should they be able to do or to demonstrate? What should students value? Perhaps most important, How should students be changed or affected by taking this course? Effective course planning is made possible when these outcomes are focused and specific, and when the outcomes themselves are a high priority of the course. In spite of this maxim, student learning outcomes have not always been the primary driver of the design(s) of the basic …

A Model For The Development Of A Sustainable Basic Course In Communication, Samuel P. Wallace

Samuel P. Wallace

The purpose of this essay is to provide clarity and direction for developing and maintaining outcome-driven courses for inclusion in general education curricula. The focus is on the basic course in Communication, but the principles can be applied to nearly any course. The outcome-driven perspective changes many traditional conceptions of the basic communication course and provides an opportunity to integrate communication content into a student’s broader college education and subsequent career. A model is proposed that can provide guidance in the development of sustainable courses that emerged from the experience with course development and implementation.

Editor's Page, Joseph M. Valenzano Iii

Joseph M. Valenzano III

This year the National Communication Association (NCA) celebrates its centennial. NCA began over a dispute between speech teachers and English teachers over the perception of oral communication receiving less instructional attention, and for the last century communication experts have been the primary party responsible for communication instruction of college students. Over the years the basic course has largely been focused on public speaking as the course to deliver this instruction, though we developed, and still teach, interpersonal communication and hybrid courses that also include small group communication. There have been several different venues in which the basic communication course has …

Editor's Page, Joseph M. Valenzano Iii

Joseph M. Valenzano III

We are now in the 28th volume of the Basic Communication Course Annual, a testament to the dedication of those concerned with the introductory course in communication. Over the years these pages have been graced with significant work that has influenced the nature of the basic communication course, thereby impacting the lives of thousands of students across the country. That said, I am struck by the fact we have no “motto,” no phrase that captures our feeling about this important educational experience. I would like to muse about what might work as a motto for what we do and teach.

Editor's Page, Joseph M. Valenzano Iii

Joseph M. Valenzano III

Despite its nom de guerre, there is nothing “basic” about the basic communication course in colleges and universities. It has served as a locus for research into communication skills, instructional technology, speech anxiety, instructional design and pedagogical practices. All of the research on these topics impacts more than just the basic course, as it is often relevant to instruction in other courses. The work done in the basic communication course is complex and important for both our students and the discipline.

In this, the 27th volume of the Basic Communication Course Annual, there continue to appear studies that examine the …

Directing The Winds Of Change: The Basic Course And General Education, Joseph M. Valenzano Iii

Joseph M. Valenzano III

Communication departments remain heavily reliant on the inclusion of an introductory communication course in their institution’s general education program. For this reason it is essential for Basic Course Directors (BCDs) to educate themselves on general education. In doing so they will find a new iteration of change to general education where the required course and distribution model are disappearing in favor of an interdisciplinary outcomes-driven approach. Such a shift can have dramatic repercussions on the basic course and communication programs if the course is not further connected with other areas of general education. In this essay, I argue for Basic …

Communication And The Common Core: Disciplinary Opportunities, Joesph M. Valenzano

Joseph M. Valenzano III

The subject of how to strengthen primary and secondary education in the United States is widely discussed in news and popular media. While an extensive range of opinions have been expressed, the common thread is that these issues are normally situated in the domain of politicians and K-12 teachers. Primary and secondary education are rarely addressed by scholars who publish in Communication Education. This divide between Communication researchers in higher education and K-12 practitioners reflects generally weak connections between the two domains. As seems fitting for our changing times, that situation is also ripe for change. In tandem with the …

Teaching Ethics In Introductory Public Speaking: Review And Proposal, Jon A. Hess

Jonathan A. Hess

Ethics are not heavily emphasized in either public speaking textbooks or classroom lectures. This de-emphasis of public speaking ethics is unfortunate. Educators should take responsibility for making sure that students are familiar with ethical issues and that they know that unethical public communication is not acceptable. Since public speaking textbooks do not provide much explicit guidance for ethical decision making, supplementary material is provided in this article. Four ethical principles are provided to help students understand the nature of communication ethics, a sample class lecture is outlined, and teaching ideas are included.

Rethinking Our Approach To The Basic Course: Making Ethics The Foundation Of Introduction To Public Speaking, Jon. A. Hess

Jonathan A. Hess

The basic public speaking course is often taught from a standpoint of effectiveness. That approach can be problematic due to the dangers of technique. The use of ethics as a foundation for public speaking can overcome this drawback and has other advantages. Included in these advantages are its fidelity to the subject matter, promoting more responsible use of power, improved fit with the liberal arts mission of higher education, and better meeting student needs.

Issues in implementing an ethics-based course are discussed, such as identifying ethical issues and engaging in dialogue. The model is illustrated through a description of one …

Basic Public Speaking Principles: An Examination Of Twelve Popular Texts, Jon A. Hess, Judy C. Pearson

Jonathan A. Hess

The importance of the basic course is reflected in the number of published articles focused on it. Aside from having an annually published journal (The Basic Communication Course Annual) devoted to it, articles concerning the basic course are sprinkled throughout many of the discipline's journals. However, Schneider (1991) pointed out that few studies have focused on the textbooks used. Since the textbook is generally the foundation upon which the course is built, it is an important object of study.

Although the term basic course may be used to identify a variety of courses (such as public speaking, interpersonal communication, hybrid …

The Risks And Rewards Of Serving As A Department Chair, Jon A. Hess

Jonathan A. Hess

Serving as chair is a significant point in the career of any faculty member who inhabits the office. It is a position with high highs and low lows, significant stressors and some perks, the chance to have a positive impact on a program, and the near certainty that at some point you will generate disagreement with almost everyone in the department. The department chair is a boundary position between the university administration and the faculty; a chair inhabits both worlds, but resides fully in neither. Chairs are charged with numerous responsibilities and often lack full authority needed to accomplish their …

Drawing As Process, Drawing As Creation.Pdf, Andreas Luescher

Andreas Luescher

Australian Higher Education Institutions Transforming The Future Of Teaching And Learning Through 3d Virtual Worlds, Sue Gregory, Brent Gregory, Matthew Campbell, Helen Farley, Suku Sinnappan, Shannon Kennedy-Clark, David Craven, Deborah Murdoch, Mark Jw Lee, Denise Wood, Jenny Grenfell, Angela Thomas, Kerrie Smith, Ian Warren, Heinz Dreher, Lindy Mckeown, Allan Ellis, Matthew Hillier, Steven Pace, Andrew Cram, Lyn Hay, Scott Grant, Carol Matthews

Shannon Kennedy-Clark

What are educators‟ motivations for using virtual worlds with their students? Are they using them to support the teaching of professions and if this is the case, do they introduce virtual worlds into the curriculum to develop and/or expand students' professional learning networks? Are they using virtual worlds to transform their teaching and learning? In recognition of the exciting opportunities that virtual worlds present for higher education, the DEHub Virtual Worlds Working Group was formed. It is made up of Australian university academics who are investigating the role that virtual worlds will play in the future of education and actively …

The Learning Analytics Readiness Instrument, Meghan Oster, Steven Lonn, Matthew D. Pistilli, Michael G. Brown

Matthew Pistilli

The Role Of The Common Core In The Gubernatorial Elections Of 2014, Jonathan Supovitz, Bobbi Newman, Ariel Smith

Bobbi Newman

After the Spring 2014 primaries, the Common Core State Standards were viewed as a political hot potato. As former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee said, “the Common Core has become toxic, I think it’s radioactive…It has become an incredibly controversial topic on both the left and the right.” Even so, the Common Core turned out to play a role in some of the governor’s races in November 2014. In this analysis of candidate positions and the role of the Common Core across the 36 gubernatorial races of 2014, CPRE researchers Bobbi Newman, Jonathan Supovitz and Arial Smith used campaign websites, debate …

Sketching As Visual Dialogue.Pdf, Andreas Luescher

Andreas Luescher

Diffracting Enfolding Futures: Critical Inquiry In Quantitative Educational Research, Ezekiel J. Dixon-Román

Ezekiel J Dixon-Román

Student Newspaper Funding Issues On Public University Campuses In Ohio: Higher Education Administrators Vs. Student Journalists, Terry L. Hapney Jr.

Terry L. Hapney Jr., Ph.D.