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Full-Text Articles in Interpersonal and Small Group Communication
Strengthening The Introductory Communication Course: An Opportunity Through Better Alignment With Today’S Needs, Jon A. Hess
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
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
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
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
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
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
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 …
Teaching Ethics In Introductory Public Speaking: Review And Proposal, Jon A. Hess
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
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
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 …
Understanding How Intentionally Unplugging From Cell Phones Shapes Interpersonal Relationships And The Undergraduate College Experience, Jadelin P. Felipe
Understanding How Intentionally Unplugging From Cell Phones Shapes Interpersonal Relationships And The Undergraduate College Experience, Jadelin P. Felipe
Master's Theses
The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of what motivated college students—the Unplugged Students—to intentionally use their cell phones less and how they understood the impact that unplugging had on their interpersonal relationships and college experience. Nine undergraduate college students from four private schools were interviewed in one-on-one semi- structured interviews. These students, considered non-users, provided a particularly useful perspective as these students made a conscious choice to counteract social norms and experienced both being plugged in and unplugged. Cell phones and the act of unplugging proved to make up a complex and more nuanced topic than …
Y U No Ansr? A Chronemics Analysis Of Electronic Communications, Lauren Vorderkunz
Y U No Ansr? A Chronemics Analysis Of Electronic Communications, Lauren Vorderkunz
Masters Theses
This paper explores current literature related to chronemics in electronic communication to show that emailing, texting, and social media should be studied in order to understand how one’s self-esteem is affected by these forms of communication to bring about a greater awareness. This research describes a sample study of college students’ reactions to response times using a mixed methods approach, specifically an explanatory sequential model. Through an evaluation of Zimbardo’s (1999) time perspective studies, peer reviewed journal articles, and computer-mediated communication chronemic studies, this paper provides an argument that response times in electronic communications indicate priority and hierarchy between communicators …
Assessment Of Student Learning Gains In Oral Competency, Lynn O. Cooper, Rebecca Sietman
Assessment Of Student Learning Gains In Oral Competency, Lynn O. Cooper, Rebecca Sietman
Basic Communication Course Annual
The basic course in communication has a well-established record of enhancing oral competency, which plays a primary role in personal, academic, and professional success. However, there is limited empirical support to substantiate that the ways we teach this course are responsible for these gains. A 24-item Likert- like scale instrument developed from the eight Competent Speaker categories (Morreale, Moore, Taylor, Surges-Tatum, & Hulbert-Johnson, 1990; Morreale, Moore, Surges-Tatum, & Webster, 2007; SCA, 1993) has been reliably used for the past decade in campus pre- and post-assessments.
In Study One, measures of 2485 students taking the basic course over the past six …
The Internal Marginalization Of Basic Course Scholarship, Cheri J. Simonds, Stephen K. Hunt
The Internal Marginalization Of Basic Course Scholarship, Cheri J. Simonds, Stephen K. Hunt
Basic Communication Course Annual
There is an adage in the field of communication education that states, the difference between knowing and teaching is communication (Hurt, Scott, & McCroskey, 1978). That is, a teacher can be an expert in his or her field, but if he or she cannot communicate that knowledge in a way that students understand, learning is not achieved.
This statement highlights the central role of communication in the teaching and learning process. As communication education scholars and Basic Course Directors, we conduct research in the domains of communication pedagogy (i.e., research questions that address the best methods of teaching communication) and …
The Unaware, Accurate, And Overly Critical: Video Technology Use Of Improving Public Speaking Competency, Luke Lefebvre, Leah E. Lefebvre, Mike Allen
The Unaware, Accurate, And Overly Critical: Video Technology Use Of Improving Public Speaking Competency, Luke Lefebvre, Leah E. Lefebvre, Mike Allen
Basic Communication Course Annual
Students often hold overly favorable views of their public speaking skills. In this study, students set goals prior to speaking, and then assess the presentation via video replay. Although some basic courses use video, the technology is not standard practice nor consistently utilized to aid student skill development for speechmaking.
Differences between students’ self-estimated and earned grades students were categorized into five estimator groupings. Study 1 (N = 102) results indicated video self-evaluation positively influenced student ability for predictive goal-setting, improved accuracy for assessing speech quality, and diminished overestimation from the informative to persuasive speech.
To further explore the findings …
Basic Communication Course Annual Vol. 28
Basic Communication Course Annual Vol. 28
Basic Communication Course Annual
Full issue (222 pages, 8.5 MB)
What Makes A Man?: An Alpha Male’S Fight For Masculinity Against The Media’S Muscular Ideals, Julie A. Yockey
What Makes A Man?: An Alpha Male’S Fight For Masculinity Against The Media’S Muscular Ideals, Julie A. Yockey
Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects
Previous studies have focused heavily on media effects on women however growing trends in male ideals are finding that men are no longer static observers. The media constructs the ideal male body as lean, strong and muscular and men exposed to these idealized images may experience body dissatisfaction. Therefore, this project explores the effects of media ideals on men and the possible relationship between the media depictions of the muscular ideals and masculinity. Current research analysis shows that exposure to media ideals not only causes body dissatisfaction among men; trying to achieve the perfect body may result in unhealthy behaviors. …
Editor's Page, Joseph M. Valenzano Iii
Editor's Page, Joseph M. Valenzano Iii
Basic Communication Course Annual
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.
Basic Course Strength Through Clear Learning Outcomes And Assessment, W. Bradford Mello
Basic Course Strength Through Clear Learning Outcomes And Assessment, W. Bradford Mello
Basic Communication Course Annual
Former NCA President Richard West, writing in Spectra during his presidential year, lamented that the basic course in communication lacked national cohesion, especially compared to other disciplines like psychology, political science, or sociology (West, 2012). Some, including myself, may quibble with the comparison to other disciplines, arguing that History 101, Political Science 101 or Sociology 101 do not necessarily look the same at all institutions around the nation.
However, West’s call for examination of the basic course was a welcome one:
- I believe it is time for our organization to undertake a thoughtful examination of the basic course and ascertain …
A Digital Divide? Assessing Self-Perceived Communication Competency In An Online And Face-To-Face Basic Public Speaking Course, Joshua N. Westwick, Karla M. Hunter, Laurie L. Haleta
A Digital Divide? Assessing Self-Perceived Communication Competency In An Online And Face-To-Face Basic Public Speaking Course, Joshua N. Westwick, Karla M. Hunter, Laurie L. Haleta
Basic Communication Course Annual
Previous research has documented an inverse relationship between speaking anxiety and self-perceived communication competence (SPCC). However, a recent assessment case study of an online basic public speaking course revealed that while the course decreased students’ speaking anxiety, it failed to increase their SPCC. Prompted by this surprising discrepancy and bolstered by continuing calls for increased exploration of educational quality of online public speaking courses, the current study compared SPCC between online (n = 147) and face-to-face (F2F) (n = 544) delivery of the large, standardized, multi-section basic public speaking course at our institution. Pretest scores of students’ overall SPCC were …
Assessing The Effects Of A Public Speaking Course On Native And Non-Native English Speakers, Tara Suwinvattichaiporn, Melissa A. Broeckelman-Post
Assessing The Effects Of A Public Speaking Course On Native And Non-Native English Speakers, Tara Suwinvattichaiporn, Melissa A. Broeckelman-Post
Basic Communication Course Annual
This study tested whether there is a difference in the benefits of a traditional public speaking course for Native English Speakers (NES) and Non-Native English xii Speakers (NNES). The study assessed changes in Communication Apprehension (CA), Self-Perceived Communication Competence (SPCC), and Willingness to Communicate (WTC) before and after participants took the traditional public speaking course.
The findings indicate that NES and NNES had equal benefits and growth in these self-report measures and suggest that we should further investigate which public speaking course structure is most beneficial for NNES.
Strengthening The Introductory Communication Course: An Opportunity Through Better Alignment With Today’S Needs, Jon A. Hess
Strengthening The Introductory Communication Course: An Opportunity Through Better Alignment With Today’S Needs, Jon A. Hess
Basic Communication Course Annual
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 …
Nontraditional Students, Multilingual Learners, And University Type: The Vital Missing Comparisons In Our Basic Course Research, Melissa A. Broeckelman-Post, Brenda L. Macarthur
Nontraditional Students, Multilingual Learners, And University Type: The Vital Missing Comparisons In Our Basic Course Research, Melissa A. Broeckelman-Post, Brenda L. Macarthur
Basic Communication Course Annual
After the G.I. Bill was passed in 1944, the United States saw a massive expansion of higher education. The subsequent economic growth, expanding middle class, and support of public education meant that more Americans had access to college education than ever before (Bok, 2006).
In the decades that followed, a typical or “traditional” college student was a person who entered a four-year university at the age of eighteen immediately after completing high school, attended full time, considered their education a full-time responsibility, had no dependents, was employed part time or not at all, and graduated in four years (Center for …
Beyond 'Basic': Opportunities For Relevance, Deanna L. Fassett
Beyond 'Basic': Opportunities For Relevance, Deanna L. Fassett
Basic Communication Course Annual
Recently one of my colleagues asked me if I could foresee a time when I would give up supervising teaching associates; she said it in a kindly way, but with a cringe and a shrug, as if to suggest that I was sacrificing my efforts on something beneath me…a departmental service. I’ve been coordinating our introductory public speaking course and supervising TAs for fourteen years now, and I still get this question.
Each time, I explain that giving up those responsibilities would be like asking someone to uproot their research passion from, say, performance studies to instructional communication, from any …