Higher Education Commons^™

Using Discourse Analysis Methodology To Teach "Legal English", Craig Hoffman

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

In this study, I propose a curriculum focused on raising students’ linguistic awareness through rigorous discourse analysis and reflective writing in a legal context. Students analyze authentic, full-text legal documents using discourse analysis methodology. By carefully analyzing the language in legal opinions, appellate briefs, law review articles, law school exams, typical commercial contracts, and statutes, students become experts in analyzing and evaluating legal texts. Students learn to manipulate legal language to achieve various desired linguistic and legal effects. This approach has three primary advantages. First, it forces the students to carefully read authentic legal texts. Second, it gives students the …

An Evaluation Study Of A College Success Course As A Counseling Intervention, Melissa Reyes Martinez, Michelle Stallone Brown, Cheryl L. Kelsey

Walden Faculty and Staff Publications

Community colleges are attracting many first generation minority students. A question often asked is how can a college, faculty, and staff promote student achievement, particularly to underrepresented groups? One of the courses required at a South Texas community college, serving a predominately Hispanic population, is a College Success Course. Courses such as these are designed to facilitate students in developing the necessary skills/a college. The study explored the perceptions of counselors and students regarding the effectiveness of a College Success Course as a counseling intervention and as it related to improved student skills and achievement. The study included a between …

Experiences That Influence A Student's Choice On Majoring In Physics, Donya Rae Dobbin

Dissertations

Currently the production of college graduates with science and engineering degrees is insufficient to fill the increasing number of jobs requiring these skills. This study focuses on physics majors with an in-depth examination of student transitions from high school to college. Many different areas of influence could affect a student's decision to major in physics. The first phase of this study addresses all of the potential areas of influence identified from the literature. The goal was to identify common influences that might be used to increase students' interest in majoring in physics. Subjects (N=35) from the first phase were recruited …

The Experiences Of Married International Graduate Students And Their Accompanying Non-Student Spouses In The Us Culture: A Qualitative Study, Adriana Yellig

Dissertations

Many studies document the experiences of single international students in the U.S. culture. However, little is known about the experiences of married international students, their marital relationships, and the experiences of their accompanying nonstudent spouses in the U.S. culture.

This qualitative phenomenological study focused on the experiences of married international graduate students and their accompanying spouses in the U.S. culture. Additionally, the study explored the impact of cultural influences on the participants' marital relationships, as well as the impact of marriage on their adjustment to the culture.

The study included twenty participants (ten couples) from a range of countries, most …

Who’S Reading Your Wall? The Relationships Among User Characteristics, Usage And Attitudes Regarding Official Academic Facebook Sites, Tom Moore, Robert W. Barnwell, Kelly Price

ETSU Faculty Works

Abstract is available to download.

Diversity Within Bachelor Of Social Work Programs: Perspectives And Interventions, Brian Warner

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Diversity is a term that has become increasingly relevant in the field of social work. Perhaps there is no other sector of the social work profession where diversity is more relevant than in higher education. With the ever changing ethnic and racial make-up of the United States, it is imperative that social work educators are able to convey the differences and/or challenges that working with diverse individuals will present. One of the easiest and most direct ways for this to occur is for the student body itself to be diverse. Yet, many social work programs have remained ethnically and racially …

Writing In Afghanistan, Ali-Reza Force

Quill & Scope

This paper represents an analysis of the way in which internet communication by a physician can impact a general audience.

Attitudes In Psychiatry In Bangalore, India, Akshay Lohitsa

Quill & Scope

An analysis of an international rotation in Bangalore, India where an American medical student was able to compare and contrast attitudes towards psychiatry and mental illness. Many third world countries boast cure rates comparable or better than the U.S. for schizophrenia and other psychiatric diseases, and it remains unclear why this would be. One possible reason of why this trend is occur-ring is provided.

An Interview With Doctor Daniel Peters, Jin Packard

Quill & Scope

An up, close and personal interview with Dr. Daniel Peters, retired surgeon, and the current Assis-tant Professor of Cell Biology and Gross Anatomy at NYMC with appointments in both the Medical School and the School of Health Sciences and Practices.

Private Interest, Ethics, And Sincere Medical Practice, Yousuf Sayeed

Quill & Scope

Healthcare providers are held to high standards in society. They are venerated as saintly figures that always mean well, working solely for the benefit of their patients. Upon closer observation, it seems that this is not always the case. With the juxtaposing relationship between private interest and genu-ine healthcare, patients are beginning to realize that some healthcare providers are more concerned with generating profit rather than treating their patients. Through examining personal experiences, documented studies, and enlightening cases of unethical medical practice, it is evident that work must be done to restore the trust between patients and their healthcare provider.

A Nutty Approach To Disease Prevention, Amin Esfahani

Quill & Scope

Tree nuts are healthy foods with a favourable macro- and micronutrient profile. They are low in sat-urated fats and high in mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids. They are also good sources of vegeta-ble protein, fiber, phytosterols, polyphenols, vitamins and minerals. Because of this healthy nutrient profile, it has been postulated that tree nuts may play a significant role in health maintenance and disease prevention. The purpose of this paper is 1) to provide a brief overview of the current scien-tific evidence on the role of tree nuts in prevention and management of diabetes and heart disease and 2) to outline …

Recruiting Students Into The Earth Sciences Through Undergraduate Research, Anne E. Egger, Simon L. Klemperer

Geological Sciences Faculty Scholarship

This article discusses the challenges of recruiting undergraduate students into STEM disciplines and describes strategies which have been used to stimulate undergraduate interest in Earth sciences research at Stanford University.

The Wright Message, 2011-2012, University Of Northern Iowa. Department Of Mathematics.

The Wright Message

Inside this issue:

-- Dear Department Alumni and Friends
-- Around Wright Hall
-- New College
-- Programs Revision
-- Math ≠ 800
-- Baumler Mathematics Education Scholarship
-- Two Retire
-- Putnam Exam
-- Math Ed Lab - Then and now
-- 2011 - 2012 Tenure-Stream Faculty
-- Making an Impact
-- The Question
-- Spotlight on Undergraduates
-- Projects and Grants
-- P.S.M. Program in Industrial Mathematics
-- Actuarial Science Alumni
-- Department of Mathematics Contribution Form
-- Department of Mathematics Funds

Biology News, Winter 2011, University Of Northern Iowa. Department Of Biology.

Biology News

Contents:

-- Greetings from the Department of Biology
-- Focus on UNI Biology Alumni
-- Let us hear from you...
-- Twenty Second North American Prairie Conference: Restoring a National Treasure
-- Faculty and Staff News
-- Summer Research
-- Trip to West Virginia's eastern panhandle was a success
-- Thurman on PDA in Brasil
-- Taiwan Exchange Program
-- Climate change impacts report
-- Focus on UNI Biology Students
-- Student Clubs
-- Pre-Physical Therapy Club
-- Faculty Changes - Retirements
-- You make a difference! Message from our donors
-- Why support undergraduate biological research at UNI
-- …

Front Cover

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Title Page

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Editorial Board

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Editor's Page, David W. Worley

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Contents And Abstracts

Basic Communication Course Annual

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Immediate Feedback: A Means Of Reducing Distracting Filler Words During Public Speeches, Michael Hazel, Colleen Mcmahon, Nancy Schmidt

Basic Communication Course Annual

Research demonstrates that immediate feedback is effective for speech instruction (King, Young & Behnke, 2000; Smith & King, 2004). However, feedback interventions can be a double-edged sword depending on the type of feedback and performance task (see Kluger & DeNisi, 1996). Thus, given the mixed effects reported in feedback intervention research, the present studies examined an immediate feedback intervention aimed at reducing distracting filler words during public speeches in a classroom setting as well as how the intervention impacted state/trait anxiety and self-perceived communication competence.

Results from study one indicate that immediate feedback effectively reduces filler word use during speeches …

A Grade-Norming Exercise To Increase Consistency And Perceived Consistency In Grading Among Public Speaking Instructors, Bessie Lee Lawton, Mary Braz

Basic Communication Course Annual

This study reports the results of a grade-norming training exercise in a mid-Atlantic university. The study’s goals were to improve consistency in grading among Public Speaking instructors, and to see whether self-report normative perception behavior and self-efficacy also improved. Four training sessions on speech evaluation were conducted with a group of instructors over the course of one semester. A control group was asked to evaluate speeches independently at the same time period, but its members did not have any training. Results show that the training led to greater consistency in grading over time in the training group compared to the …

Improving The Basic Communication Course: Assessing The Core Components, Kristen Leblanc, Lori Vela, Marian L. Houser

Basic Communication Course Annual

This study seeks to examine the effective means of assessing whether goals and objectives set within a basic communication course are met. The study outlines specific techniques used to evaluate learning outcomes to ensure that the course retains its relevance and general education status. A pretest-posttest design is utilized to determine whether students’ scores on cognitive, behavioral, and affective assessment instruments improve from the beginning to the end of the semester. Results indicate students’ scores improved on each of the primary learning indicators for the course including: an assessment of communication knowledge, conflict management skills, and intercultural communication apprehension. Discussion …

Rethinking Evaluation Strategies For Student Participation, Kevin R. Meyer, Stephen K. Hunt

Basic Communication Course Annual

Basic communication course instructors encourage student participation in the classroom by employing a variety of strategies, including graded participation. The present study examined the methods that basic course instructors use to facilitate and assess student participation in the classroom through focus groups interviews exploring how students perceive graded participation in the basic course. The findings suggest that while there are conditions in which the focus group students enjoy participation, there are also conditions in which they perceive such strategies as a power issue for instructors and reject the notion that participation accurately measures their level of involvement and learning in …

Tales Of Teaching: Exploring The Dialectical Tensions Of The Gta Experience, Jennifer M. Hennings

Basic Communication Course Annual

In universities across the United States, an increasing number of departments are turning to graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) to teach introductory courses. As GTAs assume a larger percentage of university teaching responsibilities, it becomes even more important to understand the tensions and challenges that GTAs face. The majority of research on GTAs focuses on the perceptions of students and GTA supervisors, and few researchers have talked directly to GTAs. This research fills that gap by studying the GTA experience from the GTA perspective. Using relational dialectics theory, this study identifies three key tensions that emerge from GTAs’ stories about role …

Assessing The Impact Of Learning Communities As An Alternative Delivery Model For The Public Speaking Course, Katherine N. Kinnick, Emily Holler, Marla Bell

Basic Communication Course Annual

This study provides empirical evidence of the impact of learning communities on outcomes for public speaking students, including grades, speaking anxiety, and student and instructor perceptions. Subjects (n = 236, half of whom took the course in freshman learning communities and half in traditional sections) perceived the learning community as the preferable environment for public speaking, and students with greater speaking anxiety were more likely to self-select into learning communities. Perception, however, was not reality: Participation in a learning community made no measurable difference in terms of course outcomes of grades or decline in speaking anxiety.

The findings challenge assumptions …

The Effects Of Using Peer Workshops On Speech Quality, Public Speaking Anxiety, And Classroom Climate, Melissa A. Broeckelman-Post, B. Scott Titsworth, Leann M. Brazeal

Basic Communication Course Annual

This field experiment answered the call to explore alternative pedagogies in communication by testing the use of structured peer workshops in public speaking courses. Peer workshops use systematic and structured peer feedback to assist students in improving their speeches. While strong theoretical reasons for using workshops have been advanced, and evidence from other disciplines suggest that they are effective, no research has specifically examined their use in public speaking. Results of our study show that peer workshops are a viable pedagogical option because they improve students’ speech grades, reduce public speaking anxiety, and improve perceptions of classroom climate. When comparing …

Students’ Communication Predispositions: An Examination Of Classroom Connectedness In Public Speaking Courses, Robert J. Sidelinger, Scott A. Myers, Audra L. Mcmullen

Basic Communication Course Annual

The connected classroom climate centers on supportive student-to-student communication in the classroom, and may provide students enrolled in public speaking courses with a safe and comfortable haven to present speeches.

This study examined student connectedness in public speaking courses and it’s affect on students’ (N = 368) communication abilities. Results revealed positive perceptions of student connectedness related to decreases in public speaking anxiety and public speaking apprehension, as well as increases in perceptions of communication competence.

These outcomes suggest public speaking instructors should consider the relationships that exist among students and how they may further encourage connectedness in their classrooms.

Author Biographies

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Submission Guidelines

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Back Cover

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.