Higher Education Commons^™

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

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

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 …

"Minor Setback, Major Comeback": A Multilevel Approach To The Development Of Academic Resilience, Brandi N. Frisby, Jessalyn I. Vallade

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This study examined communicative processes at multiple levels that may influence students’ academic resilience through transitions. Participant interviews (N = 23) revealed that at the individual level, students develop a resilient mindset and effective academic strategies, engage in self-care, and compartmentalize. At the relational level, students rely on teachers to demonstrate positive teaching behaviors, receive academic and emotional support from a variety of sources, and find role models to inspire resilience. Finally, students reported that the campus community gave opportunities to build support networks and access campus resources, but identified threats to effective use of these resilience-building opportunities. Finally, …

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, …

Reflexivity And Practice In Covid-19: Qualitative Analysis Of Student Responses To Improvisation In Their Research Methods Course, Elizabeth L. Spradley, R. Tyler Spradley

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

The improvisations needed to adapt to COVID-19 teaching and learning conditions affected students and faculty alike. This study uses chaos theory and improvisation to examine an undergraduate communication research methods course that was initially delivered synchronously/face-to-face and then transitioned to asynchronous/online in March 2020. Reflective writings were collected at the end of the semester with the 25 students enrolled in the course and follow-up interviews conducted with six students. Thematic analysis revealed that available and attentive student-participant, student-student, and student-instructor communication complemented learner-centered and person-centered goals, but unavailable or inattentive communication, especially with participants and students in the research team, …

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, …

"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 …

“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

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

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

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

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

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 …

Editor's Note: The Year 2020: Crisis And Opportunity, Deanna D. Sellnow

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This volume features foci on teaching J.E.D.I (justice, equity, diversity, inclusion) principles, pandemic pedagogy challenges and opportunities, as well as thought-provoking essays on invitational andragogy, transdisciplinary deliberation, and reflexivity.

Road To Accreditation Episode 8: Continuous Quality Improvement, Cayla Hurst

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No abstract provided.

Uab Performs First Commercial Procedure In Nation With The Diamondtemp Ablation System, Anna Jones

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No abstract provided.

Raise Money For Uab Student Scholarships With Uncork Education On Nov. 7, Shannon Thomason

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No abstract provided.

2021-October-15-Voces8 To Perform At Martin Center, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Oct. 15, 2021) – The internationally renowned British vocal ensemble VOCES8 will perform a program juxtaposing Renaissance music with jazz and pop at East Tennessee State University in the ETSU Foundation Grand Hall of the Martin Center for the Arts on Tuesday, Oct. 26, at 7:30 p.m.

Their program includes works by Byrd, Britten, Rachmaninov, Palestrina and Bach, as well as VOCES8-styled standards including “Me and My Shadow,” “I Won’t Dance,” “Cheek to Cheek” and “Straighten Up and Fly Right.”

The Arts Desk website calls VOCES8 “the Rolls-Royce of British a cappella ensembles,” and Gramophone Magazine lauds …

2021-2022 Common Data Set - Wright State University Lake Campus, Office Of Institutional Research & Effectiveness, Wright State University, Princeton Review

Common Data Set

The 2021-2022 Common Data Set of Wright State University Lake Campus from the Princeton Review. It includes data on admissions, student enrollment, faculty, class size, financial aid and other measures, using standard definitions that aid comparisons between schools.

2021-2022 Common Data Set - Wright State University Dayton Campus, Office Of Institutional Research & Effectiveness, Wright State University, Princeton Review

Common Data Set

The 2021-2022 Common Data Set of Wright State University Dayton Campus from the Princeton Review. It includes data on admissions, student enrollment, faculty, class size, financial aid and other measures, using standard definitions that aid comparisons between schools.

October 15, 2021 Ereporter, University Of Alabama At Birmingham

eReporter (campus newsletter)

No abstract provided.

2021-October-15-U.S. Respiratory Graduates From Etsu Innovation Lab, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

JOHNSON CITY – (Oct. 15, 2021) Debbie Smith, owner of U.S. Respiratory, LLC, and member of the ETSU Innovation Lab, has successfully graduated and opened a new location in Gray, Tennessee. A “graduate” from a business incubator is one that has made significant progress toward meeting their milestones and reached a level of capacity, growth and stability that will ensure their success in the community at large.

U.S. Respiratory became a member of the Innovation Lab in 2014 and was awarded the Rising Star Award that year from the Tennessee Small Business Development Center at ETSU. This award is given …

International Engagement Weekly Newsletter, October 15, 2021, University Of Northern Iowa. Office Of International Engagement.

Office of International Engagement newsletter

Inside this Issue:

--- Upcoming Events with OIE
--- Weekly Coffee Hour
--- College Hill Farmers Market
--- Wellness Bingo
--- "Squid Game" Watch Party with ASU
--- International Bingo with the Global Business Club
--- Immigration Tip!
--- International Panther Spotlight: Leah Stöger
--- Opportunities and Support
--- CIEP Game Night
--- International Family Friendship Program
--- Become a GPS Team Member

2021-October-15-William Turner Lecture, University Marketing And Communication, East Tennessee State University

ETSU News

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Oct. 15, 2021) – Noted scholar, educator and civil rights leader Dr. William H. “Bill” Turner will speak about his new book, “The Harlan Renaissance,” at East Tennessee State University on Thursday, Oct. 21, at 7 p.m. in The Cave on the first floor of the D.P. Culp Student Center. 

A book signing will follow, with copies available for sale. “The Harlan Renaissance” is an intimate remembrance of kinship and community from the treasured son of one of the most successful and diverse coal camps in Appalachia's history. The event is co-sponsored by the ETSU Department of …

Staff Council Agenda, Georgia Southern University

Staff Council Meeting Minutes & Agendas

• Call to Order
• Consent Agenda
• Presidential Updates and Comments | Dr. Kyle Marrero
• Information Sharing and Gossip
• Human Resources Updates | Vicki Hodges, Director of Benefits & Wellness
• RA Recruitment | Kellianne Curley, Resident Director, Freedom’s Landing
• Treasurer Report | Matthew Pulliam
• Committee Reports
• Old Business
• New Business
• Important Dates and Announcements
• Adjournment

Uab Researchers Are Part Of A $3 Million Award To Learn How To Better Treat Lupus In Black Patients, Public Relations

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No abstract provided.

Uab Launches Research Collaboration To Reduce Disparities In Chronic Diseases In The Deep South, Alicia Rohan

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No abstract provided.

Graduate Student Employee Unionization In The Second Gilded Age, William A. Herbert, Joseph Van Der Naald

Publications and Research

In debates on the future of work, a common theme has been how work became
less secure through the denial of employee status. Though much of the attention
has focused on other industries, precarity has also affected those working in
higher education, including graduate student employees, contributing to what is
now called the “gig academy.” While universities have reassigned teaching and
research to graduate assistants, they have also refused to recognize them as
employees. Nevertheless, unionization has grown considerably since 2012, most
significantly at private institutions. Utilizing a unique dataset, this chapter
demonstrates that between 2012 and 2019, graduate student …

Preview: Eagles Set To Host Uab In Socon Action, Georgia Southern University

Athletics: News & Publications

• PREVIEW: Eagles Set to Host UAB in SoCon Action