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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Transforming Experiential Learning In The Honors Interpersonal Communication Course: Interpersonal Enrichment Journeys During The Covid-19 Pandemic And Beyond, Jennifer A. H. Becker Jan 2023

Transforming Experiential Learning In The Honors Interpersonal Communication Course: Interpersonal Enrichment Journeys During The Covid-19 Pandemic And Beyond, Jennifer A. H. Becker

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Drawing upon my own experience as an educator, I describe and reflect upon my experiential learning-pedagogical process of transforming my fall 2020 Zoom-based honors interpersonal communication course in which my students traversed through a series of experiential learning activities called Interpersonal Enrichment Journeys. Quantitative and written data revealed that students achieved desired learning outcomes and strengthened much-needed interpersonal connections despite the circumstances and stressors induced by the pandemic. Interpersonal Enrichment Journeys can be replicated to maximize the features of quality online courses identified by Kaufman and Vallade (2022), such as helping students develop personal connections in a positive learning climate …


Encouraging College Student Democratic Engagement Through A Collaborative Voter, Angela M. Mcgowan-Kirsch Oct 2021

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 …


Moving From Dialogue To Deliberation About Campus Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion, Chad Raphael Oct 2021

Moving From Dialogue To Deliberation About Campus Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion, Chad Raphael

Experiential Learning & Teaching in Higher Education

Campus communities continue to become increasingly diverse as the U.S. grows more sensitized to, yet polarized over, issues of social justice. In response, many institutions of higher learning are placing greater emphasis on students’ experiential learning about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in co-curricular experiences such as new student orientation and in coursework. Experiential educators can help students forge links between learning about DEI in the co-curriculum and curriculum, and to move from intergroup dialogue to deliberation, which allows student learning to inform institutional learning. This article describes the design, outcomes, and implications of a course on dialogue and deliberation …


Leading In The Real World: Operationalizing A Power-Based Model Of Collaboration For Leadership Experiential Learning, Mariana J. Lebron, Filiz Tabak Jul 2018

Leading In The Real World: Operationalizing A Power-Based Model Of Collaboration For Leadership Experiential Learning, Mariana J. Lebron, Filiz Tabak

Organization Management Journal

Using a power-based conceptual framework, we present a collaboration model to guide faculty and student affairs (SA) staff in working together to develop experiential learning assignments that help students apply leadership concepts to on-campus organizational problems. The PowerBased Student-Centered Collaboration Model (PSCM) consists of four stages through which faculty, SA staff, leadership course students, and student organization leaders operationalize their legitimate, coercive, expert, reward, and informational power in sharing resources for mutually beneficial student-centered learning experiences. Power structures provide coordinating mechanisms for information-exchange, decision-making, and role clarification in team-based collaborations. Using the PSCM, we developed a 6-week assignment Leading in …


Confessions Of A Media Literacy Scholar-Practitioner: Job Market Advantages, Research Agenda Challenges, And Theory-Driven Production, Christopher Boulton Jun 2016

Confessions Of A Media Literacy Scholar-Practitioner: Job Market Advantages, Research Agenda Challenges, And Theory-Driven Production, Christopher Boulton

Journal of Media Literacy Education

This essay explores how higher education’s move away from the liberal arts tradition of learning by thinking and towards more vocational “experiential” approaches has implications for media literacy educators’ career options, scholarly identities, and teaching strategies. Specifically, I consider my own negotiation of increasing administrative and student demands for “hands-on” production courses by confessing both my advantages on the job market and my post-hire challenges in articulating a clear research agenda. I then conclude with a case study of how I repurposed my scholar-practitioner identity and used critical theory to drive production by bringing film students into a cultural studies …


Increasing Knowledge By Leaps And Bounds: Using Experiential Learning To Address Threshold Concepts, Thomas P. Bradley, Gerald F. Burch, Jana J. Burch Apr 2015

Increasing Knowledge By Leaps And Bounds: Using Experiential Learning To Address Threshold Concepts, Thomas P. Bradley, Gerald F. Burch, Jana J. Burch

Organization Management Journal

The discussion of threshold concepts is growing in the management education literature. These concepts create challenges for students and instructors since they act as barriers to learning. The reward for overcoming these obstacles is the opening of new ways of thinking that were not available before the student mastered the threshold concepts. We propose in this article that many students believe business education is “common sense” and do not understand that management is practice informed by theory. When students master the threshold concept concerning the “underlying game” of management, they begin to develop deeper and more meaningful understandings. From this …


Mission-Centric Learning: Developing Students’ Workplace Readiness Skills, Lisa A. Burke-Smalley, Kathleen Wheatley Feb 2015

Mission-Centric Learning: Developing Students’ Workplace Readiness Skills, Lisa A. Burke-Smalley, Kathleen Wheatley

Organization Management Journal

We discuss and evaluate the implementation of a mission-centric course project that is strategically tied to learning outcomes important to colleges of business. Specifically, to support our college’s mission, undergraduate students enrolled in a training and development class were tasked with applying course concepts to assess the need for, to design, and to deliver (to other business students) workplace readiness training. To aid other management educators interested in adopting similar strategically aligned and feedback-rich learning experiences, we outline and discuss relevant project planning, design, and facilitation issues, as well as present a summary of initial results derived from this project.


Linking Teams With Technology: Integrating Databases In Experiential Exercises In An Introductory Business Course, Anne Walsh, Susan C. Borkowski Oct 2014

Linking Teams With Technology: Integrating Databases In Experiential Exercises In An Introductory Business Course, Anne Walsh, Susan C. Borkowski

Organization Management Journal

The arrival of the “virtual generation” on campus has shifted the pedagogy in most business courses. Students in this generation not only are adept in navigating an array of mobile devices, but also have distinct preferences for courses that enable them to leverage their technology skills. Despite their affinity for technology, many of these students may not be as aware of the nuances related to digital content and often rely upon familiar but less relevant online resources to support course projects. This article presents several experiential exercises developed to enable students to leverage technology via database hyperlinks in an introductory …


Learning Through Collaboration And Competition: Incorporating Problem-Based Learning And Competition-Based Learning In A Capstone Course, Ashay Desei, Michael Tippins, J. B. Arbaugh Oct 2014

Learning Through Collaboration And Competition: Incorporating Problem-Based Learning And Competition-Based Learning In A Capstone Course, Ashay Desei, Michael Tippins, J. B. Arbaugh

Organization Management Journal

This article discusses an innovative capstone course to prepare students to be more business-ready upon graduation. By combining aspects of problem-based learning (PBL) and competition-based learning (CBL), a new undergraduate course allows students to gain practical experience while applying classroom knowledge to real business problems. Students are organized into teams of three to five and act as “consultants” to local businesses. Student consultants then develop and present competing recommendations (similar to the television show The Apprentice) to high-level managers within the organizations. Benefits from this course accrue not only to students, but also to faculty members, area businesses, and the …


Exploring The Educational Value Of The Undergraduate Teaching Apprentice (Uta) Experience, Molly Reynolds, Deanna Sellnow, Katharine Head, Kathryn E. Anthony Jan 2014

Exploring The Educational Value Of The Undergraduate Teaching Apprentice (Uta) Experience, Molly Reynolds, Deanna Sellnow, Katharine Head, Kathryn E. Anthony

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

Employing graduate students as teaching assistants (GTAs) is a common practice in universities across the United States. Using undergraduate students as teaching assistants/apprentices (UTAs), however, is not only less common but also often sparks debate among various stakeholder groups (e.g., teachers, administrators, community members). Moreover, relatively little empirical research has been published to support arguments on either side of the issue. The present study extends research by providing evidence to support the educational value of employing UTAs as teaching apprentices. More specifically, researchers conducted a grounded theory qualitative analysis of free-write essay responses collected from 33 UTAs throughout the course …


Rethinking The Classroom: One Department’S Attempt To Connect Student Learning And National Events, John A. Mcarthur Jan 2013

Rethinking The Classroom: One Department’S Attempt To Connect Student Learning And National Events, John A. Mcarthur

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

Communication programs have a rich anecdotal history of connecting student learning to real-world experience. Yet, the same programs, including ours, often privilege classroom-based instruction and instructor-led experiential learning over other types of experiences. When community organizers announced a national mega-event for our city, faculty in our communication department knew that we wanted to use it as a learning experience. We brainstormed ideas, most of which were classroom- and semester-based concepts typical of traditional topics courses. But, one of our faculty members suggested that we think outside of the concept of classroom. What resulted was a unique experience unlike any we …


You Want Me To Trust You? Using Adventure Learning To Teach Millennials About Trust, Kathleen J. Barnes, George E. Smith, Madeline Constantine Dec 2012

You Want Me To Trust You? Using Adventure Learning To Teach Millennials About Trust, Kathleen J. Barnes, George E. Smith, Madeline Constantine

Organization Management Journal

Management educators are confronted with a variety of teaching challenges as they attempt to distill and instill practical knowledge. Compounding this overarching challenge is millennial students’ desire to be actively involved in their own learning and their need to receive immediate feedback regarding the practical implications of their course material. One particularly difficult topic to teach millennial students is trust. Adventure learning provides a medium to address these student desires and to explore trust in an emotionally, socially, and physically safe environment. This article explores adventure learning and looks at specific activities being used at a medium-sized, northeastern university to …


Revisiting The Behavioral Matrix For Leadership And Team Development, Kathleen Kane Mar 2011

Revisiting The Behavioral Matrix For Leadership And Team Development, Kathleen Kane

Organization Management Journal

The Behavioral Matrix functions on a variety of levels, as: an introduction to self-awareness; a team building exercise; an ice breaker; an introduction to individual differences; or an opening exercise to a course or leadership development program. This exercise can be adapted for a variety of participants in college courses: undergraduate and graduate, as well as for executive and corporate training. Behavioral styles are categorized on a matrix with two axis. The four quadrants created by the intersection of the axis yield four different categories: Controller (formal/dominant), Supporter (informal/flow-with), Analyzer (formal/flow-with), and Promoter (informal/dominant). Specific guidelines for using the exercise …


Individual Incentives Versus Team Performance: Lessons From A Game Of Charades, Shawn E. Peacock, Patricia Denise Lopez, Marlon F. Sukal May 2007

Individual Incentives Versus Team Performance: Lessons From A Game Of Charades, Shawn E. Peacock, Patricia Denise Lopez, Marlon F. Sukal

Organization Management Journal

In this article, we describe a modified game of Charades that was developed to facilitate a discussion on the basic principles of effective reward system design. Students are organized into small groups. Incentive schemes are then manipulated so that one player within the group strives for an individual incentive, while the rest of the team play for a group reward. Through this simple and “fun” activity, students learn firsthand what happens when individual and team interests and incentives are not aligned. This experiential learning activity also offers excellent opportunities to discuss group dynamics, communication and coordination, and the importance of …


Individual Incentives Versus Team Performance: Lessons From A Game Of Charades, Shawn E. Peacock, Patricia Denise Lopez, Marlon F. Sukal May 2007

Individual Incentives Versus Team Performance: Lessons From A Game Of Charades, Shawn E. Peacock, Patricia Denise Lopez, Marlon F. Sukal

Organization Management Journal

In this article, we describe a modified game of Charades that was developed to facilitate a discussion on the basic principles of effective reward system design. Students are organized into small groups. Incentive schemes are then manipulated so that one player within the group strives for an individual incentive, while the rest of the team play for a group reward. Through this simple and “fun” activity, students learn firsthand what happens when individual and team interests and incentives are not aligned. This experiential learning activity also offers excellent opportunities to discuss group dynamics, communication and coordination, and the importance of …


“Nuts!” An Experiential Exercise In Ethics And Decision Making, D. Jeffrey Lenn Dec 2006

“Nuts!” An Experiential Exercise In Ethics And Decision Making, D. Jeffrey Lenn

Organization Management Journal

The current debate about how to address managerial misconduct in American business has renewed an interest in the role of ethics in business school curricula. The search for pedagogical tools by which to ensure effective teaching of ethics has led to experiential learning as an important method. This exercise introduces business ethics through a focus on a purchasing decision in a local grocery. It lays a foundation for understanding the interplay between ethics and everyday decision making in order to clarify the ethical dimension of decision making in business. The process of setting up the exercise as well as facilitating …


“Nuts!” An Experiential Exercise In Ethics And Decision Making, D. Jeffrey Lenn Dec 2006

“Nuts!” An Experiential Exercise In Ethics And Decision Making, D. Jeffrey Lenn

Organization Management Journal

The current debate about how to address managerial misconduct in American business has renewed an interest in the role of ethics in business school curricula. The search for pedagogical tools by which to ensure effective teaching of ethics has led to experiential learning as an important method. This exercise introduces business ethics through a focus on a purchasing decision in a local grocery. It lays a foundation for understanding the interplay between ethics and everyday decision making in order to clarify the ethical dimension of decision making in business. The process of setting up the exercise as well as facilitating …


A Strategic Management Learning Laboratory: Integrating The College Classroom And The College Human Resource Management Environment, Theodore D. Peters, Jeffrey S. Yanagi May 2006

A Strategic Management Learning Laboratory: Integrating The College Classroom And The College Human Resource Management Environment, Theodore D. Peters, Jeffrey S. Yanagi

Organization Management Journal

This capstone course extended the classroom to include practitioner-focused research projects and presentations to senior-level campus management. The course served as a student learning laboratory for experiencing working-world settings, problems, and expectations, using the controlled environment of a college human resource management office, working with the Director of Human Resource Management. Learning outcomes included 1) effectively using multiple business communication skills, 2) applying quantitative and qualitative reasoning for problem solving to integrate, synthesize and apply complex information for addressing practical problems; 3) experience in adapting to a real-life, changing environment, and 4) making management decisions that reflected the dynamic interrelationships …