Communication Commons^™

Case Study Of A Basic Course: Using Assessment To Legitimize Innovation, Marlene M. Preston, Rachel Holloway

Basic Communication Course Annual

As public higher education enters an era of increasing demand, shrinking resources, increased competition, and restructuring (Hebel, Schmidt, & Selingo, 2002; Schmidt, 2002), many colleges and universities will turn to measures of productivity and quality to decide what new efforts will be funded and what efforts will be discontinued. Because change will be necessary for public universities to thrive (Yudof, 2002), basic courses may be increasingly called upon to prove their efficacy and/or shift their focus to meet new demands.

The following case study describes the five-year process through which a two-semester first-year communication sequence was accepted into the general …

Kenneth Burke, The Basic Communication Course, And Applied Scholarship, Scott Titsworth, Ben Bates, Pam Kenniston

Basic Communication Course Annual

The Journal of Applied Communication Research published a forum of position papers in 2000 (Volume 28, Issue 2) that sought to define “applied communication research.” Collectively, the authors called for scholarship that embodies a reflexive relationship between theory and practice (O’Hair, 2000; Keyton, 2000, Cissna, 2000; Eadie, 2000; Frey, 2000; Seibold, 2000; Wood, 2000). In this essay, we call for applied scholarship that focuses on how we talk, perform, and theorize the basic communication course. Drawing from the works of Kenneth Burke (e.g., 1931/1968; 1935; 1937/1984; 1941/ 1967; 1945/1969; 1954/1984), we focus specifically on the salience of discourses of and …

Author Biographies

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Index Of Titles And Authors, Volumes 1-17

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.

Synthesizing The First 15 Years Of The Basic Communication Course Annual: What Research Tells Us About Effective Pedagogy, Stephen K. Hunt, David R. Novak, Julie L. Semlak, Kevin R. Meyer

Basic Communication Course Annual

Despite the popularity of the both the basic course in communication and the Basic Communication Course Annual, questions still remain about the empirical support for the ways in which we teach the basic course. This essay categorizes and synthesizes 61 empirical studies published from 1989 to 2004 in the Basic Communication Course Annual. The studies are classified into five categories: teaching strategies, teacher and student characteristics, status of the basic course, analyses of texts for the basic course, and assessment of the basic course. Several salient themes are developed and suggestions for future research are advanced.

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, Scott Titsworth

Basic Communication Course Annual

Volume 17 of the Basic Communication Course Annual offers a great deal of insight on the varied dimensions of basic course pedagogy which, at the end of the day, allows the basic course to embody the ideals of our discipline. The complexity of communication is best illustrated in Turman’s article exploring the use of technology in the basic course. As Paul explains, students’ perceptions of teacher immediacy and affect are influenced not only by gender, but also by the use of technology. Paul’s findings show us that the classroom communication environment must not be characterized with a “one approach …

Contents And Abstracts

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Problematic Student Behaviors In The College Communication Classroom: Reviewing And Re-Envisioning Instructional Communication Research, Javette G. Hayes

Basic Communication Course Annual

Climate concerns in basic communication courses often revolve around classroom management issues. Teachers may experience reality shock in the face of complex and challenging classroom situations. This essay offers new and experienced teachers a detailed review, interpretation, and critique of literature on student conduct that may contribute to the “harsh and rude reality of everyday classroom life.” After consideration of research on specific areas of problem student behavior (i.e., participation; hostility, opposition, and aggression; power and resistance; challenge behavior; cheating; and excuse making), attention shifts to the topics of prevention, recommendations, mutual influence, and confrontation. The essay concludes with two …

Preparing To Participate: An Exploration Of Student Engagement Through Student Work And Instructors’ Observations, Allison N. Rattenborg, Cheri J. Simonds, Stephen K. Hunt

Basic Communication Course Annual

The present study investigates two instructional strategies that promote student preparation for and participation in class: reading objectives and participation sheets. In the first study, students were asked to complete the reading objectives (knowledge level questions about the assigned reading) and write the extended comments. Extended comments move beyond the knowledge level by demonstrating comprehension, application, or evaluation of the content.

These include personal examples, insights, or questions about the course material. A content analysis of the students’ ex-tended comments found evidence of student engagement as 76.3% of the comments moved beyond the “knowledge” level. Study 2 examined instructors’ perceptions …

A Study Exploring The Impact Of Two Instructional Paradigms On State And Trait Communication Apprehension, Amy Rachelle Wolfsen

Basic Communication Course Annual

For decades the communication field has been interested in communication apprehension (CA). However, little attention has been given to developing a link between communication apprehension and instructional strategies. To test this notion, undergraduate students at a medium sized western university were exposed to experimental classrooms involving two instructional methodologies and then asked to complete state and trait CA measures. The study employed a 2x2x2 factorial design with the first factor being the instructors, the second factor being the teaching style and the third factor being the lesson plans. These data were analyzed using MANOVA and Duncan's Multiple Range tests. While …

Implementing Technology Into The Basic Course: The Influence Of Sex And Instructional Technology Use On Teacher Immediacy And Student Affective Learning, Paul D. Turman

Basic Communication Course Annual

This study explored the impact that instructional technology use and instructor gender have on students’ perceptions of immediacy and affective learning in the basic communication course. Participants included 1526 undergraduate students from 72 sections of the basic course over the course of four semesters. A series of 2 X 2 factorial designs were used to uncover main and interaction effects. Results of the Multivariate analyses revealed a two-way interaction effect of technology use by instructor gender with the use of presentational software, and main effects for each form of technology (i.e., presentational software, video material, course webpages, course chatrooms, online …

Individual Conferences And The Public Speaking Class, Rodney K. Marshall, Michelle T. Violanti

Basic Communication Course Annual

This study examined the individual conferences created by using the online-assisted method of teaching the Public Speaking class. During the course of the semester, students completed online quizzes to assess their textbook comprehension and met individually with the instructor to prepare for the presentations in the online-assisted course. Students in the traditional course attended and participated in class without use of computers outside of class. The results revealed the online-assisted students were more satisfied with the class, felt more prepared in giving presentations, perceived they learned more, felt better concerning the instruction, and perceived better communication with the instructor than …

Author Identification

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Index Of Titles, Volumes 1-16; Index Of Authors, Volumes 1-16

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.

Contents

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Assessing Sensitivity: A Critical Analysis Of Gender In Teaching Basic Communication Courses, Laura C. Prividera

Basic Communication Course Annual

This critical study utilized a liberal feminist perspective to examine how communication teachers talked about gender issues in their basic communication classes and displayed gender sensitivity in their pedagogical practices. In-depth interviews and observations were conducted with fifteen teachers from seven mid-western academic institutions. The data revealed six themes, which describe how gender issues were marginalized and minimized in the talk and teaching practices of many of my research participants. Such marginalization may perpetuate disparities in the academic experiences of male and female students taking the basic communication course.

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, Scott Titsworth

Basic Communication Course Annual

Now 16 years old, the Basic Communication Course Annual continues to hold a unique and instrumental status among peer communication journals. Notably, the Annual is the only national communication journal devoted to research and scholarship pertaining to the basic communication course. What started as an infant in 1988 has grown into a bright young-adult with an admirable sense of self.

The success of the Annual is entirely attributable to the community of scholars who have supported the journal over the years. All of us should be thankful for the leadership provided by the previous editors: Deanna Sellnow, Craig Newburger, and …

Bias In The Evaluation Process: Influences Of Speaker Order, Speaker Quality, And Gender On Rater Error In The Performance Based Course, Paul D. Turman, Matthew H. Barton

Basic Communication Course Annual

This study examines how variations in speaker order increase the potential for rater error in the performance based course. Seventy-six undergraduate raters were randomly assigned to one of eight treatment groups and asked to grade eight-week training course. Speaker order and presentation quality varied across groups and an ANOVA was used to examine significant differences across rater assessments, feedback quality and rater gender. Significant main effects were identified in each of the eight treatment groups suggesting that speaker order influenced rater scoring.

Written Speech Feedback In The Basic Communication Course: Are Instructors Too Polite?, Dana L. Reynolds, Stephen K. Hunt, Cheri J. Simonds, Craig W. Cutbirth

Basic Communication Course Annual

The present study investigates written performance feedback through the lens of politeness theory. Study 1 examined the types of comments instructors offer to students when they provide written feedback on speeches as well as the relationship between these comments and students' grades.

Results demonstrate that instructors used an overabundance of positive politeness messages and virtually no negative politeness messages. Students who received a higher grade were more likely to receive fewer face threats and more positive politeness messages than those students' who received a lower grade. The results also suggest that instructors are more willing to threaten a students' negative …

Communication Lab Peer Facilitators: What's In It For Them?, M. Tanya Bran-Barrett, Judith A. Rolls

Basic Communication Course Annual

Peer tutors have been used extensively within the communication discipline to enhance students' learning experiences (Hill, 1981; Webb & Lane, 1986). Research suggests that peer tutoring can have positive rewards for tutors and tutees (Goodland & Hurst, 1989; Topping, 1996). However, there is little to no research that explores the benefits received by peer tutors who run small group communication lab sessions for basic communication course students.

The qualitative data from focus group indicate that peer facilitators experienced: 1) self-development in terms of their self-esteem, confidence, and respect from themselves and others; 2) improved public speaking skills and better interpersonal …