Communication Commons^™

Ai And Agency: Policy As Problem Posing In The Introductory Communication Studies Classroom, Deanna L. Fassett, Nancy Park

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This forum essay examines artificial-intelligence policy in introductory communication courses through the lens of critical communication pedagogy. It identifies a tension between institutional pressures for readily enforceable, surveillance-oriented AI policies and relational approaches that support instructors’ and students’ long-term agency. Drawing on problem-posing pedagogy, the authors argue that prepackaged policies can position teaching assistants as policy enforcers rather than reflective educators. They propose collaborative policy development as a means of fostering dialogue, ethical discernment, human connection, and critical engagement with AI’s role in communication education.

Speaking In Color: Code-Meshing Against Standard Language Ideology In The Public Speaking Classroom, Darrion A. Walker

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Public speaking courses do more than teach presentation skills; they also teach students which voices count as credible. In Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs), instructional norms tied to standard language ideology position standardized English as the unmarked benchmark of professional communication. For students who speak African American Language (AAL) or other culturally informed language varieties, this creates a double bind: conform linguistically or risk being penalized for rhetorical authenticity. This reflective essay identifies the double bind as an underexamined problem in communication pedagogy and suggests that code-meshing—the intentional blending of multiple language varieties within a single communicative act—offers a more equitable, …

Creating Safe(R) Classrooms: Trauma-Informed Teaching Practices In Higher Education, Shannon Pappas, Nolan Bowers, Lili R. Romann

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Trauma is a public health issue, with effects being increasingly harmful for adolescents. While instructors cannot control how students respond to trauma, they can work to create traumainformed teaching practices to support student learning and safety. Based on the principles of trauma-informed pedagogy, this manuscript details how safety, trustworthiness and transparency, choice, collaboration, and empowerment can be implemented in higher education communication courses. Additionally, a sixth principle, responding to the current climate, is introduced. Currently, instructors are grappling with supporting vulnerable students and answering to those in power. These practices offer insights into classroom adaptations to assist instructors in these …

Community Problems Need Community Solutions: Feminist Collaboration Across Campuses To Create Transformative Outcomes Through Community Engaged Learning, Elizabeth Wilhoit Larson, Jasmine R. Linabary, Ziyu Long, Kylie J. Johnson

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This study presents a multi-institutional engaged pedagogy project responding to college food insecurity that involved partnerships among students, instructors, and campus food pantries from three U.S. universities. Through analysis of pre- and post-class surveys, class assignments, and instructor and community partner reflections, we argue that our feminist collaborative approach resulted in transformative outcomes in three areas: (a) heads, as the collaboration enabled critical understandings of food insecurity and how to combat it; (b) hearts, as the collaboration fostered a culture of care and (re)ignited shared passion in doing change work, and (c) hands, as the collaboration inspired actions to address …

Decolonizing Communication Pedagogy: Toward An Afro-Rhetorical Framework, Lionnell Smith

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This essay introduces Afro-rhetorical pedagogy as a decolonial framework for communication pedagogy. Building on Adam Key’s 2022 call for an Applied Africana Studies framework for public speaking pedagogy, this essay conceptualizes Afro-rhetorical pedagogy grounded in Afrocentric thought and African communication theory. Through a close reading of Molefi Kete Asante’s 2011 address on African curriculum, this essay establishes three foundational principles for Afro-rhetorical pedagogy: (a) epistemological agency, (b) decolonized knowledge production, and (c) institutional reconstruction. This pedagogical framework addresses communication education’s reproduction of white cultural hegemony by promoting African-centered principles, practices, and precepts that reposition communication pedagogy as a more liberatory …

Meeting Rhetorical And Relational Goals In Online Higher Education: Insights From A South African Case Study, Rentia Du Plessis Dr., Diana Breshears Prof., Luzelle Naudé Prof

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This qualitative study examines the degree to which synchronous and asynchronous online learning platforms both supported and constrained the achievement of rhetorical and relational goals in a resource-constrained South African higher education context. As online teaching practices persist in the post-COVID era, understanding how to design pedagogically sound online environments is increasingly important, particularly in the Global South where cost, access, and connectivity pose significant constraints. Drawing on the Rhetorical and Relational Goals Theory (RRGT; Mottet et al., 2006) and Kaufmann et al.’s (2016) online learning climate dimensions, the study analyzes undergraduate students’ perceptions of Blackboard Collaborate, PowerPoint voice-overs, WhatsApp, …

Exploring Power In The Classroom Through The Lens Of Relational Power, Aubree A. Herman, Narissra Maria Punyanunt-Carter Phd

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This study explores how French and Raven’s relational power model shapes student communication in higher education. Through a survey of 530 undergraduates, the research investigates how TA age and gender, and student gender, impact student perceptions of power. Results indicate that TA gender and age impact student perceptions of referent power, but not expert power; however, expert and referent power emerged as the strongest predictors of course satisfaction and intention to take future courses, while coercive power negatively predicted both outcomes. These findings underscore the importance of expertise and interpersonal interaction in the TA–student relationship and suggest that French and …

Beyond Human Bonds: Understanding Relationship Development With Humanized Ai Companions, Maria Nikolajczyk, Elisa Maier, Julia Prawitz, Leyla Dogruel

Human-Machine Communication

This study investigates the development of relationships between humans and Humanized AI Companions (HACs), focusing on the chatbot Replika. Drawing on interpersonal relationship theories, we explore how these relationships evolve, emphasizing the role of self-disclosure and communication. Through 12 in-depth interviews with Replika users we reveal that users perceive HACs as emotionally supportive, nonjudgmental companions, fostering meaningful bonds despite the AI’s lack of true reciprocity. Relationship development follows stages similar to human relationships, with self-disclosure playing a key role in deepening intimacy. However, the relationships are often asymmetrical, with users deriving emotional benefits without expecting mutual exchange. Technical limitations, such …

Tool Or Social Actor? How Ai Perception And Interaction Modality Influence Perceived Credibility Of Communicative Ai Over Time, Stefanie H. Klein, Sonja Utz

Human-Machine Communication

People increasingly interact with conversational agents based on artificial intelligence (AI) for a variety of tasks. While these communicative AI (comAI) systems often produce responses that are natural and engaging, the information they provide is not always correct and unbiased. This makes it essential to understand how users perceive the credibility of such systems. Drawing on data from four waves of a longitudinal survey (NT1 = 618, NT4 = 485), we investigated how active users’ perceptions of comAI as a tool or social actor and their primary interaction modality (text vs. voice) influence the credibility perceptions of comAI, both cross-sectionally …

The Comforting Potential Of A Social Robot, Regardless Of Looks And Designed Affordances, Peggy Van Minkelen, Elly A. Konijn

Human-Machine Communication

Two field studies examined the comforting potential of an autonomously functioning humanoid robot and whether participants formed an affective bond with it, guided by a new Human-Robot Bonding framework. We designed a 2 (Designed Humanness: high versus low) × 2 (Designed Affordances: high versus low) mixed-factorial repeatedmeasures field experiment. Participants completed a stress-inducing task, followed by an interaction with the robot, which provided comfort. We measured participants’ stress levels (objectively via heart rate and subjectively via perceived stress) and their level of Bonding with the robot. Results showed that perceived stress, but not heart rate, decreased after human-robot interaction across …

Gender And Task Alignment Influences The Credibility Of Feminine But Not Masculine Ai Conversational Assistants, Joana Videira, David Deandrea

Human-Machine Communication

The present study investigated how the perceived gender of AI conversational assistants and the tasks they perform combine to influence perceptions of AI competence, trustworthiness, and goodwill (i.e., credibility). Participants evaluated AI assistants that appeared female or male and varied in the task they performed (stereotypically feminine or masculine task). Findings did not support an overall preference for female AI assistants over male AI assistants. Rather, perceived AI gender interacted with gender stereotypes associated with the task performed to affect perceptions of AI credibility. Notably, AI perceived to be very feminine had the highest credibility when performing stereotypically feminine tasks …

10 Questions To Fall In Love With A Chatbot: An Experimental Study On Interpersonal Closeness With Large Language Models (Llms), Jessica M. Szczuka, Lisa Mühl, Paula Ebner, Simon Dubé

Human-Machine Communication

Large language models (LLMs), like ChatGPT, are able to compute affectionately nuanced text, which can be deployed in online dating or power artificial companions. This study explores whether people can experience intimate interest and interpersonal closeness toward a potential human or AI partner, based on such text. In a mock matchmaking scenario, 307 participants rated 10 text responses to the Interpersonal Closeness Generation Task from the dating profile of their potential partner, unaware that all were LLM-generated. Surprisingly, the source label (human or AI) had no significant impact on intimate interest and interpersonal closeness. Instead, the perceived quality and human-likeness …

The Right Kind Of Human-Like: Measuring And Testing Human-Likeness Perceptions Of Text-Based Conversational Agents, Carolin Ischen, Elizabeth Wang, Edith G. Smit

Human-Machine Communication

While conversational agents are designed with human-like features to facilitate interaction, the scholarly understanding of users’ perception of human-likeness as a key concept in human-machine communication remains underexplored. This paper provides a threelegged typology of human-likeness perceptions of text-based conversational agents, including the dimensions of appearance, capacity, and personality. Based on responses of 373 participants, the paper identifies measurement instruments for the different dimensions. Furthermore, it tests to what extent social cues commonly applied in customer service chatbots influence the different dimensions of human-likeness perception. Next to a set of direct measurements, factor analysis confirmed two indirect measurements for appearance-based …

Unexpected Encounters With Spot In The Wild: Sensemaking As Communicative Boundary Work With Robots, Annette Markham, Constanze M. Leeb, Brooke Ann Coco, Daniel Kirby, Lu Liu, Edoardo Lomi, Lucy Thornton, Kelly Ka-Lai Chan, Bradley R. Crammond

Human-Machine Communication

As near-autonomous and AI-embedded robots continue to appear in public settings, their sociality and interactivity is a critical part of the social fabric. This article presents emerging themes from a large-scale ethnographic study of granular-level public interactions between more than 400 people who have an unexpected encounter with Boston Dynamics’ robot “Spot” in a public square in Melbourne. Conceptualizing Spot as a boundary object enables us to highlight patterns of sensemaking as people grapple with ontological disruptions through micro-level interactions; within the self, with other people, or between the self and the robot. Based on thematic analysis of multimedia data …

Determinants Of Antenatal Care Utilization: A Community-Based, Cross-Sectional Study In Morang And Sunsari Districts, Eastern Nepal, Sunil Shah, Chandra Jha

Journal of Social, Behavioral, and Health Sciences

This study examined the factors influencing antenatal care (ANC) utilization in the eastern region of Nepal, focusing on the Morang and Sunsari districts, with the aim of identifying key determinants affecting ANC uptake and assessing the extent of ANC service utilization among mothers. Using lot quality assurance sampling, a community-based, descriptive, cross-sectional design was employed, surveying 164 mothers who had given birth within the previous 12 months; data were collected from June through November 2023. Data were collected through a semi-structured questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS, with descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and logistic regression. Findings revealed that 80.5% of respondents …

Bridging The Gap: Understanding Intergenerational Workplace Conflict And Collaboration Between Baby Boomers And Gen Zers, Cynthia P. Harvey

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Today’s information technology (IT) workplaces include Baby Boomer and Gen Z employees whose differing communication experiences and interpretations may contribute to misunderstanding, equivocality, conflict and challenges in collaboration. The problem examined in this study was the limited understanding of how Baby Boomers and Gen Zers interpret and negotiate meaning in everyday communication and how differences in sense-making through the processes of organizing and symbolic meaning-making may generate equivocality and ambiguity that were perceived as missed deadlines and enhanced work processes. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore how Baby Boomer and Gen Z IT professionals experienced, interpreted and …

Cultural Fidelity: An Exploration Of Oral Tradition And Its Role In Preserving Cultural Identity In Nigerians Of The Diaspora, Veronica L. Graham

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Oral tradition is a dynamic communicative practice through which diasporic individuals construct meaning, transmit memory, and sustain intergenerational belonging. Against the backdrop of cultural displacement, linguistic adaptation, and identity negotiation, this study examined the role of oral tradition in preserving cultural identity amongst Nigerians of the diaspora. It also interrogated how oral practices—often considered antiquated or informal within Western paradigms—function as enduring technologies of cultural continuity. Guided by multi-generational voices that reflect the evolving nature of oral expression across diasporic contexts, the findings of this study indicate that oral tradition remains a powerful mechanism through which diasporic Nigerians preserve cultural …

Quoting The Silver Screen: The Communication Influence Of Film Dialogue, Albert Clayton Vandiver Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative thematic analysis study researched the topic of film dialogue elements used in common interpersonal discourse. These elements, or movie quotes, were observed to manifest as meaning-filled symbols in communication throughout American culture. This phenomenon, and the gap in scholarly literature or lack of research on movie quotes within the field of communication, underscored the significance and need for investigation. This study employed a qualitative methodology using the thematic analysis approach in evaluating data. Research questions were designed to focus the study on internal motivation for, and external influence on, movie quote usage. 17 screened adult participants provided valid …

Innovating Paradigm Of Science Diplomacy To Build A World Science Center, Zhengzhong Xu, Mingyue Yang

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Amid the vigorous development of digital technologies, profound transformations are occurring in research paradigms, with data-driven approaches and interdisciplinary integration emerging as core features. Scientific research has evolved into a global public good, and large-scale scientific facilities have become critical pillars for scientific discovery. This has triggered profound changes in global science diplomacy, which has shifted from an auxiliary role to the center of global diplomacy. How to build a science diplomacy system adapted to the needs of the new era is not only an inherent requirement for China to achieve high-level sci-tech self-reliance and self-strengthening, break through the bottleneck …

Navigating Mental Health Stigma And Disclosure Among Black Males On Social Media: A Qualitative Study Guided By Stigma Management Communication Theory, Kendall Brown

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

Mental health stigma in the Black male community is a significant topic worth further investigation within the field of communication. Few current studies go into depth on the subject of mental health stigma, with the aim of understanding how communication is impacted by stigma. This work fills that gap. This qualitative research study sought to explicate the varied strategies employed by Black males when navigating disclosure in social media spaces. Stigma management communication theory is the guiding theory used to illuminate the communication choices made by Black males that shape their experiences. Factors such as racism, historical medical maltreatment, and …

A Qualitative Study Of Social Presence Theory In Organizational Communication With Online Adjunct Sense Of Belonging, Sheri Lemon

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This qualitative study addressed the challenges of geographically dispersed online adjunct faculty feelings of isolation and sense of belonging. The purpose of this qualitative was to explore how online adjunct faculty experience a sense of belonging within their institutions and how organizational leadership communication practices, interpreted through social presence theory, shape those experiences. Guided by Short, Williams, and Christie's (1976) social presence theory and Craig’s (1999) sociopsychological tradition, this research explored the lived experiences of online instructors and the specific communicative behaviors that influence their connection to their institutions. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews with twenty online adjunct faculty …

Lindenwood Digest, August 19, 2026, Lindenwood University

Lindenwood Digest

• Event & Date: The Lindenwood University Employee Digest was issued on August 19, 2026, announcing campus events including the Walk of Pride on August 21, 2026, Welcome Week professional development sessions on August 20, 2026, and on-campus biometric screenings scheduled for October 6–8, 2026.

• Geographic Grounding: Documented activities and services occur at James Butler Way near the Memorial Arts Building and Warner Hall, the Library and Academic Resources Center (LARC), Evans Commons, and the Spellmann Center at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri.

• Key Honorees/Awards: Senior Vice President of University Advancement Mindy Spencer was recognized for leadership during her initial …

The Self-Aware Room: A Framework For Operational Self-Awareness In Evolvable Blended Environments, David B. Smith

Publications and Research

The Self-Aware Room (SAR) is a room-scale research environment developed within the larger Balanced Blended Space and Blended Reality Performance System research trajectory. Rather than treating the room as a conventional “smart” environment composed of fixed automation technologies, SAR approaches it as an evolvable blended environment made from physical, virtual, conceptual, sensory, computational, and performative relationships. Its defining feature is not any particular sensor, model, or output device, but the set of transformations through which physical activity becomes structured observation, bounded representation, interpreted state, governed decision, and mediated response.

This paper develops the conceptual and methodological foundations of SAR as …

E-Health Literacy And Cyberchondria Severity Among Adolescent High School Students: A Cross-Sectional Study, Seyda Çavmak, Adem Bilgin

Makara Journal of Health Research

Background: Amid rapid digitalization and the growing use of artificial intelligence-based search engines, adolescents increasingly seek health information online. This study examined the relationship between high school students' e-health literacy and their cyberchondria tendencies.

Methods: This quantitative, cross-sectional study included 683 students from public high schools in Mersin, Türkiye. Data were collected using a Demographic Information Form, the e-Health Literacy Scale (eHEALS), and the Cyberchondria Severity Scale Short Form (CSS-12). Descriptive statistics, comparative tests, and Pearson correlation were applied (p < 0.05).

Results: Students' e-health literacy and cyberchondria severity were moderate. Significant positive correlations emerged between e-health literacy …

Political Interest And News Media Literacy Among University Students: Case Of The U.S.-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2023), Nhat Anh Nguyen, Ngoc Thuy Duong Le

Journal of Media Literacy Education Pre-Prints

In today’s complex media environment, the ability to critically evaluate news plays an essential role in shaping political interest, especially among youth. Although media literacy has been extensively investigated in relation to civic outcomes, the particular link between news media literacy (NML) and political interest is still little known. This paper investigates this link among Vietnamese university students by means of the U.S.-Vietnam Comprehensive Strategic Partnership as a prominent foreign policy instance. Drawing on Potter’s (2004) cognitive model and Maksl et al.'s (2015) NML scale, this study primarily employs a quantitative approach using survey data (N = 410), complemented by …

Undergraduate Student Perceptions Of Student-Faculty Interactions In Relation To Academic Anxiety In An Online Learning Environment, Alexandria Ward

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

The expansion of online learning in higher education, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic, has significantly reshaped student experiences and communication practices. While existing research has explored online learning environments, student engagement, and mental health, there remains a gap in understanding how undergraduate students perceive student-faculty interactions in online learning environments and how these interactions impact academic anxiety. Guided by Transactional Distance Theory, which emphasizes dialogue, structure, and learner autonomy, this qualitative phenomenological study addressed three research questions: how students describe their experiences with faculty interactions in online learning environments in relation to academic anxiety, what aspects of communication contribute to …

When Policy Meets Public Distrust: A Social Network Analysis On Indonesia's Mbg Program, Rizky Fauziah, Rehia Karenina Isabella Barus, Ressi Dwiana

JURNAL KOMUNIKASI INDONESIA

The Indonesian government program Free Nutritious Meal, locally abbreviated as MBG, launched in early 2025, has generated significant public controversy. Data from the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF) indicate that, as of August 2025, approximately 4,000 students across Indonesia had reportedly suffered food poisoning associated with the program. This situation has fueled widespread public concern and contributed to declining trust in government. This study aims to analyze communication networks surrounding the MBG on the social media platform X. This study draws on Trust and Distrust Theory and employs a Social Network Analysis (SNA) approach to examine how …

The Current - Volume 37 Issue 01, Nova Southeastern University

Student Newspapers

No abstract provided.

Investigation Of Bio-Inspired Design Tools In Satellites, Spoorti Nanjamma

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This study investigates the application of Biologically Inspired Design (BID) tools within student-led satellite design teams, with the goal of enhancing early-stage systems engineering practices. As CubeSat missions become increasingly complex and resource-constrained, there is a need for approaches that support innovative yet structured problem-solving. While BID has shown promise in other engineering domains, its practical integration into satellite design, remains limited. To address this gap, three interactive workshops were developed and implemented with a Embry-Riddle Aeronautical university CubeSat team – Project COMET. The first workshop focused on functional decomposition, guiding students to express subsystem behavior in verb–noun form and …

Is It Safe To Speak Up? A Theoretical Examination Of The Measurement Of Psychological Safety, Carissa Aumack

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

When working with teams, certain factors will dictate whether they function well or not, with one such factor being psychological safety. Psychological safety (PS) is determined by a shared belief that, within the team, it is safe to take interpersonal risks (Edmonson, 1999). This definition does not entirely encapsulate the concept of PS, as it focuses on the concept as a team-based belief and does not consider how individual beliefs of PS can differ from the collective. A cursory literature review was conducted (8 articles related to PS), and based on the findings, a nomological network (i.e., a representation of …