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Basic Communication Course Annual

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Editorial Board

Basic Communication Course Annual

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Basic Communication Course Annual

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Contents

Basic Communication Course Annual

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The Basic Course And The Future Of The Workplace, Andrew D. Wolvin

Basic Communication Course Annual

The preparation of students to function as effective communicators in the workplace is an important goal of the basic communication course. To meet this goal, students must be equipped with speaking and listening competencies in order to do their work. The basic hybrid course with units in intrapersonal, interpersonal, group, and public communication offers a viable framework for workplace communication.

Predictors Of Self-Perceptions Of Behavioral Competence, Self-Esteem, And Willingness To Communicate: A Study Assessing Impact In A Basic Interpersonal Communication Course, Sherwyn P. Morreale, Michael Z. Hackman, Michael R. Neer

Basic Communication Course Annual

Considering the emergent role of evaluation in higher education, it is important that assessment procedures be developed for all communication courses. Courses such as public speaking already have well established assessment programs while other courses are in need of additional attention. This article describes an assessment program that examines the impact of an interpersonal course on undergraduates' self-perceived behavioral and affective competence. Using a pre- and post-test model, assessment was based on administration of the Communication Behaviors Inventory, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Willingness to Communicate Scale. These outcomes were measured as a function of gender, age, and ethnicity. …

Learning Style Preferences And Academic Achievement Within The Basic Communication Course, Charles A. Lubbers, William J. Seiler

Basic Communication Course Annual

Students enrolled in a basic communication course taught using the personalized system of instruction (PSI) were studied to determine the influence of learning style preferences on academic achievement. The twenty measures of the Canfield Learning Style Inventory (CLSI) were regressed with three measures of student academic achievement. Eight of the twenty were significant in at least one of the three equations. Two of the learning style measures (class organization and performance expectations) were significant with all three measures of achievement. Two applications of the findings for basic course instructors are presented.

Graduate Teaching Assistant Training: Preparing Instructors To Assist Esl Students In The Introductory Public Speaking Course, Brooke L. Quigley, Katherine G. Hendrix, Karen Freisem

Basic Communication Course Annual

Much research identifies the need to assist English as a Second Language (ESL) students in our classrooms. Some communication educators have addressed this need by enrolling students in special sections of introductory courses for ESL students only. With a focus specifically on graduate teaching assistant (GTA) training, this paper suggests ways to assist ESL students, along with native speaking students, enrolled in regular sections of the introductory public speaking course. We first identify steps for assessing whether an ESL student is appropriately enrolled in a course. We then focus on ways instructors can assist ESL students with: 1) pronunciation, comprehensibility, …

Applying Multiple Intelligences Theory To The Basic Public Speaking Course, Kristi A. Schaller, Marybeth G. Callison

Basic Communication Course Annual

This article examines the theory of Multiple Intelligences (MI) (Gardner, 1983; 1993) as it applies to the basic public speaking course. According to MI theory, intelligence is not a single dimension but is a composite of several aptitudes and talents. Gardner believes that individuals possess more than one intelligence, and MI theory defines seven. We argue that the basic public speaking course is an excellent forum for addressing students’ multiple intelligences while teaching oral and written communication skills. This paper introduces MI theory and provides suggested course assignments and activities that correspond with the multiple intelligences.

The Debate On The Uses Of Practical Theory Continues, Lawrence W. Hugenberg

Basic Communication Course Annual

The first two essays by Spano and Hickson (Basic Communication Course Annual 8, 1996) involved some crucial issues about where the basic communication course stands in relation to theory, research, and practice. In this second round, specific examples are discussed by Spano. Hickson attempts to contextualize them. Such specificity involves delineating the nature of communication theory from a pragmatic perspective, not ideological from either a phenomenological not a positivistic stance. The importance of context is stressed and outlined as an aspect of human nature—perhaps the element which separates us from other living beings.

Delineating The Uses Of Practical Theory: A Reply To Hickson, Shawn Spano

Basic Communication Course Annual

Let me begin by thanking Professor Hickson for his comments on the article I published in the 1996 issue of the Basic Communication Course Annual (Hickson, 1996; Spano, 1996). I consider it a compliment that my ideas about practical theory interested him enough to write a rejoinder. More importantly, Hickson’s response provides us with an opportunity to “continue the conversation” on the role of theory in the basic course. It might be useful here to provide some background on how this conversation started.

In 1995 I presented a paper on practical theory on a SCA program sponsored by the Basic …

Theory And Pedagogy In The Basic Course: A Summary From Spano And Hickson, Mark Hickson Iii

Basic Communication Course Annual

I, too, have been pleased about the exchange of insights relative to the practical approach to teaching the basic course, as suggested by Spano (1996). While I agree with much of what Spano wrote, I am still concerned about the nature and status of some of the “theory” that has been developed and that is being developed in the discipline. To understand my overall view, however, one must review information about the nature of theory from meta-theoreticians, or critics of theory. And I think that we will find that there are some similarities between a practical view of theory and …

Teaching The Honors Public Speaking Course, Karla Kay Jensen, David E. Williams

Basic Communication Course Annual

The honors student comes to the public speaking class with a unique set of needs and learning preferences which require alterations to the traditional course. This article explores a variety of honors course formats, honors students’ characteristics and learning preferences, and some ideas for restructuring the typical public speaking course to best accommodate honors students. As such, this article can serve as an initial step toward creating a new honors course or restructuring an existing course. The suggested formats and content changes can create added challenge and participatory experience to improve honors education.

Commentary: The Research Foundation For Instruction In The Beginning Public Speaking Course, Lawrence W. Hugenberg, Barbara S. Moyer

Basic Communication Course Annual

The history of public speaking instruction is rooted in classical rhetorical theories. There is a lack of recent communication research findings cited in textbooks to support instruction in the beginning public speaking course. This research examined five leading public speaking texts in the hopes of finding contemporary communication research findings to support the advice given to students. This survey reveals little research being cited in beginning public speaking texts. The authors conclude with a discussion of reasons why research is not cited and offer communication scholars a challenge to conduct research to support pedagogical claims.

Author Identifications

Basic Communication Course Annual

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Basic Communication Course Annual Vol. 10

Basic Communication Course Annual

Full issue (174 pages, 6.4 MB)

Back Cover

Basic Communication Course Annual

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Envisioning A Capstone Course In Communication: The View From A Departmental Armchair, William J. Seiler

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

For many departments, the need to develop an assessment package has been the driving force in the consideration of adding a capstone course to their communication curricula. But there are other reasons to justify the creation of such a course. In general, the capstone course has been described by some as a course in which students are required to integrate diverse bodies of knowledge to solve a problem or formulate a policy of societal importance. The dictionary describes a capstone as the “final or crowning part.” That may be a bit presumptuous, but it illustrates the notion of what most …

Perceptions Of Basic Communication Texts: Factors In Student Learning And Textbook Adoption Decisions, Donald D. Yoder, Robert A. Davilla

Basic Communication Course Annual

The purpose of this study is to assess existing pedagogical assumptions about basic communication course textbook features. Two separate surveys were administered to students (N= 1,379) and instructors (N= 118) in basic communication courses at 15 colleges and universities.

The findings of the study are twofold. First, students and teachers differ in their perceptions of usefulness of textbook pedagogical features. Second, students perceive basic course texts to be less difficult and less theoretical though more interesting, enjoyable, relevant, and practical than other introductory course texts. When making publication and text selection decisions, the findings help authors and teachers better choose …

A National Survey Of Tenure And Promotion Standards In Communication Departments, Philip Emmert, Steven A. Rollman

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article presents information on a survey on tenure and promotion standards in academic departments in the U.S. Among the most important decisions in the academic world are those of promotion and tenure. The importance of these decisions is underscored by the controversy that accompanies them. The conflict surrounding these, as well as merit decisions, is usually focused on the criteria for making these determinations. In mid 1993 surveys were sent to the chairpersons of every department in the Speech Communication Association Directory that included in its title the words communication, speech or rhetoric. This resulted in 627 mailings to …

Using The Internship As A Tool For Assessment: A Case Study, Beverly Graham, Pamela G. Bourland-Davis, Hal W. Fulmer

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article presents a case study involving public relations internship letters that were used to generate a checklist for the assessment process. The case study suggests three key points about the usefulness of internships in assessment. First, the internship can be translated into empirical results, greatly assisting those individuals who directly shape the public relations program. This empiricism should also be advantageous when confronting non-program administrators (deans, vice-presidents) with the need for additional human and physical resources. Second, this case study highlights the significant confluence that occurs between the program administrator (the faculty typically), the students of the program, and …

The Frequency, Form, And Perceived Benefits Of Service Learning In Speech Communication Departments, Timothy L. Sellnow, Laura K. Oster

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article focuses on the frequency, form and perceived benefits of service learning in speech communication departments. The widespread availability of service learning opportunities for students in speech communication departments reflects the national trend, across disciplines, to emphasize service learning on college and university campuses. Service learning provides yet another benefit in that it can substitute for traditional internships when such opportunities are lacking. Phelps and Timmis (1984) explain that the availability of traditional internships with profit-seeking corporations is often limited. Increasing participation by speech communication students in service learning, however, may be restricted by a lack of resources. Most …

A "Glimpse" Of The Status Of The Discipline: Internal Identity Of Speech Communication At A Small College, Barbara J. Adler

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article discusses the results of a survey administered to faculty and administration at a small U.S. liberal arts college associated with the Lutheran Church, to assess the attitudes toward the speech communication discipline at the college. Speech communication discipline was assessed according to its level of respect, its overall status and its identity as a reputable academic field. Speech communication received its highest ranking for the descriptor applications based, matching the perception that the field is dominated by utility courses that teach students how to give a speech.

The Historical Account Of Undergraduate Theatre Curricula's Rise In The Academy, Anne Berkeley

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article discusses the history of post-secondary theatre education in U.S. colleges and universities. The sheer volume and speed of growth of theatre curricula in undergraduate education contradicts the marginal attention it has received by historians of education and theatre. The first phase of collegiate theatre instruction, between 1900 and 1925, grew out of universities' official sanction of extracurricular clubs and productions after the Civil War. As historians of higher education explain it, higher education in the latter half of the nineteenth century initiated a process of democratization and professionalization that provoked radical change and dislocation in the academy. Theatrical …

In Their Own Words: Using Media Artifacts To Teach Media Literacy, Micheal J. Gotcher, Margaret Duffy

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article discusses methods and associated readings for teaching media literacy. The prescribed methods allow the media and their decision-makers to implicate themselves using examples of their own products and their own words. Media kits, video news releases and advertisements are used to illuminate and criticize media structures, products and economic imperatives. Media literacy may be defined as the learned ability to understand the rules, conventions and persuasive elements of mass mediated products. Media literacy involves inviting individuals to see media products as part of the process of building realities and of constructing cultures.

The Basic Communication Course: Options For Accommodating Non-Native Speakers Of Mainstream North American English, Donald L. Rubin, Donald Turk

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article outlines the various options for basic speech communication classes for non-native speakers of mainstream North American English (NNSMNAE), focusing on the introductory class in public speaking in the U.S. A series of interviews were conducted with twelve NNSMNAE students who had enrolled in mainstream public speaking courses. When NNSMNAE students enter U.S. English as a second language (ESL) programs, their initial oral communication needs are usually associated with everyday world communications tasks like navigating the campus or the supermarket. It appears that the norm for NNSMNAE will be to approach a basic course in speech communication with little …

Technological Approaches For Improving Grading Efficiency And Compatibility In Multi-Section/Multi-Instructor Communication Courses, Chris R. Sawyer, Ralph R. Behnke

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

No abstract provided.

Surviving An Appointment As Department Chair, Paul E. King

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article discusses the secret to surviving an appointment as department chairman. Survival as academic department chair involves overcoming obstacles such as role conflict and the difficult task of maintaining healthy relationships with faculty. Both of these, along with several other job related factors, commonly cause significant levels of stress. However, adaptation to and management of the stress are possible. One has survived as department chair when one is able to leave the office and successfully reintegrate into the department without major personal or professional trauma. If one returns to a better department than previously existed, then the ordeal has …

Curricular Fidelity, Diversity With Connection: The Duquesne Experiment, Janie M. Harden Fritz

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article presents information on a conceptual scheme detailing the functions of a communication curriculum applied at the University of Duquesne in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. From an organizational systems perspective the excellence of any academic department is shaped by its relationship to its field, its position and role with regard to the mission of the university setting that forms its particular context, and how it relates to the outside world-the community and larger society that it serves. The nature of the undergraduate curriculum is important not only for disciplinary maintenance but also because it concerns a primary enabling public of the …

Assessment In Communication Programs: Issues And Ideas Administrators Must Face, John J. Makay

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article discusses issues and ideas school administrators and educators must face with regards to assessment in communication programs. The challenge for a considerable number of communication administrators and other faculty was addressed intensively at the 1994 Speech Communication Association Summer Conference on Assessment. Assessment in communication education from the basic courses through most advanced studies is necessary. By working to meet this responsibility, communication educators can provide the quality of education their constituencies expect in order to educate students to become citizens who will find both satisfaction and success on the career paths they choose to follow. There is …