Other Communication Commons^™

Best Practices For Training New Communication Graduate Teaching Assistants, Melissa A. Broeckelman-Post, Kristina Ruiz-Mesa

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs) are often the first college instructors who new students meet when they arrive for their first day of class, and as instructors and as students, GTAs are the future of the discipline. As such, GTAs need to receive comprehensive training in a variety of pedagogical, procedural, and professional areas to help graduate students continue to develop as instructors and, eventually, into full-time faculty. To assist basic course directors, department chairs, and faculty in creating and supporting a comprehensive and ongoing GTA training program, this article provides 10 best practices for training new GTAs who will be …

Journal Of Communication Pedagogy, Complete Volume, 2018

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

No abstract provided.

Best Practices For Retaining Public Speaking Students, Kimberly M. Weismann, Shannon B. Vanhorn, Christina G. Paxman

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This article draws on existing communication research and praxes to share the best practices for retaining students enrolled in the introductory public speaking course. Among the many important pedagogical practices that communication scholars have documented, this article highlights the value of 10 best practices: instructor use of immediacy and confirmation; instructor inclusion of written prescriptive feedback, peer feedback workshops, low-stakes assignments, applied assignments, and individual speech preparation tools; and instructor participation in out-of-class communication, online office hours, and classroom-connectedness.

Student Philanthropy: Learning And Community Transformation In A College Philanthropy Course, Daniel Blaeuer

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

Over the past two years, I have been honored to develop a course on student philanthropy in a communication studies department. The course provides students the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to be philanthropists for a semester by awarding a small grant to a community nonprofit. My experiences in philanthropy illustrate how philanthropy and student philanthropy in particular can be an exciting part of a communication studies curriculum and how philanthropy develops organically out of community dialogue efforts. I hope, in sharing the essay, other communities and communication studies departments can develop student philanthropy programs at their institutions to bring nonprofits, philanthropists and …

Legal, Ethical, And Appropriate Interaction, Mark Hickson Iii

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

No abstract provided.

Complete Issue, Volume 36, Issue 1

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This is the complete issue for Volume 36, Issue 1 of the Journal of the Association for Communication Administration.

Redesigning The Basic Communication Course: A Case Study, Lindsey B. Anderson, Thomas Mccloskey, Devin Scott, Rebecca Alt, Elizabeth E. Gardner

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

In the competitive environment of higher education, the basic communication course is under pressure to defend its place in the curriculum. One way to do this is to engage in a course redesign program. In this case study, we detail our experience taking part in such a program to (re)evaluate our course. Over the course of a year, we collected active participation data and conducted a series of three qualitative surveys that focused on student perceptions of our course. In doing so, we explored the ways in which the basic communication course can take advantage of course redesign efforts. Specifically, …

Evaluation Communication Of Master's Program On The Basis Of Google Citations, Mike Allen, John Bourhis, Nancy Burrell, Bailey Benedict, Tosin Comfort Adebayo, Maura Cherney, Derrick Langston, Brittney Peck, Samantha Quinn, Riley Richards

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This paper provides an assessment of Master’s degree programs and faculty research in Communication departments using citations available in Google Scholar. Identification of the Master’s degree programs relied on the National Communication Association website. Individual faculty were identified from the web page of the department for the institution. The combined number of citations to faculty publications identifies the top five departments (University of Alabama-Birmingham, California State University-Fullerton, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, Cleveland State University, and California State University- Long Beach) and the top five most cited faculty members (Stella Ting-Toomey, Virginia Richmond, George Cheney, Kimberly Neuendorf, and Brian Spitzberg). The …

Complete Issue, Volume 36, Issue 2

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

No abstract provided.

Editor's Note, Janie M. H. Fritz

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This is the Editor’s Note to Volume 36, Issue 1 of the Journal of the Association for Communication Administration.

The Basic Course Using Gias: One Department’S Journey Through The Ups And Downs Of Establishing A Lecture/Lab Delivery Model For The Basic Communication Course, Kathy Brady, Tammy French, Sue Wildermuth

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

The basic communication course has many demands placed upon it—and in turn, places many demands on communication departments and their faculty and staff.

Editor's Note, Janie M. H. Fritz

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This is the Editor’s Note to Volume 36, Issue 2 of the Journal of the Association for Communication Administration.

Graduate Student Self-Branding As Integrated Marketing Communication: The Call For Reflexivity, Mary J. Eberhardinger

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

Self-branding among graduate students is explored conceptually in this essay as an extension of the notion of personal branding. This concept is tangential to impression management, sense-making, and face negotiation. A central contention pursued in this essay is the call for administrators to reconsider how to respond to the perceived need of student self-branding. Moreover, graduate student self-branding is compared to a respective form of IMC that utilizes the Kellogg School’s notion of contact points. The present essay explores theoretical reasons for why the increased individualized practice of graduate student self-branding occurs. Importantly, the essay invites communication administration into the …

Editor's Note, Janie M. H. Fritz

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This is the Editor’s Note to Volume 35, Issue 1 of the Journal of the Association for Communication Administration.

Editor's Note, Janie M. H. Fritz

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This is the Editor’s Note to Volume 35, Issue 2 of the Journal of the Association for Communication Administration.

Capstone-Ish: Student Success And The Rhetorical Functions Of A Different Kind Of Capstone Course, E. Michele Ramsey

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

In response to a variety of contexts, most notably the national and academic rhetoric promoting STEM majors over those in the humanities, arts, and social sciences, a new way of thinking about the capstone course in communication may be warranted. More specifically, administrators of communication programs looking for ways not only to foster growth in students, but also to increase the status of their programs on campus and in the community, might find this course useful for those programmatic goals. This paper proposes a constructivist capstone-ish course that marries the theories and applications of communication studies with a student’s real …

Mission Statements As Naming Proposals: An Rsi Approach, Susan K. Opt

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This study explores the communication process used to generate and express communication program mission “names.” It argues that the process that underlies the creating, maintaining, and changing of names, ranging from the specific to the ideological, also generates academic unit “mission.” Viewing mission texts through the lens of the rhetoric of social intervention model reveals how the texts reason rhetorically as they propose and provide evidence for the “appropriateness” of a unit’s constituted mission name. Awareness of the rhetorical-reasoning pattern can help unit members make sense of mission-building or -revising work and provide a practical way for them to organize …

Dialogic Education In An Age Of Administrative Preening, Ronald C. Arnett

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

Text of the address given by Ronald C. Arnett, recipient of the 2016 Paul H. Boase Prize for Scholarship, granted by the School of Communication Studies at Ohio University for outstanding scholarship in the field of communication

Complete Issue, Volume 35, Issue 2

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This is the complete issue for Volume 35, Issue 2 of the Journal of the Association for Communication Administration.

Incorporating Learning Analytics Into Basic Course Administration: How To Embrace The Opportunity To Identify Inconsistencies And Inform Responses, Lindsey B. Anderson, Elizabeth E. Gardner, Andrew D. Wolvin, Rowie Kirby-Straker4, M. Adil Yalcin, Benjamin B. Bederson

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

Consistency is imperative to the success of a multi-section basic course. However, establishing consistent practices is a difficult task, especially when coupled with maintaining instructor autonomy. Learning analytics tools, designed to improve learning and teaching by collecting and analyzing pertinent information through interactive databases, can be used by basic course administrators to improve consistency. Using a reflective case study methodology we share our experience incorporating a learning analytics platform into our basic course. In doing so, we highlight the role this technology can play in terms of identifying areas of inconsistency as well as informing ways to improve overall course …

Chance Or Choice? An Analysis Of Assumed Biological Sex-Based Differences In Undergraduate Public Relations Course Teaching Distributions, Damion Waymer, Douglas Cannon, Joshua Street

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

In this study the authors explore the observed differences among the courses taught by public relations faculty at Carnegie doctoral institutions based on faculty members’ assumed biological sex. The findings indicate that rank faculty (assistant, associate, and full professor) females teach significantly more upper division courses than their male counterparts. The rank faculty males are teaching more introductory (100 and 200 level) courses than their female counterparts. If one follows the logic that upper division courses are more time and effort demanding for faculty, then these findings indicate that females are disproportionately represented as the primary instructors of record for …

Mainstreaming Disaster-Relief Service-Learning In Communication Departments: Integrating Communication Pedagogy, Praxis, And Engagement, Vinita Agarwal

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

Communication is the primary mode through which students inculcate critical thinking skills for (re)construction of social reality and engagement with communities in need (Craig, 1989). Thus it is well-suited to disaster-relief service-learning approaches that provide a pathway for democratic engagement with the material consequences of inequality evidenced in disaster-struck communities. Communication administrators can advocate for disaster-relief service-learning programs by aligning theoretically-informed student input in faculty–administration partnerships to construct transformative learning experiences sustaining trusting relationships. This study is the first to employ the theory of planned behavior (Ajzen, 1986) to identify themes comprising student composite disaster-relief volunteering belief-structure and disaster-relief volunteering …

Complete Issue, Volume 35, Issue 1

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This is the complete issue for Volume 35, Issue 1 of the Journal of the Association for Communication Administration.

Creating Clusters Of Excellence Within Graduate Programs In Communication, Tatyana Dumova

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

Effective recruitment and retention of graduate students by small-size colleges and universities requires innovative solutions, as they find themselves operating in an increasingly competitive market. Creating clusters of excellence within existing graduate programs offers a way to develop a competitive edge. By integrating high-impact educational practices such as faculty-guided research, small schools are uniquely positioned to make an impact on the quality of their students’ overall educational experiences. The author seeks to start a conversation about the challenges facing graduate programs in communication offered by small colleges and universities and discusses a strategy for potential solutions.

Making Oral Communication A Successful Part Of The Common Core, Jon A. Hess

Communication Faculty Publications

Adoption of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) represents the first time that oral communication has been included in the curriculum requirements for K–12 education in many states. If done well, this change will provide important benefits to students. However, effective implementation will require collaboration among policymakers, educators, and experts in oral communication.

As educators work to strengthen primary and secondary education in the United States, many agree that schools need educational standards that are grounded in today’s needs and shared across states. The CCSS have emerged as a potential solution, and the majority of states have adopted these standards. …

Students’ Perceptions And Misperceptions Of The Communication Major: Opportunities And Challenges Of Reputation, Nichole Egbert, Joy L. Daggs, Phillip R. Reed

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This study investigates undergraduate students' perceptions of the content, difficulty, and value of the Communication major. Students in majors other than Communication from two universities indicated that the content of the Communication major was valuable and, in some cases, involved difficult tasks. However, the major was perceived as easier than any other compared discipline. The students surveyed demonstrated low to moderate belief in most popular “myths” regarding Communication as an academic field. A number of potential strategies to increase awareness of the value of a degree in communication are provided, which can be adapted for use with existing departmental marketing …

The Blending Of The Traditional And Professional Approaches To Communication: Department Chairs Share Administrative Challenges, Opportunities, And Best Practices, Rod Troester, Molly Wertheimer

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

The genesis of this article was a 2013 Eastern Communication Association panel that gathered department chairs of blended communication programs (those combining a traditional communication studies perspective with a mass media perspective) to exchange challenges, opportunities, and best practices of administering such programs. The article reviews the available literature and synthesizes and summarizes the experience of participating department chairs tasked with administering blended departments.

Editor's Note, Janie M. H. Fritz

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This is the Editor’s Note to Volume 34, Issue 2 of the Journal of the Association for Communication Administration.

Examining Undergraduate Communication Degree Programs: Mission Statements, Assessment Plans, And Assessment Evaluations, Mike Allen, John Bourhis, Nancy Burrell, Arooj Mukarram, Michael G. Blight, Clare M. Gross, Megan Lambertz, Christopher J.E. Anderson

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

One hundred undergraduate communication programs listed in the NCA directory were examined in this investigation. The process involved gathering the university mission statement, departmental mission statement, program assessment plan, and program assessment evaluations. Results demonstrate that 98 institutions utilized mission statements, 81 departments provided mission statements, 18 departments made assessment plans available and the researchers obtained 4 assessment evaluations.

Complete Issue, Volume 34, Issue 2

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This is the complete issue for Volume 34, Issue 2 of the Journal of the Association for Communication Administration.