Other Communication Commons^™

Recruiting And Nurturing A Pipeline Of Future Basic Course Directors, Melissa A. Broeckelman-Post, Cheri J. Simonds

Basic Communication Course Annual

This essay responds to the Basic Course Forum question about best practices for recruiting to and/or from the basic course.

Basic Course Forum: Section Introduction

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

The Importance Of The Basic Communication Course In The First-Year Experience: Implications For Retention, Tim Mckenna-Buchanan, Stevie Munz, Anna Wright, Jeremy Williams

Basic Communication Course Annual

This study examines the basic communication course (BCC) as it relates to students’ first academic year at a university. Specifically, we compared students completing both a first-year experience (FYE) course and BCC against students completing only an FYE course. Data was collected over two cohorts of students and after analytical procedures, we found that there is an association between courses taken (both a FYE course and BCC or just a FYE course) and retention at the university. Additionally, the results revealed that the combination of both a FYE course and BCC during the first-year fostered emotional support and classroom connectedness, …

Facilitating Students’ Motivation In The Basic Communication Course: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective, Jessalyn I. Vallade, Renee Kaufmann, T. Kody Frey

Basic Communication Course Annual

Given that students may not find inherent value in their general education courses, and in particular, the basic communication course (BCC), the current study was aimed at exploring the instructor behaviors that students identify as enhancing their motivation within this context. Specifically, the purpose of the current study was to qualitatively explore instructor behaviors and student motivation in the BCC, specifically through the lens of self-determination theory. Open-ended responses from students currently enrolled in a basic communication course resulted in 28 themes, which were organized by student needs of relatedness, autonomy, and competence. Relatedness themes were most frequently reported, with …

What’S In A Name? Exploring The Definitions Of 'Public' And 'Speaking', Joseph M. Valenzano Iii

Basic Communication Course Annual

The purpose of this essay is more of an intellectual exercise than an attempt at a pragmatic redesign of the basic course. Essentially, I submit that we as a discipline have lost sight of what the phrase “public speaking” actually means and have erroneously and dangerously equated it with simply delivering formal presentations. When the term is broken down into its component parts of “public” and “speaking” it is understood as something much broader, and thus allows for the curricular flexibility forwarded by Hess (2012), West (2012), Valenzano (2013) and Wallace (2015), to name a few. In this essay, I …

Can Course Format Drive Learning? Face-To-Face And Lecture-Lab Models Of The Fundamentals Of Communication Course, Melissa A. Broeckelman-Post, Andie Malterud, Anthony Arciero, Katherine E. Hyatt Hawkins

Basic Communication Course Annual

Combining traditional classroom instruction and online instruction, or hybrid/blended learning, has emerged as a popular option to mitigate rising enrollments and non-traditional student needs while maintaining the known advantages to the face-to-face learning format. We evaluated the effectiveness of a Fundamentals of Communication course (also known as the “hybrid” course) taught in the traditional face-to-face format and in the hybrid/blended learning format, which included the equivalent of one credit taught face-to-face and two credits taught online (graded together as one course).

Students in the blended format had stronger performances in two areas of their speeches (introduction and overall impression), had …

Where Do You Turn? Student-Identified Resources In The Basic Course Experience, Sources Of Information, Feedback, And Help-Seeking Behaviors, Ashley Jones-Bodie, Lindsey B. Anderson, Jennifer Hall

Basic Communication Course Annual

This study explored the formal and informal resources students enrolled in a basic communication course use to gather information and receive feedback about their course experience, including presentations and work in the class. To do so, an online survey was completed by 393 students at three universities. The data were analyzed thematically using an iterative process facilitated through NVivo coding software. This process not only allowed for a descriptive summary of the students’ responses and the creation of a typology of resources, but also revealed four emergent themes related to student motivations to seek out and use sources of information/feedback: …

Measuring Essential Learning Outcomes For Public Speaking, Melissa A. Broeckelman-Post, Karla M. Hunter, Joshua N. Westwick, Angela Hosek, Kristina Ruiz-Mesa, John Hooker, Lindsey B. Anderson

Basic Communication Course Annual

Basic Course Directors (BCDs) are typically expected to assess course learning outcomes, but few formal guidelines and resources exist for new BCDs. As one part of a larger multi-methodological assessment tool development project, this manuscript maps existing quantitative measures onto the six essential competencies and associated learning outcomes established by the Social Science Research Council Panel on Public Speaking. This manuscript compiles dozens of measurement resources, aligned by outcome, and also identifies areas where future assessment measures development is needed. While there are many measures available for evaluating outcomes related to creating messages, critically analyzing messages, and demonstrating self-efficacy, there …

Research Articles: Section Introduction

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Editor's Page, Joseph P. Mazer

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Front Cover, Title Page, Contents, Editorial Board

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Performances Of An Able, Academic Mind, Caleb Green

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Western culture individualizes issues of public health. This is especially clear in academic life, where the structures of the university disable atypical bodies and minds in order to force them to simultaneously perform the roles of scholar, teacher, and colleague. The university not only fails to accommodate afflicted minds and bodies, it also produces more precarity in the process. This project is a performance ethnography of my time in the academy, starting with my life as an undergraduate being disciplined into academic life, moving toward recruitment for graduate school, and ending with events surrounding the construction of this very project. …

You May Call Me Professor: Professor Form Of Address In Email Communication And College Student Reactions To Not Knowing What To Call Their Professors, Grace M. Hildenbrand, Evan K. Perrault, Taylor M. Devine

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This experimental study tested whether a professor’s form of address (FOA) and email signature influenced students’ perceptions of the professor’s credibility, approachability, and likability. Guided by communication accommodation theory, the study investigated the likelihood that students would reciprocate a professor’s FOA in email communication. Participants were randomly assigned to one of seven conditions varying by professor FOA (doctor, professor, first name) and email signature (present or not), with a signature only control condition. Results indicated students were more likely to reciprocate the FOA when an email signature was not present. Open-ended responses suggested students perceive instructors more positively when instructors …

“It’S Hidden, After All:” A Modified Delphi Study Exploring Faculty And Students’ Perceptions Of A Graduate Professional Seminar In Communication, Krista Hoffmann-Longtin, Maria Brann, The Professional Seminar Delphi Working Group

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Graduate student socialization has been studied in multiple disciplines, including communication. As their career trajectories change, faculty must consider how to socialize students into the field and their subsequent careers. Using a modified Delphi survey, we examined the differences in faculty and students’ perceptions regarding the content of a graduate professional seminar in communication. Results indicate that students would prefer a focus on implicit norms and the hidden curriculum, while faculty would prefer to focus on disciplinary content. We offer recommendations for developing a course that addresses both needs and, thus, simultaneously attends to the changing job market.

Intrusive Teaching: The Strain Of Care Labor, Identity And The Emerging Majority In Higher Education, Jayne R. Goode, Katherine J. Denker, Daniel Cortese, Lisa Carslon, Kerri Morris

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

United States publicly-funded higher education systems are experiencing increasing pressures. In response, higher education institutions have broadened their appeal to students less likely to attend college as part of their fiscal strategies. This growing student population consists of first-generation students and individuals from marginalized backgrounds who often enter college underprepared, and higher education must retain these emerging-majority students to ensure fiscal stability. When enrollment and retention are viewed from a business model, faculty duties expand into triage care and student emotional support. This qualitative investigation of faculty in a publicly-funded state university explores intrusive teaching practices marked by monitoring and …

Accelerating Professional Socialization With An Undergraduate Proseminar Course, Carrie Anne Platt

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Guiding students on their professional paths, from selecting a major to pursuing a particular career after graduation, can be a significant challenge for faculty and program leaders. Students, particularly those in broad fields like Communication, rarely know what the major involves, or how their studies will translate into a meaningful career. This uncertainty makes it harder for students to see connections between their coursework, campus resources, and extracurricular activities, a disconnect that impacts engagement, academic performance, and retention. In this best practices article, I explain how an undergraduate proseminar can accelerate professional socialization and help students develop more integrated perspectives …

Project-Based Learning: Lessons Learned With Teaching The Non-Communication Majors, Sarah Leblanc

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Family communication, as an upper-level communication course, attracts communication majors and students studying in other disciplines. As such, instructors employ pedagogies that appeal to both majors and non-majors. This essay reflects on how I used project-based learning (PBL) in a family communication course filled with mostly non-majors. The essay highlights my rationale for choosing PBL, provides an explanation of the PBL activity, describes how PBL addresses two key problems I experienced in teaching the family communication course, and offers conclusions regarding lessons learned.

Journal Of Communication Pedagogy, Complete Volume, 2020

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

No abstract provided.

Wiser Assessment: A Communication Program Assessment Framework, Michael G. Strawser, Lindsay Neuberger

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Learning outcome assessment is a fairly recent trend in higher education that began in the 1980s (Lubinescu et al., 2001). Today, many faculty perceive assessment reporting to be tedious, time-consuming, and irrelevant busywork (Wang & Hurley, 2012). Unfortunately, this systematic process created to use empirical evidence to measure, document, and improve student learning has in many cases lost sight of this central goal. As a result, faculty may be justified in their opinions about it. This essay proposes a framework for addressing this thorny issue via WISER. WISER is an acronym for five content pillars of the communication discipline faculty …

Call For Manuscripts

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Administrative Information: Section Introduction

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Accommodating Students With Anxiety: A Personal Success Story, Cheri J. Simonds, Jillian Joyce, Allison Metz, Lauryn Oleson

Basic Communication Course Annual

This Basic Course Forum highlights authors’ responses to the following topics: What curricular programs present the best opportunity for curricular connections to the basic course? Building upon conversations from the July 2018 Basic Course Institute (hosted by University of Dayton), what administrative successes and challenges do basic course directors face?

The Basic Communication Course And A University-Wide Critical Thinking Pedagogy Program, Brent Kice

Basic Communication Course Annual

This Basic Course Forum highlights authors’ responses to the following topics: What curricular programs present the best opportunity for curricular connections to the basic course? Building upon conversations from the July 2018 Basic Course Institute (hosted by University of Dayton), what administrative successes and challenges do basic course directors face?

Celebrating Community In The Basic Course, Aubrey A. Huber

Basic Communication Course Annual

This Basic Course Forum highlights authors’ responses to the following topics: What curricular programs present the best opportunity for curricular connections to the basic course? Building upon conversations from the July 2018 Basic Course Institute (hosted by University of Dayton), what administrative successes and challenges do basic course directors face?

Basic Course Forum: Section Introduction

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Online Versus Face-To-Face Public Speaking Outcomes: A Comprehensive Assessment, Melissa A. Broeckelman-Post, Katherine E. Hyatt Hawkins, Anthony R. Arciero, Andie S. Malterud

Basic Communication Course Annual

In an attempt to meet rising student demand and cost-effectively deliver instruction, colleges and universities are offering more online courses. Despite the increasing growth of the online format, there remains a question of the effectiveness of this instructional delivery method. We evaluated the relative effectiveness of a public speaking course in both the online and the traditional face-to-face formats at a large, public university in the mid-Atlantic region. A series of MANOVAs were run to test the differences in performance and other student growth indicators between course formats. While the students in the online courses demonstrated higher behavioral engagement, the …

Anxiety And Communication Competence In The Honors Basic Public Speaking Course: An Intervention And Formative Assessment, Joshua N. Westwick, Karla M. Hunter, Barbara A. Kleinjan

Basic Communication Course Annual

This case study examines the effectiveness of a formative assessment intervention in an honors section of a basic public speaking course. Previous research has found significantly higher levels of public speaking anxiety among honors students than among non-honors students and has therefore identified these students as a population at risk for high public speaking anxiety (PSA). As a result, this analysis tested a one-hour tutoring session designed not only to aid students in maximizing learning outcomes for the first speech of the course, but, subsequently, to enhance markers of student development through reduced PSA and increased self-perceived communication competence (SPCC). …

Examining Students’ Learning And Preparation In A Basic Communication Course, Stevie M. Munz, Janet Colvin

Basic Communication Course Annual

Prior to beginning a basic communication course, students enter with learning expectations and motivations to transfer knowledge outside the classroom. The present study examined 373 qualitative pre and post-test responses from students enrolled in a basic communication course to assess their self-defined learning and speaking preparation expectations. Through our findings, we learn that students articulate their goals in relationship to communication skills (e.g., reduce anxiety, verbal/non-verbal, audience analysis, personal goals, and confidence) and preparation (e.g., writing, outlining, presenting, and past experiences). These findings are explored in greater detail and extend our understanding of students’ goals and expectations when they enter …

Growth Mindset: Associations With Apprehension, Self-Perceived Competence, And Beliefs About Public Speaking, Craig O. Stewart, John R. Mcconnell Iii, Lori A. Stallings, Rod D. Roscoe

Basic Communication Course Annual

The relationships among growth mindset for public speaking (i.e., the implicit theory that public speaking abilities can be developed and improved) and beliefs about the nature of public speaking, public speaking apprehension (PSA), and self-perceived public speaking competence (SPPSC) were investigated in intensive and traditional formats of a general education public speaking course. In general, growth mindset was associated with lower PSA, higher SPPSC, and more sophisticated beliefs about public speaking. Mindset remained somewhat stable, PSA significantly decreased, and SPPSC significantly increased from the beginning to the end of the course. More sophisticated beliefs about public speaking as an expressive, …

Synthesizing The Current State Of The Basic Communication Course Annual: Furthering The Research Of Effective Pedagogy, Jillian Joyce, Alex Kritselis, Samantha Dunn, Cheri J. Simonds, Ben Lynn

Basic Communication Course Annual

In 2005, 16 years after the initial publication of the Basic Communication Course Annual, Hunt, Novak, Semlak, and Meyer (2005) conducted the first synthesis of research published in the Basic Communication Course Annual. Since then, the Annual has used a variety of methods to enhance our understanding of the pedagogy, learning, and assessment of the basic course. Thirteen years later, the second synthesis of the Annual adds new research topics to the conversation, evaluates trends in past content, and looks to the future of the Annual to examine the themes that will drive research over the next several …