Other Communication Commons^™

Try It, You Might Like It: On Teaching Rhetorical Theory And Criticism, Deanna D. Sellnow

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Students rarely question the relevance of most communication courses. For example, most students realize that courses focused on improving public speaking and interpersonal skills will benefit them personally and professionally after graduation. Convincing them that a rhetorical theory and criticism course is equally empowering can be a bit more challenging. This essay explores one approach for teaching rhetorical theory and criticism as uniquely relevant in the educational experience of communication students. By applying various rhetorical perspectives to artifacts that resonate with students’ actual lived experiences, students become empowered advocates for positive change.

Information And Communications Technology Strategies For Improving Global Virtual Teams' Success Rates, Sadie Lee Soto

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Ineffective strategies to integrate information and communication technology (ICT) to support global virtual teams (GVTs) have adversely affected organizations' performance. The purpose of this multiple case study was to explore the effective strategies participating GVT managers in 2 organizations in the United States used to integrate ICT to support teams' success. The population comprised managers in New York with at least 3 years of service integrating successful strategies in ICT to support GVT success. Transformational leadership theory was used as the conceptual framework for this study. The data collection process included asking 4 participants semistructured interview questions as well as …

Reducing Secondary Trauma And Compassion Fatigue In The Dark Side Of Interpersonal Communication Classrooms, Mary E. King, Albra Wheeler

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This essay describes the experiences faculty may encounter when teaching tough topics. When professionals are in the position as the individual who cares for, hears about, or witnesses the trauma and suffering of others, they might themselves be at risk for experiencing vicarious stress, or secondary trauma. If ongoing and untreated, this traumatic stress can morph into compassion fatigue, which can impede professional success and contribute to burnout. This essay reflects on the experiences of teaching the Dark Side of Interpersonal Communication where students openly shared course-related personal experiences. We reflect on how to successfully manage the delicate climate of …

Patient Views On Social Media Communication With Their Health Care Providers, Brenda Elaine Welch

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Communication between patients and health care providers at hospital discharge is a critical factor that determines whether a patient understands their treatment plan and self-care instructions. Lack of effective health management after hospital discharge can decrease the quality of life for a patient and increase the likelihood of costly hospital readmission. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore factors affecting the receptivity of patients using social media as a platform for post discharge, provider-client communication, and assessment. This was explored using social presence theory. Twenty patients between 45 to 65 years of age, who received care from hospitals …

Technology And Organizational Decision-Making: A Qualitative Case Study Approach, Brad Marcus Mcrae

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Technology and communication skills simultaneously increase organizational productivity and decision-making. However, excessive use of technology to make decisions can diminish the added benefits that nonverbal communication can bring. The interpersonal sensitivity effects on perception of service quality model, face-to-face communication versus teleconferencing, the technology acceptance model, and decision-making were the conceptual framework of the study. The research questions examined how excessive use of technology to make decisions can diminish the added benefits that nonverbal communication can bring to organizational leadership decision-making. Employing an exploratory multiple case study design, organizational leaders from the Southern California region, ranging in seniority from team-leader …

And So It Goes: An Introduction To Volume 2 Of The Journal Of Communication Pedagogy, Scott A. Myers

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

As part of the larger instructional communication education umbrella and similar to, yet distinct enough from, its related subdisciplines such as basic course scholarship, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and critical communication pedagogy, the articles published in this volume of JCP demonstrate the three forms through which communication pedagogy can emerge. That is, whether communication pedagogy centers on the systematic study (i.e., Original Research Studies), reflection (i.e., Reflection Essays), or identification of teaching practices (i.e., Best Practices) across communication curricula, the end result is that communication pedagogy acts as a vehicle through which teaching effectiveness can be improved, strengthened, …

Perspectives On Teaching The Family Communication Course, Tiffany R. Wang, Jeffrey T. Child

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This article discusses what undergraduate students enrolled in a family communication course should learn. It is intended to provide readers with a general direction on how to design or teach a family communication course so that students understand a communication-centered approach to family. This article highlightssome of the foundational theories and concepts grounding most family communication courses, content areas typically addressed when considering the family communication course, possible assignments that might be useful in teaching the course, and relevant issues related to teaching family communication. If instructors thoughtfully consider content and assignment decisions in the family communication course, they have …

Organizing The Organizational Communication Course: Content And Pedagogical Recommendations, Sarah E. Riforgiate, Ali L. Gattoni, Erika L. Kirby

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Organizational communication extends beyond communication that takes place in an organizational context to the ways communication is used to organize and facilitate activity. This article is designed to enhance organizational communication pedagogy practices by highlighting foundational concepts and content areas that should be included in undergraduate organizational communication courses. Additionally, four active learning assignments, including case studies, applied organizational communication theory papers, organizational audits, and media assignments, are described to enhance student engagement with class material and to assess student learning. Finally, the article includes common issues to help educators anticipate concerns and plan effective classroom strategies.

Engaging Persuasion: What Should Undergraduate Students Enrolled In A Persuasion Course Learn?, Stephen K. Hunt, Kevin Meyer

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

In our daily activities we are bombarded with persuasive messages. From advertising on mass and social media to interactions with friends, we are constantly exposed to attempts to change or reinforce our attitudes, values, beliefs, and behaviors. Conversely, we routinely attempt to influence others and gain their compliance through persuasive attempts of our own. Without question, persuasion is a central feature of virtually every aspect of human communication and is found wherever we find people communicating. Fortunately, scholars have developed a great number of empirically tested persuasive techniques, strategies, and theories that can help students become effective producers and consumers …

“Not My Issue!!!”: Teaching The Interpersonal Conflict Course, Nancy Brule, Jessica J. Eckstein

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Students who enroll in communication courses to improve their conflict management abilities should be provided with both an understanding of, and skills pertaining to, interpersonal conflict across diverse contexts. In this article, we offer pedagogical guidance for teaching the Interpersonal Conflict course. With an emphasis on building communication skills usable in a variety of real-life situations and settings, this article includes discussion of necessary foundational concepts and applied content areas, sample application assignments, and relevant considerations for those teaching the course.

Argument Pedagogy For Everyday Life, Jeffrey P. Mehltretter Drury, Nicholas S. Paliewicz, Sara A. Mehltretter Drury

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This article assists argumentation and debate instructors in developing courses that provide coverage of foundational concepts while reflecting their own interests. Courses in argumentation and debate also offer instructors an opportunity to teach through applied engagement with contemporary events. We encourage instructors to reflect on the various contexts of argumentation and debate as well as challenging questions concerning the role of technology in the classroom, the conflict between normative and descriptive examples of argumentation, how much to emphasize the role of argumentation and debate in societal change, and the connections between argumentation and deliberation.

Pedagogical Tools In Our Briefcases: Teaching The Business And Professional Communication Course, Suzy Prentiss, Justin Walton

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

As a practical and applied course, Business and Professional Communication is an excellent opportunity to blend theory and practice, prepare students with the knowledge and skills they will need in the “real world,” and continually innovate and experiment to meet the ever-changing communication needs of the workplace. Whether filled with students majoring in communication, business or another discipline, as a General Education or sequenced class, the Business and Professional Communication course is a worthwhile and value-added course that is both challenging and rewarding to teach.

Reflections On A Pedagogical Shift: A Public Speaking For Social Justice Model, Angela L. Putman

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

While the basic content of the public speaking course has changed little, the method and manner in which these skills are taught can, and should, reflect the dynamic socio-political contexts in which we live and teach. This reflection essay addresses a struggle to keep the public speaking course relevant, innovative, and practical while also incorporating necessary learning outcomes. As a potential solution, I introduce a Public Speaking for Social Justice Model for the introductory course. The model requires that students thoroughly examine a timely social justice issue; situate themselves and their classmates within the issue while featuring marginalized voices and …

Hearing Is Believing: Using Audio Feedback In The Online Interpersonal Communication Course, Krista Hoffmann-Longtin

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

The introduction to interpersonal communication course (IPC) is popular for both communication majors and nonmajors alike, and as such, many departments have designed online versions of the course. Teaching IPC in this format has challenges, given its dual emphasis on theoretical understanding and skill-building. This reflection essay explores the efficacy of providing audio feedback on essays in the online IPC course, as a way to create a positive online presence, manage the grading load, and encourage students to implement the feedback. The rationale for this approach to feedback and implementation strategies are provided, as well as a discussion of outcomes …

“You Have To Cry Before You Teach This Class”: Emotion With Work And Resistance In Teaching Intercultural Communication, Brandi Lawless, Yea-Wen Chen

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

In this study, we explore the ways in which Intercultural Communication instructors uniquely experience emotion with work and how this influences their pedagogical approaches to this course. We collected and analyzed interviews with 21 intercultural communication educators across U.S. colleges and universities. We present findings related to the types of resistance present and/or emerging in the intercultural communication classroom, emotional responses to resistance, and strategies for managing and negotiating emotion with work in the Intercultural Communication classroom. We end with discussing implications for teacher training programs designed for the Intercultural Communication classroom.

Teaching Public Speaking Online–Not A Problem But An Opportunity!, Sherwyn Morreale, Janice Thorpe, Susan Ward

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This reflection essay focuses on the problems inherent in the design and development of an online public speaking course, which in part result from presuming the course must mirror its face-to-face counterpart. Based on our own experiences and background in designing an online public speaking course, we recommend that instructors and administrators of this course solve such problems by employing design strategies that effectively adapt the course content and pedagogy to a digital context. The essay begins with a description of an integrated course design model (Fink, 2005) that proved useful to us for accomplishing this task. Then we discuss …

Best Practices For Teaching Discussion As Part Of High School Common Core State Standards, Mitchel Stengel, Leah Nolan, David Donnick, Wesley Skym, Anna M. Wright

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Instructional discussion is a teaching method used in many classrooms across grade levels. In fact, the Common Core State Standards promote the use of instructional discussion in secondary classrooms (Common Core State Standards Initiative, 2018a). Students, however, are not always taught best practices for engaging in a discussion and may feel unprepared to participate. As a result, discussions may not produce the dynamic learning opportunity they are intended to foster. This essay provides 10 tips for high school teachers to prepare students in the high school classroom to engage in a meaningful classroom discussion effectively in order to ensure students …

The Practice Of Nonviolence: Teaching An Undergraduate Course In Nonviolent Communication, Sharon Lauricella

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This Best Practices article outlines 10 tips relative to teaching a course in Nonviolent Communication (NVC). It outlines suggestions for readings, activities, and projects throughout a semester-long undergraduate course. The article addresses how students can learn both the theory and practice of nonviolence by means of readings and activities that address social problems such as sexism, racism, bias, and violence against oneself and the earth. Specific suggestions are provided for creative ways in which students can be engaged with readings so that they have ownership of their in-class experience. Details regarding an independent long-term project providing freedom of creativity in …

Pedagogy, Gender, And Communication: Learning And Unlearning Gender, Marian L. Houser, Robert J. Sidelinger, Angela Hosek

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Courses in gender communication are designed to enable students to examine the role of gender and gender identity in everyday communication. To aid them to understand gender communication, they should be exposed to at least three foundational areas and supporting content. Sex and gender differences, the social construction of gender, and theoretical gender lenses (biological, psychological, and critical/cultural) are critical foundations that students should grasp to recognize the complexity of gender and gender communication.

Developing A Digital Voice: Embedding Digital Communication Platforms, Networks, And Technologies In The 21st-Century Classroom, James M. Proszek

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Introductory communication courses are an invaluable resource for improving students’ abilities to speak confidently, passionately, and persuasively, while also inspiring them to become more engaged citizens. However, digital media present new opportunities and challenges for designing courses that are relevant to students’ personal and professional interests and goals. Instructors who incorporate digital communication platforms, networks, and technologies into their classrooms can better prepare students to meet the complex demands of the technologically-mediated 21st century. In this essay, I offer 10 best practices for developing students’ digital media literacies within multiple communication contexts.

Best Practices For Facilitating Difficult Dialogues In The Basic Communication Course, Kristina Ruiz-Mesa, Karla M. Hunter

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Effective facilitation of classroom dialogue can stimulate open discussion and debate, challenge students to consider diverse perspectives, and promote critical student reflection and growth. Unfortunately, some instructors may be hesitant to approach controversial topics, for fear of losing face or risking chaos in the classroom. By learning and practicing established facilitation techniques, teachers can develop confidence and competence in harnessing the pedagogical power of difficult dialogue while maintaining classroom cohesion and community. This article provides 10 best practices for facilitating difficult classroom dialogues. These practices equip instructors with resources for building community, maintaining classroom immediacy, and grappling with disagreements without …

Multifaceted Contents And Techniques For Designing Health Communication Courses, Maria Brann, Laura Russell

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Health communication courses explore health phenomena from various angles. Whether focusing on interpersonal and organizational relationships or addressing community and national campaigns, instructors may choose from various contents to design these courses. This essay highlights critical questions, contents, and activities useful for instructors seeking information for designing health communication courses. Moreover, the authors reflect on sensitive issues unique to these courses that instructors should take into consideration when teaching.

A Pedagogical Guide To Teaching An Interpersonal Communication Course, Jordan Atkinson, David Mcmahan

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

This forum article focuses on the instruction of an interpersonal communication course. Interpersonal communication courses are widely included in undergraduate communication curriculum and can be fundamental to student development. The authors provide foundational material and various content areas generally included in such a course. The authors also provide various applied assignments and issues to consider when teaching an interpersonal communication course.

Communication Concepts In Action: Best Practices In Case Study Pedagogy In The Organizational Communication Course, Andrea L. Meluch, Patricia E. Gettings

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Analyzing case studies is a useful way to assist students in drawing connections between organizational communication concepts and real-world experiences. As faculty members who teach organizational communication, we regularly use case study pedagogy. Case study pedagogy provides a rich narrative through which complex organizational communication concepts can be identified, analyzed, and reflected upon. This article provides 10 best practices for utilizing and assessing case study pedagogy in the organizational communication course. These practices include: to make clear connections between case studies and course materials, scaffold learning, choose a mix of cases, cultivate a sense of community in the classroom, enable …

Constructing Lumbersexuality: Marketing An Emergent Masculine Taste Regime, Mark A. Rademacher, Casey R. Kelly

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

This article examines the online retailer Huckberry.com as a singular, centralized authority responsible for marketing “lumbersexuality” as an emergent, gender-normative taste regime. As an evolution of the devalued hipster marketplace myth, analysis reveals Huckberry promotes an adaptable taste regime to its young, educated, urban, White male clientele that unites goods, meanings, and practices across multiple fields of consumption that reconnect indie consumption and taste with a fantasy of “authentic” masculinity. We argue that Huckberry offers men semiotic resources that merge the urban with the outdoors in a way that enables the enactment of a fraught though seemingly durable masculine identity …

Discrete And Looking (To Profit): Homoconnectivity On Grindr, Chase Aunspach

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

The queer dating and hookup app Grindr evidences a technological and economic intensification in queer spaces online. The dominant modality of capitalist power is no longer consumerist norms but the collection and analysis of data. Grindr’s participation in datafication distributes increased risks upon its queer users and necessitates a renewed politics of queer privacy beyond homonormativity. I name this arrangement of power homoconnectivity and detail four techniques that capitalism deploys to capture and monetize queer social production. Ultimately, this article unpacks how Grindr designs experiences that move users to log into the app while hiding its engagement with multi-sided markets. …

Infertility Patient-Provider Communication And (Dis)Continuity Of Care: An Exploration Of Illness Identity Transitions, Angela L. Palmer-Wackerly, Heather L Voorhees, Sarah D’Souza, Edward Weeks

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

Objective: To identify how and why infertility patients’ communication with health care providers relates to their continuity of care within infertility treatment.

Method: A grounded theory analysis was conducted for 25 in-depth interviews across three coding phases, where we remained open to all themes present in the data, narrowed to most prominent themes, and found the connections between the themes.

Results: Based on our identified themes, we created a conceptual model that explains why infertility patients (dis)continued care with one or more clinician. Through this model, we describe two infertility identity transitions for patients: Transition 1: “Infertility as Temporary” to …

Applied Tensional Analysis: Engaging Practitioners And The Constitutive Shift, Jennifer Mease (Also Peeksmease)

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

This article introduces applied tensional analysis as a methodological framework that integrates constitutive ontologies (that depict organizations as processes in constant states of emerging or becoming) with the applied need for practitioners to understand and navigate the everyday exigencies of their organizational experiences. Applied tensional analysis centers analysis on tensions as the key to understanding organizational becoming in contrast to approaches that assume organizations are stable entities and consequently focus on patterns, themes, or laws. The applied tensional analysis framework offers four analytical foci (context, tensions, enacted responses, and repertoires) organized into two loops (analytical and change) as guides for …

Henosis Experience In Gaming: A Metric For Adjustments To Global Schema And Appraised Meaning, Evan Robert Watts

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Meaningfulness is a media gratification distinct from enjoyment characterized by feelings of insight, contemplation, and poignancy. Video games, too, can elicit experiences of meaningfulness, but the mechanisms underlying meaningfulness are unclear and in need of further exploration. Adapting work from existential psychology, this research proposes the construct of henosis as one mechanism that might contribute to meaningful video game experiences. Henosis is a response to experiences in which a person’s fundamental schema about the world (global schema) is challenged by an event which contradicts this schema. Henosis describes the process by which this discrepancy is resolved via either reappraising the …

Use Of Mobile Telephones: Experiences Of First Responders In Rural African Communities, James Harding

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) usually participate in disaster response in rural African communities. Disasters in African communities are often characterized by huge fatalities, which are associated with a slow pace of response. The use of information and communication technology in disaster response is recognized as an effective conduit for enhancing response. Previous research indicates the efficacy of the use of mobile telephones in disaster response in advance countries. However, there remains a critical gap in the available literature on the experiences of EMTs with the use of mobile telephones in disaster response in rural African communities. The purpose of this …