Other Communication Commons^™

Gerald M. Phillips' Devotion To Basic Communication Skills, Julia T. Wood

Basic Communication Course Annual

The passing of Gerald M. Phillips in April 1995 left a void only partially filled by his students and communication scholars familiar with his work. His commitment to basic communication instruction spanned a lifetime of research and service (including Jerry's serving on the editorial board of the Annual over the last two years.)

Julia Wood, long-time colleague, co-author, student and friend, remembers Jerry for his substantial contributions to basic communication instruction and the speech communication field.

The Basic Course In Organizational Communication: A National Survey, Donald Treadwell, Ronald L. Applbaum

Basic Communication Course Annual

This article presents a study describing the current status and characteristics of the basic organizational communication course reported by 285 college or university departments offering this course in North America. This survey is compared with surveys conducted in 1979 and 1988. The results indicate that the course is most typically taught by one faculty member in lecture/discussion format and emphasizes organizational and communication theory over skills. Students are most typically upper-level undergraduates. The course appears to be facing increasing demand. Changes are occurring in the content and structure of the course with the topics of gender differences, organizational culture, communication …

Ta Training Beyond The First Week: A Leadership Perspective, Glen Williams

Basic Communication Course Annual

Leadership studies combined with the insights of basic course directors suggest a framework for effectively directing the basic course that may benefit novice directors as well as provide insights for veteran directors of the basic course.

This article illuminates the centrality of effective leadership, noting that it will assist ongoing efforts to train and develop inexperienced staff while simultaneously encouraging and incorporating the insights of seasoned instructors. The suggested framework also ensures consistency across sections and the overall integrity of the course.

Context Vs. Process: Revising The Structure Of The Basic Course, Donald D. Yoder, Samuel P. Wallace

Basic Communication Course Annual

The current structure of most basic courses can be traced to the traditional context-based approach to studying communication. However, there seems to be no agreement on what specific contexts should be covered. Students often become confused with context specific jargon and may have difficulty transferring skills and knowledge across contexts. A different approach is to focus on transactional communication skills, principles, and processes that transcend contextual definitions. Such an approach focuses on similarities rather than differences among contexts and may lead to an integrative, rather than devisive, approach to communication study. Rather than learning specific skills for distinct contexts, students …

Creating And Teaching Special Sections Of A Public Speaking Course For Apprehensive Students: A Multi-Case Study, Karen Kangas Dwyer

Basic Communication Course Annual

This study explored how university professors describe the development and operation of a special communication apprehension (CA) section of a basic public speaking course that is part of a core curriculum requirement. The professors interviewed pointed out the need for more media for instructors and students. They described their efforts in detail and said the CA sections were time consuming, yet rewarding for both faculty and students. Several questions for future research include: Where there is a core curriculum requirement for a public speaking course, what is being done to help the students with high CA? If many of the …

Predictors Of Behavioral Competence And Self-Esteem: A Study Assessing Impact In A Basic Public Speaking Course, Sherwyn P. Morreale, Michael Z. Hackman, Michael R. Neer

Basic Communication Course Annual

As evaluation in higher education receives increasing attention, the assessment of the impact of basic oral communication instruction is becoming more important. This study examines the impact of a public speaking course on undergraduates' affective and behavioral competence. Using a pre- and posttest model, assessment was based on administration of the Communication Competency Assessment Instrument and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale at the beginning and end of the course. Communication competence and self-esteem were measured as a function of communication apprehension, gender, age, and ethnicity. Results indicated that the course generally impacted similarly on students regardless of their level of communication …

Author Identification

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Basic Communication Course Annual Vol. 7

Basic Communication Course Annual

Full Issue (168 pages, 2.147 MB)

Call For Papers And Editorial Philosophy

Basic Communication Course Annual

No abstract provided.

Responding To The Americans With Disabilities Act: Contributions Of Interpersonal Communication Research And Training, Dawn O. Braithwaite, Denise Labreque

Department of Communication Studies: Faculty Publications

The enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), has resulted in considerable misinformation and resistance, especially when ablebodied individuals and persons with disabilities interact. This essay reviews contributions of interpersonal communication researchers who address the challenges persons with disabilities face when communicating with ablebodied others, suggesting ways to mitigate communication discomfort and to reduce problems in helping situations. The authors suggest foci for future research and training which can contribute to the acceptance and effectiveness of ADA and to facilitate communication between ablebodied persons and persons with disabilities.

A National Profile Of Experiential Education Trends In Communication Master's Degree Programs, Timothy S. Sellnow, Robert S. Littlefield, Deanna D. Sellnow

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article seeks to provide a profile of internships used in communication master's degree programs in the U.S. An internship is defined as receiving graduate credit for practical experience gained outside the classroom, with some degree of supervision by a faculty member. Based upon the data presented, experiential opportunities in communication serve to connect theory and practice. The nature of an internship at the graduate level appears to be more complex than at the undergraduate level. The formal paper appears to be the most common means for evaluating graduate internships. Formal papers are consistently used in academia to measure student …

Computer-Mediated Communication In The Basic Communication Course, Gerald M. Santoro, Gerald M. Phillips

Basic Communication Course Annual

Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC) for instructional support is being explored at a number of colleges and universities. In this paper the authors describe their successful application of CMC to the basic communication course and the lessons they learned for successful implementation of instructional CMC.

An Investigation Of The Communication Skills And Communication Needs Of Academic And Civil Service Administrators, Earl E. Mcdowell

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article presents a study which is designed to determine the level of importance of communication skills for academic and civil service administrators in an academic setting. Two samples of administrators participated in the study, including 120 academic administrators and 120 civil service administrators from a midwestern university. The questionnaires were sent through campus mail to random samples of academic administrators and civil service administrators. Exploratory analyses were completed to determine if differences existed between genders. The results basically show that gender is not a good discriminating variable because of the high within group variances and limited between group variances. …

The Impact Of Situational Elements Upon An Internship Director's Supervisory Style: A Model, Shelly Schaefer Hinck, William O. Dailey

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article argues that internship directors must examine the constraints and objectives of their program and then select an appropriate supervisory style in order to be effective. Considering the many benefits associated with the internship experience, it is not surprising that over one thousand colleges and universities in the U.S. offer some type of internship program. What is surprising is that internship directors looking for suggestions on internship administration find little research devoted to developing effective administrative decisions. The relationship between the intern, the faculty coordinator, and the site supervisor may be of a helping nature whereby the faculty coordinator …

Alternative Assessment In Speech Communication, Ellen A. Hay

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article aims to promote alternative assessment in the field of speech communication. Speech communication departments in a number of colleges and universities have adopted alternative practices as they have developed their assessment programs. For example, the faculty at the University of Missouri-Kansas City examined and redesigned their curriculum so that students were required to show competence in interpersonal communication, critical thinking, language use, leadership, reading, research, public speaking, cultural appreciation, writing, decision making, theoretical understanding, and ethical/philosophical appreciation. Clearly, developing and implementing alternative assessment strategies is time consuming and costly. First, alternative assessment more fully meets the demand for …

Academic Departments In China, James Schnell

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

The article describes the management of academic departments in Beijing, The People's Republic of China. Academic departments in China have parallels with academic departments in the U.S. but there are marked differences. Key differences between the Chinese and U.S. systems deal with professors serving as role models and the selection of who will work as professors. Teachers in China are expected to serve as role models in moral, as well as academic, development.

Applying Communication Studies In Hong Kong, John Lee Jellicorse

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

The article discusses the trends in communication education in Hong Kong, China. Since communication is labor intensive, the need for personnel is swelling rapidly. Obviously, academic institutions in the region are faced with a tremendous challenge to encompass these developments. The School of Communication at Hong Kong Baptist is attempting to meet the challenge. Hong Kong Baptist College, then a small, private diploma granting institution funded primarily from tuition fees, initiated its first program in communication. During the crucial period of its maturation from a diploma program to a degree course, the communication curriculum at Hong Kong Baptist was administered …

More Self-Evident Truths For Departmental Governance, James E. Sayer

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article provides some thoughts about the pitfalls and problems associated with the lowest-level of academic administration. If nothing else, service as department chair can open the eyes to the real world of petty faculty politics in a way unknown and unseen by a regular faculty member. Finally, a new department chairperson must be aware that every move made on behalf of the department, every decision rendered, regardless of its mundane nature, will be scrutinized by colleagues for selfish intent. Graduate school does not prepare a person for service as departmental chairperson, nor do years of service as a regular …

Responsibility, Freedom Of Speech And Campus Speech Codes, William A. Haskins

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article argues that speech codes are not the answer to curbing offensive communication. The typical response to curbing verbal aggression on campuses throughout the U.S. has come in the form of speech codes--designed to prevent offensive communication. Speech codes, however, are not new phenomena to the U.S. landscape. Landmark Supreme Court decisions have provided numerous types of speech codes for identifying messages falling within and outside the boundaries of legally protected speech. All members, then, in the communication process engage in the creation of meaning. And more, they must take responsibility for not only the formation of meaning in …

A Framework For Surveying Communication Effectiveness In Institutions Of Higher Education, Charmaine E. Wilson, Sandra Hochel

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article examines a framework for assessing communication effectiveness in higher education in the U.S. In light of cost concerns, most colleges and universities will opt for using internal expertise. This option is particularly feasible for post-secondary institutions in that they are likely to have available in-house expertise needed to conduct an effective assessment. The step of identifying available expertise from communication and other appropriate units is needed to gain broad expertise and multiple perspectives, avoid attributions of private agendas, and encourage units under analysis to view the process as a community effort. The assessing committee will want to set …

Newspaper Readership Among College Students In The Information Age: The Influence Of Telecommunication Technology, David J. Atkin

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article focuses on the influence of telecommunication technology on newspaper readership among college students in the U.S. during the 1990s. The findings presented suggest an explanatory role for such factors as age in readership. Income and marital status are also important correlates of readership, perhaps because they gauge one's stake or integration in the local community. The resulting loss of afternoon leisure was a leading cause in the decline of afternoon papers, which have been substituted with nightly TV news reporting. Given the role that demographic and media use variables play in newspaper readership, it will be important to …

Organizational Performance: Playing The Field, Ronald J. Pelias, Elyse Lamm Pineau

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

Presents an article about organizational performance. Experience of giving a presentation at a convention; Steps toward becoming a member of a team; Role of heroes and role models in society.

Mass Communication Education: A Plastic Rolex?, Tim Hamlett

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article discusses several aspects of mass communication education in the U.S. during the 1990s. According to professor J. M. McCall, communication educators should be telling communication professionals three things. The first is that academics do know what the profession requires. The second is that knowing perfectly well what the profession requires, the academics have decided not to provide it. The third observation is that there is no place in a university for that kind of education, which is trade skills and vocational training. McCall's case for change rest on two pillars: university politics and finances; and media studies in …

Creating A Climate Of Inclusion: Success Starts At Home, Marsha Houston

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article discusses positive climate for recruiting and retaining faculty of color on predominantly white campuses. Student bodies (including their minority student components) differ greatly from one campus environment to another. For example, the personal politics, and social and academic expectations of the affluent students at Tulane are vastly different from those of the working class students at an urban commuter college. In addition, so much of what makes a campus environment a positive one for students is outside of our control as faculty. There are three features that help create a desirable climate for faculty and students of color: …

Unique Approaches And Problems In Recruiting Minority Students: The Use Of The Media, Richard R. Ranta

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article attempts to put the University of Memphis (UM) in a positive light by providing a vehicle to show that African-American students play a significant role at the University and have indeed been successful both at entering the University and while attending the University. The University has been so successful in graduating minority students that the Educational Testing Service is studying the University's programs to see if UM success can be duplicated at other institutions. Obviously, recruitment involves a variety of approaches other than media including a special fall and spring African-American Recruitment Day, special enrichment institutes during the …

Affirmative Action In Academe: Increase Opportunities, Remove Barriers, And Change Attitudes, Susan A. Siltanen

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article addressed affirmative action in academe by examining the judicial justification for the policy and the 1973 and 1983 American Association of University Professor (AAUP) recommendations. Those reviews indicated that the Supreme Court supported affirmative action using distributive justice principles. Moreover, the AAUP recommendations are also based on distributive justice principles. In the 1973 report, the AAUP called mostly for increased opportunities for women and minorities to enter the academy. In its 1983 report, the AAUP reiterated the need to alter the workplace to include more women and minorities and added a call for to remove barriers to tenure …

Disciplinary Narratives For Change: The Emergence Of Performance Studies Within Athe And Sca, Ronald E. Shields

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article discusses the emergence of performance studies within the Association for Theatre in Higher Education (ATHE) and the Speech Communication Association (SCA). During recent years, the debate surrounding the emergence of performance studies within the professional organizations, SCA and ATHE, has generated both heat and light. Both debates centered on pragmatic and seminal questions of disciplinary cohesiveness and relevancy; each side in both debates also argued their respective positions from particular interpretations of disciplinary history. In SCA, the issue involved a name change within a large and respected Division: in ATHE, the entire membership was challenged to consider the …

Administrators At Risk: Tools And Technologies For Securing Your Future, James A. Stakenas

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

Review of the book, McKenzie, J. (1993). Administrators at Risk: Tools and Technologies for Securing Your Future. Bloomington, Indiana: National Education Service.

Practical Strategies For Enhancing Ethnic Diversity Within Communication Programs: A Symposium Overview, Robert M. Smith

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

Introduction to a series of articles on race and ethnicity in U.S. higher education.

Censorship Problems In Commercial And Collegiate Theatre, Joe Filippo

Journal of the Association for Communication Administration

This article discusses censorship problems in commercial and collegiate theatre. An examination of censorship in the American theatre will reveal the fact that the subject has been weighed and viewed by the court from a number of perspectives. One such view was that, until the mid-twentieth century, court cases commonly were decided on the basis of the literary merit of the plays in question. The foregoing questions relating to a theatre season may lead one to conclude that there is no censorship quite like self-censorship. If it is perceived that in the process of play selection there is excessive risk …