Speech and Rhetorical Studies Commons^™

The Peoria Recommendations: Suggestions On Promotion, Tenure And Evaluation For Directors Of Forensics, Michael Dreher

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

This document, therefore, seeks to strike a balance between prescriptive and descriptive. While departments and institutions vary as far as standards of evaluation, tenure, and promotion are concerned, this document seeks to advance the work of former and current forensic educators such as Ann Burnett, MaryAnn Danielson, Tom Workman, David Williams and Joe Gantt to raise the kinds of questions that directors (and assistant directors) should ask of themselves and their programs, and to suggest questions that should be asked of forensics professionals 2 when it comes to their evaluation. In that light, these recommendations serve both to further the …

Finding Strength In Numbers: A Collaborative Team Approach To Directing Forensic Programs, Scott Jensen, Gina Jensen, Thomas Serfass

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

Much has been written regarding pressures facing directors of forensics and forensic educators in general. Most of these pressures are associated with managing a slate of professional responsibilities that exceed those of most professional educators, along with balancing professional and personal lives. While much attention has been paid to the role of the director of forensics as an educator, colleague, and mentor, less has been written regarding the director as a manager of professional colleagues. Similarly, little discussion is found within forensic scholarship regarding the challenges and opportunities associated with multiple staff members within a single forensic program.

We advocate …

Retention, Retention, Retention: Keeping Our Colleagues In The Trenches, Joel Hefling

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

Over a period of years (thirty or more, probably), a number of coaches have left forensics. Some have retired from education. Some have retired from coaching. Some have left coaching to pursue other academic interests. Some of those individuals have returned to positions that are solely teaching positions. Others have moved into administrative positions, at a departmental level, or at a college or university level. Invariably, those individuals have left "holes" to be filled. Filling the positions is not necessarily a concern or a problem.

Positions can and have been filled by competent coaches and educators. The "natural" attrition provides …

The Pitfalls, Perils, And Promise To Increasing Forensic Research, Daniel Cronn-Mills

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

Based on the above statement by Harris, Kropp, and Rosenthal (1986), I feel compelled to qualify my opening sentence to this article. I opened by stating "Research, in fact, provides the foundation for all we do in forensics." A more truthful statement is that "research should provide the foundation for all we do in forensics." I am not convinced this is the case.

Overcoming Obstacles To Scholarly Engagement, Edward A. Hinck

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

This paper reaffirms the idea that scholarship is essential to advancing the professional and knowledge based identity of the forensic community. To develop a vision for future scholarly activity, the paper outlines some possible areas for consideration in developing writing and research programs, reviews some of the obstacles that stand in the way of a more active community of forensic scholars, and offers solutions that hold promise for advancing the mission of scholarship in the intercollegiate forensic community.

Table Of Contents For The 2008 National Developmental Conference On Individual Events, Daniel Cronn-Mills

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

Table of contents for Conference Proceedings: National Developmental Conference on Individual Events 2008.

Nce-Ie 2010 Participants, Daniel Cronn-Mills, Larry Schnoor

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

List of participants for the 2010 National Developmental Conference on Individual Events.

Resolutions, Daniel Cronn-Mills, Larry Schnoor

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

Includes:

• What are Our Goals as Forensics Educators for the Public Speaking Events?
• Overview of Director of Forensics and Burnout
• A Pedagogical Reframing of the Ballot
• Changing the structure of the ballot
• Scheduling Tournaments
• Lincoln Douglas Scheduling
• Redistricting the AFA-NIET
• Culture of Qualification for the AFA-NIET
• Forensics and Service Learning and Community
• Service Learning
• Forensics/Assessment
• Community
• What are Our Goals as Forensics Educators for the Oral Interpretation Events?
• Resolved: The performance of literature events be re-categorized as follows
• Forensic Leadership
• Possible Assessment Tools

Assessment In Forensics: It's A Dirty Job But We Need To Do It!, Kittie Grace

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

Cognitive, affective, and behavioral assessment are all necessary measures to understanding the effectiveness of any collegiate major or forensics team. As the Director of Forensics at Hastings College, I use all three measures to assess the strength of the current program and to track trends regarding the team. This discussion focuses on presenting different ways to assess your programs to increase depart-mental and institutional support for your forensics pro-grams.

Justifying Forensic Programs To Administrations Using Humanistic Outcomes, Chad Kuyper

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

This paper will review literature concerning forensic learning outcomes, drawing a distinction between traditional "academic" learning outcomes and more "humanistic" out-comes that function at an intra- and interpersonal level. This paper will also examine avenues coaches can use to defend the most beneficial aspects of their programs to administrators.

Founding Practice: Examining Intercollegiate Competition As Assessment, Brendan B. Kelly

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

Intercollegiate forensics is, at its core, a form of teaching. Like other pedagogical elements within higher education, the practice is now, and will increasingly be, subject to institutional assessment requirements in higher education. The conventional argument that the evaluation processes inherent in intercollegiate forensics competition will demonstrate the effectiveness of teaching and learning in forensics pedagogy is false. The assessment practices within the frame-work of competitions are part of the teaching processes. Forensics pedagogy, therefore, must align itself with institutional assessment components. This essay argues for the roots of that alignment to be tied to an academic learning compact that …

Forensics Leadership: An Isocratean Vision, R. Randolph Richardson, Kathy Brittain Richardson

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

Contemporary forensic students and educators owe much to the leaders of the latter half of the twentieth century who rediscovered the educational benefits of speech competition, founded several collegiate programs and professional organizations, and established numerous tournaments and perfect-ed their management in a time of great technological change and challenge. A long list of noteworthy women and men who sacrificed inordinate amounts of time, money, often careers and professional standing, and more, for the benefit of forensic activity deserve recognition, appreciation and honor. The spirit of sacrifice that characterized the founding generation of leaders and those who immediately followed is …

Advocating High School Speech Communication Education: Sowing Stronger Seeds For The Future, Adam J. Jacobi

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

This paper presents a case for the necessity of speech communication as part of the core curriculum for secondary schools in the United States. In considering research-based pedagogical practices, as well as outcomes-based assessment, communication education focuses students’ critical thinking and competency in the two most overlooked zones of literacy: listening and speaking. To that end, the National Communication Association (NCA) and its special interest organizations, such as those focused on forensics are urged to support efforts to require speech communication as a graduation requirement, to require those courses be taught by teachers certified in communication, and to encourage NCA …

The Bloomington Recommendations: Improving Forensic Leadership By Continuing The Conversation On Evaluating The Forensics Professional, Michael Dreher

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

This paper seeks to both provide structure and formalization to the process of assessment, as well as to answer the question, "Is it possible to run a 'successful' program that’s not based in competitive success?" These recommendations serve both as a companion document and as an expansion of the recommendations previously made with regard to promotion and tenure (Dreher, 2010). The Peoria Recommendations dealt with questions to be asked of all forensic educators, documentation of teaching, research, and service, and questions to be asked by internal and external reviewers, and are summarized in appendix 1. This paper will provide further …

Student Research As A Method For Developing New Forensics Leaders, Ben Walker

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

For years, a call for more forensic research has echoed across the nation. While some respond to the continued challenge, many others have not. Numerous programs have disappeared from the collegiate forensic map over the years, with the questioned legitimacy and effectiveness of forensic programs and forensic professionals cited as the reason for their disappearance. In order to maintain a strong participation of programs, students, and coaches, we must develop strong leaders who, through research, will promote and stabilize forensics in the collegiate scene. As forensic leaders, it is our responsibility to nurture students into leadership positions where they, through …

Helping Out The "Newbies": A Call For Broader-Based Professional Development In Forensics, Christopher J. Fenner

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

Many Directors of Forensics follow a clear path from student competitor to graduate coaching assistant before holding a professional position. Often this traditional route rep-resents the full training a future DOF may receive. While this experience is invaluable, as a primary means of education it does not account for those starting programs without such a background, or those taking on a director position at an institution with a significantly different emphasis or philosophy than encountered in their training. This paper posits that a focus on training & mentoring is needed at the national level in order to facilitate a broader …

Should Collegiate Forensics Parent Organizations Take The Lead In Recruiting New Schools To The Speech Activity?, Scott Wells, Jessica Samens

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

This paper argues that the health of college forensics could be greatly strengthened with increased membership. This paper also posits that forensics parent organizations on the state, regional, and national level are uniquely positioned to recruit new schools to the speech activity. Finally, this essay details plausible approaches for enticing and fostering new programs.

A Proposal For The Re-Categorization Of Interpretation Events, Leah White

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

began to seriously consider the need for this proposal in 2009 when the AFA-NIET National Committee was faced with evaluating a potential violation of the rules related to Dramatic Interpretation (http://www.mnsu.edu/cmst/niet/minutes/November09.htm). The violation centered on differing interpretations of what texts are included within the parameters of the event description. In response to the controversy, many called for a revision of the Dramatic Interpretation event description in hopes of making it more specific, thus preventing future disputes. My assessment of this, as well as other more regional controversies, has led me to believe that many of the concerns related …

What Are We Doing?: An Argument To Change A Name, Ryan Lauth

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

Despite years of heated debate over the relevance and future of the oral interpretation events, our performances have evolved to an extent that the definition of oral interpretation no longer applies. In an effort to address the necessity of a change in the name of the largest genre of events, this paper details the separation of title and practice in interpretation before offering a solution.

Breaking The Formula: Integrating Performance Studies Into Interpretation Preparation, David Brennan

Proceedings of the National Developmental Conference on Individual Events

Forensic educators and students spend much of their time trying to perfect a new definition of "good performance" without appreciating said performance or participating in the exchange process. While many studies have examined the most common interpretation ballot comments, the results and suggestions of those studies have not changed how students perform interpretation. This is where performance studies research may come into play. The author proposes ways to incorporate performance studies research into interpretation event practice and performance. Additionally, the author also suggests several new coaching techniques to bring an educational appreciation for interpretation performances.