The purpose of this assessment was to examine whether differences exist between students who self-select their classroom work group members and students who are randomly assigned to their classroom work groups in terms of their use of organizational citizenship behaviors with their work group members; their commitment to, trust in, and relational…

This study assesses an assignment for incorporating diversity into the principles of public relations course. The assignment is tailored to the challenges of using an active learning approach in a large lecture class. For the assignment, students write a goal, objectives, strategies, an identification of tactics, and evaluation plans for either…

"WebGrader" is an online instrument developed to evaluate and assess oral competency in the basic course. It is the result of a 15-year study, using Morreale and Hackman's (1994) work as a general model, and "The Competent Speaker" speech rating criteria in particular (Morreale, Moore, Taylor, Surges-Tatum, & Hulbert-Johnson, 1990; Morreale,…

Based on the typology posited by Kram and Isabella (1985) that identifies three peer relationships present in organizations (i.e., information, collegial, and special), this assessment examined the association between students' perceptions of their in-class group members and six group outcomes (i.e., grouphate, cohesion, relational satisfaction,…

Curriculum mapping is a well-known assessment tool used to articulate and align a curriculum. The authors present an improved method of curriculum alignment that combines the traditional curriculum mapping with what is often called prerequisite mapping. This improved method of curriculum alignment mapping we label Program Alignment Mapping (PAM)…

Objectives: The goal of the Intercultural Partnership Project is to introduce students to issues surrounding language and cultural identity, with the ultimate goal of helping students see themselves as engaged participants, rather than observers, in a multicultural community. For students in the intercultural communication class, this goal echoes…

This article presents an activity which makes use of Don McLean's song "American Pie," to engage students in fantasy-theme analysis. This discussion ultimately demonstrates how reality is constructed to satisfy the views shared by groups and individuals. Fantasy-theme analysis argues that audiences frequently shape their own connotation of an…

A post-speech evaluation, suggesting improvements for future presentations, is typical in the public speaking course. Moreover, while most public speaking courses emphasize "thinking" about better delivery, little attention is given to what better delivery "feels" like. If the goal is to cultivate a generation of truly extemporaneous speakers,…

Steve Duck's scholarship has made a noticeable impact on the study of interpersonal communication. Of his works, one of the most noteworthy is the explanatory model of relationship disengagement and dissolution. Duck's Dissolution Model (DDM) explains the stages that relationships pass through when they encounter stress resulting in two…

This article offers a few guidelines for constructing effective simulations. It presents a sample class activity called simulated public hearing which aims to integrate the various elements of a public speaking course into a more comprehensive whole. Properly designed, simulated hearings have elements of persuasive, informative, and impromptu…

When students encounter opposing beliefs in college classrooms, they can opt to remain apathetic, change perspectives, or defend their position. The process of integrating theories with personal beliefs is important to students' application of theories to their lives, and an involved instructor guides students in such applications. Communication…

The internet has given undergraduate students ever-increasing access to academic journals via search engines and online databases. However, students typically do not have the ability to use these journals effectively. This often poses a dilemma for instructors. The accelerated peer-review journal usage (APJU) technique provides a way for…

Graduate teaching associates (GTAs) play a vital role as instructors at many universities but often are not confident in their ability to perform their job-related duties. Based on Bandura's (1997) theory of self-efficacy, this project examined a teacher-training program for GTAs and assessed its outcomes. Our results revealed that GTAs reported…

The purpose of this report is to describe a rationale and strategies for use of the National Communication Association's online magazine, "Communication Currents", in the undergraduate communication curriculum. "Communication Currents" features essays that translate current scholarship published in NCA journals, making the research "understandable…

This article presents an activity in which students explore the impact of implicit stereotypes in everyday interactions while examining issues of attitudinal measurement. Social cognitions that underlie stereotypes often operate implicitly and even unconsciously. Consequently, these implicit attitudes have the potential to affect the way people…