In this unit activity, students understand that social presence-one's ability to project a personality through computer-mediated communication-is critical for creating an effective online learning environment (Christen, Kelly, Fall, & Snyder, in press; Jorgensen, 2002; Kehrwald, 2010; O'Sullivan, Hunt, & Lippert, 2004). Without…

As an emerging interest area, positive communication scholarship focuses on issues of happiness and well-being in a variety of social contexts. Borrowing from positive psychology and happiness literature (Lyubomirsky, 2008), positive communication research explores expressions of gratitude, kindness, compassion, and forgiveness, as well as issues…

Students in communication, and particularly in advertising, are encouraged to value creativity. However, even in programs that value creativity, it can be difficult to encourage creativity in the process of research that guides communication efforts. The project described in this paper--"Street Crossing"--is used in upper-division and…

This semester-long activity for a "Gender Fair" project helps undergraduate students gain an appreciation of gender as a social, historical, and cultural construction that is constituted intersectionally (with race-class-sexuality, at minimum) and fundamentally through communication practices. Specifically, upon completing this project,…

Microblogs, with their interactive nature, can engage students in community building and sensemaking. Using Weick's model of organizing as a framework, we integrated the use of micromessaging to increase student engagement in the large-lecture classroom. Students asked significantly more questions and asked a greater diversity of questions…

This essay derives from a course called ‘"The Rhetoric of Native America,’" which is a historical-critical survey of Native American primary texts. The course examines the rhetoric employed by Natives to enact social change and to build community in the face of exigencies. The main goal of exploring a native text (particularly, Simon Pokagon's…

Cell phone use is evident in society. Individuals have cell phone conversations while waiting in line at the grocery store, glance at their cell phones during meetings, check Facebook while having dinner with friends, have a meaningful phone conversation with a parent, and even text while sitting in church service. This assignment provides…

Although a growing number of universities are mounting concentrations or degrees in health communication, the most common level of training offered in the subject is a single introductory course. Typically, prerequisites for these courses are an introduction to communication course and/or a communication theory course. This makes it challenging to…

Communicators are involved in persuasion every day. For students to be effective in their persuasive attempts, they need experiential practice in creating and evaluating persuasive messages that utilize persuasive strategies. Persuasive strategies can help speakers to influence their audiences to accept proposed ideas and the possible…

This article describes an activity using Malcolm Gladwell's "The Tipping Point" as a supplemental text in an undergraduate group communication course. This book will help stimulate conversation and promote easy avenues for classroom discussion. In addition to weekly quizzes over each chapter to help facilitate rich classroom discussions, the…

Many federal agencies rely on print materials to convey important information to the public, and many of the materials are written at a 10th-grade reading level or above, further limiting those individuals with low literacy. As such, the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) recommends the application of existing best practices for…

Personal narratives can be useful epistemological tools or qualitative study methods that promote alternative ways of knowing in the classroom. Promoting interactive and meaningful classroom experiences involves motivating students in creative and innovative ways. In this essay, the authors discuss the use of personal narration as a pedagogical…

In this essay, the author provides an in-depth description of the course "Communication and Activism" and its rationale. She then offers some evaluative reflections, and concludes with a discussion of tensions experienced and lessons learned. She closes with a recommendation for activist educators to be mindful of these tensions and their ethical…

In communication courses, instructors frequently define the term "anecdote," explore the various types of anecdotes, and then encourage students to use anecdotes in their speeches. However, instructors do not often spend time teaching students "how" to construct memorable anecdotes. As a result, many students present weak anecdotes or choose not…

This article describes a project that encourages the development of a critical-pedagogical perspective in an undergraduate small group communication class. The project provides a transition from ideology to practice by combining activities that have been connected to critical communication pedagogy--service learning and autoethnography. The…