Rocca's (2010) extensive literature review suggests that some students are reticent in voicing their opinions due to the fear of rejection by their peers when using the persuasive approach and for believing that their voice does not matter in public settings. Similarly, Arnot and Reay (2007) often find an imbalance of power, which fosters the…

This article describes a realistic online crisis unit, in which students practice: (1) responding to fast-paced information on multiple social media channels; (2) coordinating and making team decisions; and (3) creating effective responses. These skills are required for entry-level positions such as digital specialists and community managers,…

This study examines the utility of service-learning pedagogy in the general education basic communication course to meet service-learning outcomes, with an emphasis on civic engagement. Results of the data suggest that students in both a one-time service site and multiple-site condition indicated that the service experience enhanced three of the…

This article describes an activity in which upon completion of this semester-long project, students should be able to: analyze and reflect upon their own communication behaviors in a group setting, and explain the importance of examining actual communication practices as opposed to retrospective self-report of communication practices. This project…

The study of persuasion is the wellspring of the communication discipline. Nevertheless, in one review, Seiter and Gass (2004) noted that ''critics of persuasion seem to emerge and reemerge with some regularity'' (p. 2). Although the study of persuasion is generally venerated by those within the field of communication, it is…

Students tend to believe that RateMyProfessors.com (RMP) is an unfailingly valid measure of teaching effectiveness, and in fact viewing that site prior to taking a course can have a direct influence on their future evaluations of faculty. The authors describe an activity whose objective is to have students analyze different types of validity using…

About 13.2 million people will make a video call in 2011 (Swartz, 2011). Organizations use this technology to connect employees and stakeholders because of reduced cost and greater participation among global stakeholders (Hertel, Geister, & Konradt, 2005). Scholars have examined videoconferencing in groups (Zornoza, Prieto, Marti, & Piero, 1993),…

Instructors of large lecture classes face a variety of challenges, including student engagement and participation. With budget cuts and increasing class sizes, more schools may turn to large lecture/lab formats for the basic communication course (Stanley & Porter, 2002); instructors must understand how these classes engage students. One viable…

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…

Today's students live in a mobile society beset with technologies that allow them to communicate through a wide variety of mediums. Mobile phones, for example, have become the fastest growing technology in history. Students have traditionally been at the forefront of most societal changes and this recent technological influx is certainly no…

Communication teachers spend considerable time instructing students how to organize and deliver professional oral presentations, design effective PowerPoint slides, answer interview questions, and communicate effectively in problem-solving teams. Yet considerably less time is spent systematically teaching them the communication skill they will use…

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,…

Objective: Students will develop positive attitudes toward communication research by linking new values and principles with the familiar values and principles contained in children's literature. Course: Communication Research Methods.

Social Judgment Theory is a way to explain when persuasive messages are most likely to succeed and how people make judgments about them. This theory is often covered in communication theory and persuasion courses, but is also applicable when discussing persuasion in basic speech and introductory communication courses. Social Judgment Theory…

Teacher education programs have increasingly come under fire for not providing pre-service teachers communication skills training. Given that such training is essential to address diversity in the classroom and to meet the day-to-day functioning of teachers, higher education must provide communication skills training for teacher certification.…