Courses: Health Communication, Public Communication Campaigns, Public Relations, Introduction to Communication. Objectives: By the end of this workshop, students will be able to: (1) understand how artificial intelligence--based large language learning models work and be able to explain core concepts such as word embeddings, neural networks, and…

This activity introduces undergraduate students to the idea of metacommunication by means of a performance praxis assignment. Students will engage in a performance that enhances their communication skills and better understand how the frames of mimesis and poiesis are utilized to understand communication form and context. Courses: A single-class…

This original teaching idea for a semester-long course encompasses a team-based project in which students worked together to create persuasive campaign materials for a local community health organization. The purpose of this project was for students to apply learned concepts related to theories and principles of persuasion to a real-world…

This classroom assessment article shares the findings of a practicum-based undergraduate organizational communication course using interactive management research (IMR). IMR is a participatory action research methodology that fosters group design thinking to envision perceived pathways for collectively organizing to address a social issue. The…

Students need to know how to communicate succinctly. Often, students struggle to determine how much content is necessary to communicate a message. Designed for courses on public speaking, interpersonal communication, and organizational communication, this activity invites students to tell their class a story using a single sentence. After…

Young adults and teenagers spend a significant amount of time each day using social media, but very few of them have thought about the ethical implications of what they post or view on these platforms. This activity provides students with the opportunity to (1) log and evaluate the amount of time and types of posts they are creating on social…

Relational maintenance is a universal aspect of human relationships. As such, our family and interpersonal communication texts often include relational maintenance as a key point of discussion. Communication scholars also continue to demonstrate how understanding and incorporating positive relational maintenance behaviors is beneficial to our…

Inspired by "choose your own adventure" books, this unit activity helps students differentiate between ontology, epistemology, axiology, methodology, and method. While completing the activity over two weeks, students apply these concepts to the study of a topic of the instructor's choosing (illustrated here through the lens of family…

The polarizing nature of many science-based topics often causes people to engage in a hostile manner with those who have differing perspectives. As the next generation of scientists and industry professionals, students studying in science-based disciplines must understand the value of civil discourse. Additionally, they need the skills necessary…

Courses: Introduction to Human Communication, Interpersonal Communication, Relational Communication, Intercultural Communication, special topics courses related to listening and conversation. Objectives: The learning objectives for this unit-long activity are for students to: (1) practice active, empathic listening with others; (2) identify…

Courses: Persuasion, Marketing, Advanced Public Speaking, Argumentation. Objectives: The aims of this assignment are to introduce students to the concept of data mining as a tool for audience analysis and to improve students' ability to adapt a message to a specific audience.

Courses: Persuasion, Group Communication, Communication Theory, Computer-Mediated Communication. Objectives: In this activity, students discuss and analyze film clips in order to understand theories, processes, and applications related to the concept of deindividuation.

Students are challenged to write papers and give oral presentations across disciplines. Yet, the audience for students often remains the same: college personnel and classroom peers. Communication classrooms are ideal places to learn about and practice audience adaptation, specifically modifying content for different audiences, contexts, and…

Courses: Introduction to Communication Studies, Rhetorical/Media Criticism, Political Communication, Language and Social Interaction. Objectives: The aims of this single-class activity are (1) to emphasize the complexities of communication competence; (2) to differentiate between appropriate and inappropriate communication behaviors; and (3) to…

Course: Small Group Communication. Objectives: Students will identify their personality traits; synthesize the relationship between personality, small-group interdependence, and grouphate; and apply collaborative skills and knowledge of individual personality differences in building small-group success.