Declining enrollments and increased competition for college students have emphasized the need to demonstrate students are learning what we think they are learning. Taking a longitudinal look at speech evaluations from the basic course, this study tracked student learning gains in each rubric area on speeches evaluated between 2009-2019. Using a digital evaluation template called WebGrader (Cooper, 2011), students who had delivered informative (exposition) speeches and persuasive speeches to convince (N = 2,725) were compared, with a separate analysis comparing gains from the informative speech to the persuasive speech to actuate (N = 2,764). The study furthers instrument validation and a pedagogical model based on 3,951 archived student speeches collected from 22 instructors over the last 10 years. Results showed small, but significant student learning gains in each of the rubric areas. However, a ceiling effect appears in the initial speech evaluation, making it difficult to demonstrate gains. A principal component analysis was performed on 14 core rubrics used to rate student learning outcomes on informative speeches. Support was found for a two-factor (Delivery and Structure) model. 1 Cooper et al.: Oral Competency Published by eCommons, 2021 161
Our current cultural moment requires reflective urgency. COVID-19 has forced a collective pedagogical confrontation with new media's materiality, and how such materiality intersects with, for example, the public speaking traditions within introductory communication courses. While COVID-19 has spotlighted online-only educational conversations, our disciplinary need to refocus new introductory course curricular practices pre-dates the pandemic. This essay extends Rhonda Hammer's (2009) critical literacy framework into the introductory course, a practice whereby students are empowered to read, critique, and produce media rather than be passive consumers. We explore critical literacy as pedagogically fruitful in identifying and resisting dominant ideologies that sustain inequalities through new media, focusing on information, power, and audience as core pedagogical principles that can re-shape introductory content and teaching.
Our basic communication courses have always been important for our students COVID-19 presents us with many challenges as well as opportunities for innovation and reflection We can now heed the call offered by Joyce et al in 2019 to match the skills most in demand with those we teach and infuse intentionality and value throughout our courses As we pivot to online education and digital communication, how can we craft the basic course to provide effective communication skills training in engaging, empowering and impactful ways?
The goal of this study was to understand student experiences in and perceptions of a new communication center. Researchers conducted 22 semi-structured qualitative interviews with students who visited the communication center and conducted a thematic analysis of the interview transcripts. Overall, the findings suggest that students had positive experiences and indicated some areas for future development. The primary value of communication center lies in the knowledge and perceived credibility of the coaches. The communication center also serves as a unique site for addressing communication apprehension and helping students transfer communication skills to other contexts. To continue to develop, additional resources are needed to invest in coaches, space, and marketing in order to adequately serve the needs of all students.
