Using In-Class Versus Out-of-Class Peer Workshops to Improve Presentational Speaking

This study sought to determine whether there is a difference in the effect of in-class and out-of-class peer workshops on Cognitive Learning, Affective Learning, speech grades, Public Speaking Anxiety, Connected Classroom Climate, and Perceived Workshop Value. This study used a within-subjects modified switching-replications design and found that there were no significant differences in the effects of the two types of workshops. However, students preferred in-class workshops, and there is slight evidence that there might be benefits for doing an in-class workshop first so that students can build trust and learn to give and receive better feedback before considering out-of-class workshops

Basic Communication Course Students’ Perceptions of the Purpose and Their Role in the Peer Feedback Process

Students enrolled in the basic communication course often engage in peer feedback workshops to enhance presentational speaking competence. As such, peer feedback workshops in the basic communication course provide an opportunity for students to provide and receive feedback on speech form, structure, and delivery (Broeckelman-Post & Hosek, 2014). The present study qualitatively examined data from 110 students enrolled in a basic communication course to determine their perceptions of the peer feedback process and what role(s), if any, they believed they had in the peer feedback process. Our thematic analysis revealed that students’ perceive peer feedback as a form of agency, influence, and skill building and perceive their role as a content editor, audience/body, and performance evaluator. Limitations and future research directions are also discussed

Measuring Essential Learning Outcomes for Public Speaking

Basic Course Directors (BCDs) are typically expected to assess course learning outcomes, but few formal guidelines and resources exist for new BCDs. As one part of a larger multi-methodological assessment tool development project, this manuscript maps existing quantitative measures onto the six essential competencies and associated learning outcomes established by the Social Science Research Council Panel on Public Speaking. This manuscript compiles dozens of measurement resources, aligned by outcome, and also identifies areas where future assessment measures development is needed. While there are many measures available for evaluating outcomes related to creating messages, critically analyzing messages, and demonstrating self-efficacy, there are measurement gaps for outcomes related to communication ethics, embracing difference, and influencing public discourse

The JWST Galactic Center Survey -- A White Paper

The inner hundred parsecs of the Milky Way hosts the nearest supermassive black hole, largest reservoir of dense gas, greatest stellar density, hundreds of massive main and post main sequence stars, and the highest volume density of supernovae in the Galaxy. As the nearest environment in which it is possible to simultaneously observe many of the extreme processes shaping the Universe, it is one of the most well-studied regions in astrophysics. Due to its proximity, we can study the center of our Galaxy on scales down to a few hundred AU, a hundred times better than in similar Local Group galaxies and thousands of times better than in the nearest active galaxies. The Galactic Center (GC) is therefore of outstanding astrophysical interest. However, in spite of intense observational work over the past decades, there are still fundamental things unknown about the GC. JWST has the unique capability to provide us with the necessary, game-changing data. In this White Paper, we advocate for a JWST NIRCam survey that aims at solving central questions, that we have identified as a community: i) the 3D structure and kinematics of gas and stars; ii) ancient star formation and its relation with the overall history of the Milky Way, as well as recent star formation and its implications for the overall energetics of our galaxy's nucleus; and iii) the (non-)universality of star formation and the stellar initial mass function. We advocate for a large-area, multi-epoch, multi-wavelength NIRCam survey of the inner 100\,pc of the Galaxy in the form of a Treasury GO JWST Large Program that is open to the community. We describe how this survey will derive the physical and kinematic properties of ~10,000,000 stars, how this will solve the key unknowns and provide a valuable resource for the community with long-lasting legacy value.Comment: This White Paper will be updated when required (e.g. new authors joining, editing of content). Most recent update: 24 Oct 202

Editor\u27s Page

With my first volume with BCCA, I have extended and built upon the tremendous work of previous editors and scholars who have championed and shared their work in the Annual. In doing so, Issue 36 features empirical, theoretical, and analytical essays that require us to think about how students use instructor feedback in the classroom, to consider new ways to conduct assessment, to contemplate the implications of course names and labels, and to imagine how critical deliberation might promote social justice in the basic course

Twitter as a classroom tool: Exploring the use, benefits, and downfalls from the perspectives of instructors and students

Recently, the educational community has become aware of Twitter and begun to use it as a pedagogical tool. Yet, using these tools within a course is not enough to ensure positive outcomes. Thus, more research is needed to understand the perceived benefits and downfalls of its integration in the classroom context. To this end, the present study examined (a) how instructors are using Twitter and (2) compares and contrasts instructors and students perceptions of the benefits and downfalls of using Twitter in the classroom. Practical applications and directions for future research are discussed

Handbook of Instructional Communication: Rhetorical and relational perspectives

Sean Horan is a contributing author (with Rebecca M. Chory), [Re]Negotiating power and influence in the classroom, pp.112-125. Book Description: The Handbook of Instructional Communication offers a comprehensive collection of theory and research focusing on the role and effects of communication in instructional environments. Now in its Second Edition, the handbook covers an up-to-date array of topics that includes social identity, technology, and civility and dissent. This volume demonstrates how to understand, plan, and conduct instructional communication research as well as consult with scholars across the communication discipline. Designed to address the challenges facing educators in traditional and nontraditional settings, this edition features a wealth of in-text resources, including directions for future research, suggested readings, and surveys for instructional assessment.https://digitalcommons.fairfield.edu/communications-books/1021/thumbnail.jp

Initiating and Maintaining Student-instructor Rapport in Face-to-face Classes

We examined college instructors’ perceptions of the behaviors and contextual factors that allow them to initiate and maintain rapport with their students. Phenomenological interviews with 21 college instructors indicated that instructors rely on different strategies and contextual factors to initiate and to maintain rapport with students across the semester. At the beginning of the semester, these instructors rely on a variety of connecting, common grounding, and information sharing behaviors and leverage baked-in rapport to cultivate a sense of rapport from their students. After rapport has been initiated, these instructors place more emphasis on attentive and courteous behaviors, while continuing to engage in connecting behaviors. Furthermore, these instructors identified personalized instruction and tactful responses to delicate situations as essential for maintaining a strong sense of rapport across the semester. Findings from the present study provide college instructors with a framework for initiating and maintaining rapport with students in their classrooms

Measuring Essential Learning Outcomes for Public Speaking

Basic Course Directors (BCDs) are typically expected to assess course learning outcomes, but few formal guidelines and resources exist for new BCDs. As one part of a larger multi-methodological assessment tool development project, this manuscript maps existing quantitative measures onto the six essential competencies and associated learning outcomes established by the Social Science Research Council Panel on Public Speaking. This manuscript compiles dozens of measurement resources, aligned by outcome, and also identifies areas where future assessment measures development is needed. While there are many measures available for evaluating outcomes related to creating messages, critically analyzing messages, and demonstrating self-efficacy, there are measurement gaps for outcomes related to communication ethics, embracing difference, and influencing public discourse