Nontraditional Students, Multilingual Learners, and University Type: The Vital Missing Comparisons in our Basic Course Research

After the G.I. Bill was passed in 1944, the United States saw a massive expansion of higher education. The subsequent economic growth, expanding middle class, and support of public education meant that more Americans had access to college education than ever before (Bok, 2006). In the decades that followed, a typical or “traditional” college student was a person who entered a four-year university at the age of eighteen immediately after completing high school, attended full time, considered their education a full-time responsibility, had no dependents, was employed part time or not at all, and graduated in four years (Center for Institutional Effectiveness, 2004; Ross-Gordon, 2011). Most descriptions also assume that traditional students are born in the United States, speak English as their first language, and live in student housing on or near campus. However, the majority of students in college and university classrooms today do not reflect these “traditional” characteristics. In 2014-2015, 886,052 international students were enrolled in U.S. colleges and universities (Institute for International Education, 2014), and many universities facing budget cuts are trying to increase international student recruiting. Since the basic communication course is frequently required for most or all students at many colleges and universities as part of a general education requirement, and because the basic course is typically intended to help incoming undergraduate students build communication skills that they will use in other courses, their future careers, and in their communities, this diversity of student preparation and experience has important implications for how we approach the basic course

The Impact of Public Speaking and Hybrid Introductory Communication Courses on Student Perceptions of Homophily and Classroom Climate

This study examines whether public speaking and hybrid introductory communication courses contribute to whether students feel connected to one another as a result of taking the course. Results indicate that students develop stronger perceptions of homophily and connected classroom climate over time, and this growth is slightly larger in public speaking courses than in hybrid introductory communication courses. Attendance impacted the levels of perceived homophily and connected classroom climate at the end of the course. However, perceived homophily did not predict academic performance in either course, and perceptions of classroom connectedness only predicted the academic performance of students in the hybrid introduction to communication course

Bridging Science with Society: Defining Pathways for Engagement

Science communication training organizations, are uniquely positioned at the nexus of science and society. Through research and training, they empower scientists to engage with the public to ultimately improve how science informs decision-making processes at the individual, organizational, and community levels. This paper argues that science communication training organizations must unite to provide a comprehensive and exhaustive set of offerings that empower scientists to master foundational communication skills while recognizing the complete social and cultural systems in which their science communication occurs. We present three separate possible pathways training programs could take, depending on the contexts and audiences for engagement. We differentiate between the goals, sites, and audiences for engagement, and the forms of knowledge or preparation needed for productive engagement

Genetic analysis of over 1 million people identifies 535 new loci associated with blood pressure traits

High blood pressure is a highly heritable and modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease. We report the largest genetic association study of blood pressure traits (systolic, diastolic and pulse pressure) to date in over 1 million people of European ancestry. We identify 535 novel blood pressure loci that not only offer new biological insights into blood pressure regulation but also highlight shared genetic architecture between blood pressure and lifestyle exposures. Our findings identify new biological pathways for blood pressure regulation with potential for improved cardiovascular disease prevention in the future