Video Family Memoirs: Service-learning in a Family Communication Course

Objectives: Students will: (1) analyze course theories (e.g. family narratives, roles, rules, and systems) in a real world, service-learning context; (2) enhance their group communication skills by working in a positive team setting; and (3) perform basic camera and editing skills.

Course: Family Communication     

Performing Theory: Singing Theory in a Communication Course

Objective: To appreciate different socio-cultural positions within the telling and retelling of a multiplicity of stories by applying communicative theory through performance

Intended courses: Introductory courses of communication theory, interpersonal communication, and introduction to communication     

Applying LDA Topic Modeling in Communication Research: Toward a Valid and Reliable Methodology

ABSTRACT

Latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) topic models are increasingly being used in communication research. Yet, questions regarding reliability and validity of the approach have received little attention thus far. In applying LDA to textual data, researchers need to tackle at least four major challenges that affect these criteria: (a) appropriate pre-processing of the text collection; (b) adequate selection of model parameters, including the number of topics to be generated; (c) evaluation of the model’s reliability; and (d) the process of validly interpreting the resulting topics. We review the research literature dealing with these questions and propose a methodology that approaches these challenges. Our overall goal is to make LDA topic modeling more accessible to communication researchers and to ensure compliance with disciplinary standards. Consequently, we develop a brief hands-on user guide for applying LDA topic modeling. We demonstrate the value of our approach with empirical data from an ongoing research project.     

会话分析视角下非正式信息交流主题与主题簇演化分析

[目的 /意义]针对当前非正式信息交流主题演化研究在分析层次和测度指标两方面存在的局限,提出一种具有通用性的演化分析方法,从微观和中观层面探究主题演化特征与规律.[方法/过程]引入会话分析理论,以新浪微博和知乎为例,通过对主题和主题簇运行过程进行分析,从会话内容和讨论方式两个维度揭示非正式信息交流演化特征与规律.同时,...     

Blogging in the Communication Technology Course

Courses: Communication Technology or New Media; could also be used in Broadcast Journalism, Print Journalism, Public Relations, Advertising, or other communication courses

Objectives: By creating and maintaining a blog, students will improve their research and writing skills, participate in collaborative learning, and acquire the digital literacy skills necessary for success in rapidly changing media and communication industries     

Service-learning in Crisis Communication Education: Revisiting Coombs' Objectives for the Crisis Communication Course

The purpose of this study was to revisit Coombs' suggestions for teaching the crisis communication course using service-learning as a framework. The author sought to assess the effectiveness of using this method in terms of the benefits to both students and the partnering organization and students' perceptions of whether they met the learning outcomes for the course. The results of this study demonstrate that a semester-long service-learning assignment can enhance the practical application of course concepts and overcome the limitations identified by Coombs in his original proposal.     

Student Responses to Contemplative Practice in a Communication Course

This assessment project explored students' responses to contemplative exercises in a required communication course. The contemplative exercises complemented the public speaking aspect of the course, with the intent that students would feel more confident when giving presentations and that they would experience other benefits of contemplative practice. A student survey revealed that half of the students identified some of the exercises as very helpful or as practices they intended to continue. Although the results suggest that some minor changes in the exercises could be made, the contemplative component seems useful to students, in the course and beyond.     

College Students' Sexual Health: Investigating the Role of Peer Communication

This study used the Theory of Planned Behavior as a guide to investigate college students' discussions with their peers about sexual health-related topics. Two hundred thirty-one undergraduates from a large university completed a questionnaire that assessed their comfort level discussing sexual health-related issues, the topics discussed, and the sex of the discussion partners. Some of the topics most frequently discussed included birth control, condoms, sexually transmitted diseases, and resources. Although a majority of the participants felt comfortable talking with both males and females, participants felt more comfortable discussing with their own gender than the opposite gender, and were in general more comfortable talking with females than males. Results showed that most students felt comfortable discussing sexual health-related topics with their peers, with females reporting a slightly higher comfort level than males.     

Self-Help Books About Communication and the Communication Course: An Exercise in Assessing Popular Notions of Communication Using Theory

Objective: The objective of this activity is to help students evaluate practical advice about communication with theories of communication

Applicable courses: This activity can be adopted by a variety of different communication courses including: persuasion, interpersonal (family, gender, and/or intercultural), organizational or small-group communication, and other communication courses     

Teaching Communication Research Methods: Student Perceptions of Topic Difficulty,Topic Understanding,and Their Relationship with Math Anxiety

The undergraduate Communication Research Methods course is a foundational course offered by a majority of departments across the country. Despite its ubiquity and importance, the course is often seen as a difficult pedagogical experience for students and instructors alike. To more completely understand student learning in this course, this study examined relationships between perceptions of course topic understanding, course topic difficulty, and their relationship with students’ level of math anxiety. Results revealed that statistical topics emerged as the most difficult for students to learn. Significant and strong negative correlations were observed between perceived difficulty and understanding for each of the 19 course topics. Self-reported math anxiety was positively related to both perceived difficulty and understanding of the topics. Suggestions are offered to enhance course instruction.     

Assessing Information Literacy Instruction in the Basic Communication Course

Information literacy is becoming a key component of general education programs nationwide. As a critical part of most general education programs, the basic communication course is on the frontlines of the charge to teach information literacy skills to first-year students. Thus, the information literacy skills of basic course students should be assessed to track the effectiveness of instruction and pedagogical practices. The present study used a pretest/posttest design with experimental and control groups to assess the effectiveness of information literacy instruction in the basic course. As predicted, students in the experimental group outperformed students in the control group on the information literacy measure. Results of the present study have implications for basic course directors and instructors, general education curriculum specialists, and librarians.     

Fostering Civic Engagement in the Communication Research Methods Course

Courses: Communication Research Methods, Senior Capstone.

Objectives: After completing this course, students will be able to: ? appreciate the role of empirical communication research in solving social and organizational problems;

? identify issues and needs in the community that can be addressed with empirical communication research;

? choose appropriate research methods for addressing different issues and needs;

? use various communication research methods to address community issues and needs;

? present research findings and recommendations to community organizations;

? demonstrate an increased commitment to active citizenship.

     

数字化文献传播中的法律控制

本文通过对数字化文献的界定,分析了数字化文献在传播过程中涉及的侵权行为以及国内外对数字化文献传播中的法律控制现状和存在的问题,并对我国数字化文献方面的立法问题提出了一些建议。     

Academic and Social Integration in the Basic Communication Course: Predictors of Students' Out-of-Class Communication and Academic Learning

This study reports an investigation designed to determine the generalizability of source credibility scales for immediate superiors across organizational contexts. Four meaningful and statistically independent dimensions for the measurement of the source credibility of immediate superiors in an organizational setting are reported.     

数字化文献传播中的法律控制

本文通过对数字化文献的界定 ,分析了数字化文献在传播过程中涉及的侵权行为以及国内外对数字化文献传播中的法律控制现状和存在的问题 ,并对我国数字化文献方面的立法问题提出了一些建议。     

Examining the Bidirectional Nature of Topic Avoidance and Relationship Dissatisfaction: The Moderating Role of Communication Skills

This study examined the bidirectional nature of the association between one's own topic avoidance and relationship dissatisfaction. It also explored how perceptions of a dating partner's communication competence and one's own communication efficacy affect this association. Three hundred undergraduates tracked their topic avoidance with their dating partner over a two week period. The results provided modest support for the idea that the association between topic avoidance and dissatisfaction is bidirectional for women, but not men. In addition, for men and women, global dissatisfaction with their dating relationship was a stronger predictor of daily topic avoidance (than daily topic avoidance was of daily dissatisfaction). Initial global levels of relationship dissatisfaction predicted greater levels of topic avoidance and this effect was quite stable over time, particularly for women. The results also revealed that the perception of a partner's communication incompetence was indirectly associated with increases in topic avoidance over time only because it affected one's communication efficacy. Finally, the results indicated that women who were highly efficacious were particularly dissatisfied by their topic avoidance over time.     

Children's Literature in the Undergraduate Course on Communication Research Methods

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

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     

Exploring the Communication of Evangelical Families: The Association Between Evangelical Gender Role Ideology and Family Communication Patterns

This study examines the relationship between the Evangelical gender role ideologies termed Complementarianism and Egalitarianism and conversation- and conformity-orientation communication patterns stemming from the general theory of family communication. A nonrandom group (N = 124) of Evangelical parents were surveyed using a cross-sectional, self-report survey design. Specific differences were discovered in the perceptions of communication in families for individuals holding conservative Complementarian and progressive Egalitarian gender role ideologies. Evangelical parents who endorsed a more Egalitarian family gender role ideology reported greater use of conversation-oriented communication patterns in their families whereas respondents holding a more Complementarian family gender role ideology reported more use of conformity-oriented communication patterns in their families.     

Exploring the Recursive Nature of Food and Family Communication

Objective: Students experience the numerous ways in which a relationship exists between the food families eat and the patterns of communication families enact; this activity illustrates how family metaphors, stories, rules, roles, rituals, and other relevant course concepts are conveyed through food

Courses: Family communication, intercultural communication, interpersonal communication, and gender communication