This comprehensive review of the assessment of oral communication in the communication discipline is both descriptive and empirical in nature. First, some background on the topic of communication assessment is provided. Following the descriptive background, we present an empirical analysis of academic papers, research studies, and books about…

Research (Martin, 2008) has shown that speaking and listening are the literacy skills most used in the world of work. Yet, employers frequently bemoan the lack of young people's communication skills, with many believing that it impacts their chances of making it through an interview and their future employability (Simon, 2009). Effective speaking…

Over the course of three rounds of consecutive funding, the National Science Foundation (NSF) invested in the Traveling Exhibits at Museums of Science (TEAMS) collaborative. Since 1996, the TEAMS collaborative museums have developed traveling exhibitions and related education materials to circulate through each other's museums, and then more…

The report presents an evaluation of the Utah State School for the Deaf. It is argued that the two programs provided by the school (Total Communication and Oral Communication) are not equally available to each student and that placement of students is not based on professional diagnosis of student needs. Evidence is presented that indicates that…

States communication programs are expected to operate in some harmony with communication activities of organizations outside the university in professional settings. Describes one possible activity in this matrix: use of student internships as a means of assessing the communication program. Presents a case study involving public relations…

This paper describes a faculty-designed program evaluation procedure established at Appalachian State University in North Carolina, focusing on the Communication Department. The assessment potential of this process is examined and, following an explication of the process itself and the Program Evaluation Committee (PEC) Report, the five elements…

A panel of instructors in the Speech Communication program at the University of South Dakota presented five papers containing the findings from an extensive analysis of their introductory course, the Fundamentals of Speech. The purpose of the analysis was to determine the result of adapting the Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) to specific…

This article reports the results of a preliminary study that applied a randomized posttest-only design to evaluate the effectiveness of a literacy curriculum that incorporated explicit opportunities for Spanish-speaking Head Start preschool children (N = 76) to develop writing abilities in English. The study also addressed English language…

This paper presents a rationale and process for a comprehensive program review. Starting from the essential step of determining desired student outcomes from an undergraduate program through the program review process, the paper helps the reader seeking to develop or revise a current program review. It is hoped that the paper will illustrate the…

Describes Laney College's Project Bridge, a basic skills program designed for underprepared community college students. Discusses the program's basic tenets (i.e., student-centered classrooms, the primacy of spoken language, and incorporation of minority group culture and international awareness). Considers the program's goals and organizational…

A teacher's interaction with Hispanic high school students enrolled in Program for Learning in Accordance with Needs (PLAN), a college preparation program designed to develop the basic skills--reading, writing, and public speaking--needed to succeed in college, was observed. The following implicit instructional goals of PLAN were revealed: (1)…

Results of the evaluation of Title I and Impact Aid programs conducted in District 27, Queens, New York, are presented in this report. Program components described include: (1) reading resource centers organized in 14 Title I elementary schools and 4 junior high and intermediate schools as well as the Impact Guidance Program operated in…

In response to the needs of teachers for assistance in developing second language speaking and instructional skills, Tarrant County Junior College, Northeast Campus, designed a series of 10 16-hour workshops for teachers of foreign languages for summer 1989. The "Strategies for Proficiency Workshops" were intended primarily as in-service training…

In summer 1988, Tarrant County Junior College, Northeast Campus, conducted a series of eight 16-hour workshops and three 32-hour workshops for high school teachers of foreign languages. The workshops were intended primarily as in-service training to help foreign language teachers: (1) improve their oral proficiency in the language they teach; (2)…

The Eastman Curriculum Design Project was intended to replicate, in seven selected schools, the modified bilingual education program implemented successfully at the Eastman Avenue Elementary School. Program features include: grouping by language proficiency for core subject instruction; separation of languages (no translation or concurrent…