Communication theory can be challenging to teach in an engaging manner. The following original teaching activity suggests a way to incorporate the phenomenon of escape rooms into your theory classroom. Courses: Communication Theory, Introduction to Communication. Objectives: In this activity, students will apply the basic tenets of several…

Incorporating civic engagement in the undergraduate curriculum has become a goal in higher education generally and the communication discipline specifically. Given this emerging priority, we offer a framework that integrates civic engagement in the communication classroom and meets students and instructors needs, experience, and goals. Drawing on…

Originally developed in the field of design, design thinking is widely used as a pedagogical tool to help non-designer students cultivate creative thinking and problem-solving skills. Despite its positive effects on student learning via increased motivation, openness to new ideas, and creative thinking, the understanding of design thinking is…

Courses: Organizational Communication, Intercultural Communication. Objectives: This activity encourages students to learn collaboratively about diversity through the sharing of student experiences; deepen and complicate their understanding of organizational diversity; and enhance their ability to apply course material to increasingly complex…

Courses: Communication Activism; Public Advocacy; Social Movements; Public Speaking; Persuasion; Argumentation; Public Sphere. Objectives: This semester-long activity helps students implement a solutions--strategies--tactics framework into their advocacy work. More specifically, students learn to (1) designate, research, and assess the causes of…

Course: This assignment is a unit activity designed for use in a skills-focused undergraduate public relations, organizational communication, or crisis communication course. Objective: The goal of this activity is to increase students' understanding of and ability to apply discourse of renewal in a crisis scenario. Students will work…

Civic engagement has become an essential learning goal for institutions throughout higher education. Communication scholars employ various pedagogical tools to foster civic engagement. For instance, service learning has been shown to increase political and community engagement in courses such as family communication and public relations. Teachers…

In a time when nearly half the country's employees are currently working in self-directed work groups, successful team working within organizations is more important than ever. The Problem-Possibility-Pursuit-Presentation (PPPP) Portfolio Project is designed to give students an opportunity to experience teamwork in a meaningful fashion. This…

Groups are defined as a small, interdependent group of individuals who share a common identity and interact with one another, usually face to face over time. While groups can be an effective way to explore issues and provide creative solutions to problems, rarely do members in groups get through the process without encountering a difficult group…