This My Favorite Assignment (MFA) article features 11 teaching innovations first presented at the 2023 Association for Business Communication Annual International Conference held Denver, Colorado, USA. These assignments are designed to boost students' writing, persuasion, crisis management skills, and personal and professional development.

South African university students (n = 18; aged 21-28) participated in the LifeMatters train-the-trainer (TTT) workshop. Ten trained participants (n = 10; aged 21-23) then implemented the program as youth facilitators at three local schools. The study aimed to describe changes in participants resulting from the TTT and implementation experience.…

The article presents the results of a study of the Soft Skills development in the activities of student societies. The purpose of the article is the theoretical and empirical study of the Soft Skills development in the activities of student societies. The research methodology and its algorithm were selected due to the purpose of the study. To…

Experiential group training builds group counseling skills among counselors-in-training. The current study examines Latino master's students' perceptions of experiential group training that started in person but shifted to a virtual platform during the Covid-19 pandemic. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 11 Latino graduate counseling…

This study explored the self-directed approaches to learning that young adults in Egypt pursue after college graduation through examination of their motivations for learning as well as the influence of the tools of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) on their self-directed learning experiences. Using a mixed method design, a total of…

Much like traditional dyadic mentoring experiences, group mentorship has been practiced since time immemorial. Benjamin Franklin, for example, as a young entrepreneur created the Leather Apron Club, a group mentoring experience for a select group of Philadelphia tradesmen. Since the late 1990s, when group mentoring became a serious focus of…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to discuss the role of communities of practice in organizations and their most beneficial effects for both individual and collective development. Design/Methodology/Approach: Based on a literature review, from the first authoritative texts by Lave and Wenger until the most recent critiques, the paper has…

This pilot study examined student engagement with a web-based digital professional portfolio through the 3C process of collect-critique-curate. To overcome common problems associated with electronic portfolios, including cost; specificity; lifelong access; and ease of use, the study used "Weebly" as its portfolio platform. The creation…

There is recognition that involvement in service-learning can impact positively on the development of pre-service teachers professionally, culturally and academically (Billig & Freeman, 2010; Anderson, 1998). This article explores and describes the experiences of pre-service teachers in the School of Education at the University of Notre Dame…

This article explores the concepts of social and cultural capital as analytical tools for investigating the capacity of sport-based intervention programs to contribute to the personal, social and professional development of disadvantaged young people. It draws on survey data (n = 129) and qualitative interviews (n = 53) with participants of the…

Revisioning graduate professional-development programs is critical to enhancing graduate education. Both graduate students and employers have expressed a desire for an educational experience that better prepares students for their professional roles. This article describes the revisioning of a graduate professional-development program using a…

How managers develop following their individual assessment is explored, examining links between steps in the development process, and testing several hypotheses about the relationships between environmental characteristics and individual development. A framework proposed by L. W. Hellervik, J. F. Hazucha, and R. J. Schneider (1992) suggests that…

Recommendations are presented for women who are or hope to become the new professionals in college and university management. Professional and personal relationships, personal development, and management skills considered important for new leaders are discussed. (Author)

The components of professional development include staff development, peer interaction, benchmarking, and individual development. The New York State Association of School Business Officials has responded to demands for downsizing/increased productivity with professional development programs that mix both soft and hard skill development while…

Describes a 1994 survey about an introductory class in online communications at Wright State University. Discussion includes a profile of respondents, prior online experience, personal development, impact on personal and professional knowledge and skills, impact on communication, and barriers and limitations to the effective use of…