This paper discusses the development of a measure designed to assess student acquisition of communication competencies. It reports on a study assessing 180 students who took pre- and mid-program assessment tests, and the analysis of 33 questions taken from those tests. The specific components examined included critical thinking, interpersonal,…

Teachers who lead classroom discussions of gay and lesbian issues are forced to confront their deepest feelings about sexuality and prejudice, a confrontation that many find uncomfortable for a number of reasons. They not only face the possibility that the discussion will turn negative but they also fear they will lose control of the situation. A…

Instructional applications of Q methodology (a set of procedures that can be used in studying the subjective nature of things) provide a means for teaching communication skills, analyzing thinking patterns, making comparative analyses, and structuring intrapersonal processes. Taking the best from quantitative and qualitative research methods,…

Discusses state-mandated assessment at the university level, as experienced in one department of communication. Offers five recommendations to ensure integrity in a politically motivated process. (SR)

As part of a state-mandated assessment process, faculty and students need innovative approaches which can empower them to learn, grow, and change in the classroom. The University of Missouri-Kansas City Department of Communication Studies uses three types of student portfolios: (1) a university-wide portfolio of the student's work in all courses…

In outline agenda form, this guide addresses the issue of training and supervising graduate students teaching the basic undergraduate speech course in university speech departments. The sections are as follows: (1) Introduction of staff and participants; (2) Rationale for assuring quality and standardization in the basic course by systematically…

Describes the design and implementation of an assessment program for a college communication program that led to a new competency-based curriculum with expanded assessment procedures. (SR)

This paper provides an example procedure used to design and install a program of assessment to improve communication instruction through a competency-based core curriculum at a mid-sized, urban university. The paper models the various steps in the process, and includes specific tests, forms, memos, course description, sources, and procedures which…

By the mid-1970s, several pieces of federal legislation were passed requiring that handicapped or exceptional children be educated "in the least restrictive environment." The resulting "mainstreaming" of special children in regular classrooms has caused certain expectancies and special inclusion needs. To find out more about…

This paper describes a detailed design for installing a program of assessment for a program of communication studies at a midwestern university. The paper outlines the specific goal-setting procedures as well as the collaborative efforts by faculty and students in providing diverse pre-program, mid-program, post-program, and cognitive learning…

This paper offers a brief description of a course on intrapersonal communication with a home page approach using the World Wide Web. The paper notes that students use the home page for completing assignments, readings, posting responses, self-evaluation testing, research, and displaying some of their papers for the course. The paper contains…

A study examined how W. Stephenson's Q-methodology can be used as an instructional technique in teaching speech communication. The method was applied to an undergraduate communication theory class of 14 students who constructed, completed, and analyzed their own 59-item Q-sort about principles of communication theory. The process, which identified…