Because of the vast nature of the work of Ernest Boyer and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, it is appropriate to highlight specific ideas related to the basic course in communication and offer a response. First, further research must be done to determine the extent to which the basic communications course enhances student…

Accrediting agencies for colleges and universities across the United States emphasize training in oral communication skills as central to an undergraduate education. The problem or challenge is for communication faculty to develop programs in oral communication skills where students learn necessary skills and receive helpful assessment of these…

Noting the centrality of the competence construct in current pedagogical practices and basic communication course design, this paper questions assumptions about how communication is taught and assessed in the classroom. The paper begins by addressing disagreements on communication competence, focusing on normative measures of communication…

Artificial criteria included in speech evaluation forms in the basic communication classroom to assess students' communication competencies fail to reflect what is known about communication as a transaction and about communication competence. Communication competence is most commonly defined from the action perspective which focuses on the…

Suggesting that critical thinking activities are the crux of many of the goals and objectives of communication education, this paper summarizes a sample of the literature on critical thinking. Based on the review, the paper notes that: (1) a consensus exists regarding what critical thinking is and what specific skills are acquired through varied…

The hybrid basic communication course is a popular alternative to a straight public speaking course. The strengths of the hybrid communication course are in the breadth of coverage of communication skills in the course, its comprehensive orientation to teaching multiple communication skills, and its potential to provide students with opportunities…

Discussions about the basic communication course abound at the National Communication Association Convention and at other meetings, in the "Basic Communication Course Annual," and in the journal "Communication Education." Little progress has been made, however, on seven issues of central importance to the basic course in higher…

It could be argued that the basic communication course is the center of the speech communication discipline. And yet there is little consensus as to the approach to teaching speech skills, what skills to teach, or whether the teaching of skills is even effective. Four areas for discussion must be considered if communication scholars are to…

Communication competence is too complex to assess as the result of one course in communication. If scholars in the field of communication tell accrediting agencies, administrators in higher education, state legislators, and/or the general public that students are competent communicators when they "pass" one communication course, they are…

Study of communication departments was conducted to determine the in-service training and teacher assignments of graduate teaching assistants. (PD)

Although not intended as a step-by-step guide for developing a communication assessment program, this paper shows how one department, the Department of Communication and Theater at Youngstown State University, began the process of assessing its program. The paper points out that the difficulty in assessment is that each program is different and…

Beginning communication course textbooks typically discuss language theory and skills--the authors' attempts to help students learn and use language appropriate to the occasion and the audience. These discussions are usually included in public speaking and hybrid textbooks for the basic course. There is a movement in general education requirements…

Because many college communication departments employ graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) to provide instruction in undergraduate courses, a study was conducted to determine how much inservice training departments provide their GTAs to prepare them for effective teaching. A questionnaire was completed by 136 speech communication departments across…

This paper summarizes the research being completed in communication and business regarding the communication skills identified as important for college graduates beginning their careers. Perhaps even more important than research on instructional strategies and student learning styles, this research points the direction for needed instruction in…

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…