Communication Education in U.S. Community Colleges

Engleberg, Isa N.; Emanuel, Richard; Horn, Tasha Van; Bodary, David L.

doi:10.1080/03634520701858230

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 5 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…However, data from 290 two-year colleges nation-wide suggests a somewhat stronger role for communication courses in the general education curriculum [29]. The data indicate that 46% of the nation's two-year colleges require Public Speaking, 13% require Fundamentals of Oral Communication, 22% require both, and 19% require neither course in the general education curriculum.…”

Section: Oral Communication In the Generalmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Studies like the national [29] and regional [59] study of communication education in two-year colleges and the ongoing basic course survey [30] of two-year and four-year colleges are helpful resources in this effort.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Data from 290 two-year colleges across the United States [29] Friedland [47] claimed that many colleges are recognizing a need for oral communication across the curriculum. The rationale is that many small colleges do not have faculty in communication.…”

Section: Concern 2: Oral Communication Education Ismentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Critical Concerns for Oral Communication Education in Alabama and Beyond

Emanuel

2011

Education Research International

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

An examination of oral communication education in Alabama (USA) identified four critical concerns. (1) Today's college students are not getting adequate oral communication education. (2) Oral communication education is being relegated to a "module" in another discipline-specific course. (3) When an oral communication course is included in the general education curriculum, that course tends to be narrow rather than broad in scope. (4) An increasing number of college faculty who teach oral communication courses do not have a graduate degree in the discipline. These concerns may be indicative of similar issues affecting oral communication education throughout the United States and beyond. Solutions to each concern are offered, and suggestions are provided about how decision-making bodies like state departments of education, regional accrediting agencies, the National Communication Association, and the like can address these concerns. This paper first examines the essential role of oral communication before identifying four critical concerns and offering suggested solutions for oral communication education in Alabama. These concerns may be indicative of similar issues affecting oral communication regionally, nationally, and even internationally. If so, then the suggested solutions offered herein may provide direction. If not, then being proactive rather than reactive may prevent some or all of these concerns from becoming reality. The Essential Role of Communication"We listen to a book a day, speak a book a week, read the equivalent of a book a month, and write the equivalent of a book a year" [1, page 623]. A study of how college students spend their time communicating showed that nearly 72% of their day is spent listening and speaking, while reading and writing comprise less than 29% of their day [2]. Not only do people spend considerable time communicating, communication skills also are essential to personal, academic, and professional success. In a report on fastest growing careers, the U.S. Department of Labor [3] states that communication skills will be in demand across occupations well into the next century. Good communication skills fuel self-confidence and enable a person to exert more control over their life. Such a person knows how to effectively research, conceptualize, organize, and present ideas and arguments. This is critical to citizen participation which is the foundation of a democratic society. There is an ever-increasing body of evidence that echoes the importance of communication skills. Morreale et al. [4] collected and annotated nearly 100 articles, commentaries, and publications which call attention to the importance of the study of oral communication in contemporary society.Becker and Ekdom [5] list several studies which indicate that speaking skills are more important to job success than are specific technical skills. A survey of 500 alumni who earned their Ph.D. from Michigan State University between 1982 and 1993 found that conflict resolution, communication, and teamwork skills were rate...

show abstract

Section: Oral Communication In the Generalmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Critical Concerns for Oral Communication Education in Alabama and Beyond

Emanuel

2011

Education Research International

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Regarding the basic course in communication, there remains some debate as to what the basic course means or what best characterizes it; however, with its place in general education at many U.S. colleges and universities (Engleberg, Emanuel, Van Horn, & Bodary, 2008); Valenzano, 2013 as cited in Morreale, Myers, Backlund, & Simonds, 2015), a 2015 survey of the basic course showed that 60.8% of students at the two-and four-year institutions take a public speaking course, and 27% take a hybrid course consisting of public speaking, interpersonal skills, and small group communication (LeFebvre, 2017;Morreale et al, 2015).…”

Section: Within the Area Of Impromptu Speeches In The Basic Communicamentioning

confidence: 99%

An analysis of student persuasive impromptu speeches: A systemic functional linguistic approach

Lockwood

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…Engleberg, Emanuel, Van Horn and Bodary (2008) assessed in a wide range of general education courses (Dunbar, Brooks, & Kubicka-Miller, 2006).…”

Section: Oral Communicationmentioning

confidence: 99%

First Year Student Expectations: General Education Goals at a Multi-Campus Community College

Robinson¹

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In recent years, there has been a focus on the importance of general education in colleges and universities as a means of delivering a quality liberal education. Completion of a general education curriculum in the community college is required for successful completion in all associate degree programs. As more students are choosing community colleges to begin their studies, their general education experiences may affect their successful transfer to the baccalaureate, performance in the future workforce and participation as educated citizens. Unfortunately, students have described general education as "a barrier" to their major or courses to "get of the way." At the same time, research has also shown that students value college outcomes (connected to study in general education) as being important. However, most research has been inclusive of students only at baccalaureate colleges and universities. In this study, the College Student Expectations Questionnaire (CSXQ) was administered to first time students enrolled in Student Development courses at five campuses of a large suburban community college. Students expected the community college to moderately emphasize college activities that develop general education goals. They expected to participate often in college activities pertaining to Information Literacy, Communication, and Critical Thinking. They expected to occasionally participate in activities related to Cultural and Social Understanding, Quantitative Reasoning, and Scientific Reasoning. Significant differences in expected quality of effort were found based on College Opinion, Academic Major, Parents' Education, and Employment. FIRST YEAR STUDENT EXPECTATIONS iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to dedicate this dissertation to my parents, the late Shirley Martin, Sr. and the late Anna Saunders Martin. You always encouraged me to do my best, supported my interests, and gave me the confidence that I could succeed not only in education but in life. My daughter, Anna, has been my biggest cheerleader throughout this process. I look forward to spending more time with you now that my dissertation journey is ending! I would also sincerely like to thank and acknowledge my family and friends for their support. When I needed to travel to class or conduct my research, it was a great comfort to know that she was with family and close friends that cared about her and as well as my success as a doctoral student. I would particularly like to thank:

show abstract

Communication Education in U.S. Community Colleges

Cited by 11 publications

References 5 publications

Critical Concerns for Oral Communication Education in Alabama and Beyond

Critical Concerns for Oral Communication Education in Alabama and Beyond

An analysis of student persuasive impromptu speeches: A systemic functional linguistic approach

First Year Student Expectations: General Education Goals at a Multi-Campus Community College

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About