COMS 3358 Communication for the Business & Professional
Closing the loop:
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SpeechStudio, an online program that allows for video uploads, was adopted so that students'
could watch and evaluate their own presentations.
A beta test of an online study program published by the textbook's creators was conducted in
over half of the sections of COMS 3358 (Fall 2012). Results found that grades did not improve
due to the online study component so we decided not to adopt it.
Graduate Teaching Instructors/Assistants were given additional training in ways to teach the
course.
Course assignments were re-written to place an emphasis on the business component of the
course.
Additional questions:
1. Have changes been made in the way instructors (faculty or graduate students) teaching your
core courses in oral communication are trained, oriented, or supervised? Graduate teaching
instructors were taught how to look for plagiarized speeches and new graduate teaching
assistants were given an additional week of training before they were allowed in the
classroom.
2. Have changes been made in the base syllabus for your core courses in response to assessment
results? Presentation assignments were re-written to have more of a business focus (and to
help identify the course as different from the department's COMS 2300 Public Speaking
Course). An additional presentation was added to the course to emphasize interviewing skills.
3. Have you adjusted the way the courses are assessed, the examinations, or the base content in
the areas listed above in response to assessment results? An additional presentation was
added to the course (with an emphasis on interviewing).
4. Have you made any changes in the way content is delivered such as adding on-line modules,
improving classroom technology, using on-line quizzes or exams, making lectures available to
students on-line, or flipping the classroom? SpeechStudio (an online program that allows
videos to be uploaded) was adopted so that students could view their own presentations and
complete a self evaluation of their own presentational skills.
5. Have you made any changes in how students are provided with help to improve their
comprehension of the material such as on-line tutoring, face-to-face or group help sessions, etc.
A beta test of the textbook's online study program was incorporated in over half of the
sections of COMS 3358 during Fall 2012. The end result showed that grades on exams did not
improve in the sections that tested the program, so we elected not to adopt it.