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from Inquiry, Volume 4, Number 1, Spring 1999, 40-44
© Copyright 1999 Virginia Community College System
Abstract
In English 137/138, Communication Processes, Mayes’ students complete research, reading and listening activities, interviewing skills and resume writing, business writing, collaborative group work, informative and persuasive speaking, and computer-assisted projects.
Tell me and I’ll forget;
Show me and I may remember
Involve me and I will understand. (Author unknown)
The challenge we face as educators is how to prepare our students for the fast-paced, ever-changing expectations and environment of the workplace. With the information explosion, the rise of an international workforce, and the widespread innovation in technologies, our students face demands never before anticipated. At the same time, the employment community expects that our graduates will possess the skills and abilities to adapt and manage such amazing and complex changes. "The Wall Street Journal reported last year that Ford is now hiring more college- educated people to work on its assembly lines because they found these workers are better able to adapt to changing technology" (Olesen, 1995).
In teaching Communication Processes I/II, English 137/138, I became aware that effectively preparing students for these challenges required incorporating the use of technology and the principles of business management (i.e. quality control and team work) into the classroom environment. Such approaches need to move beyond the realm of simple word processing applications. With the networked environment at BRCC, students should be encouraged, if not required, to make use of the library on-line search sites, Internet and World Wide Web connections, e-mail, and presentation software. The Communication Processes classes seemed a good avenue for accomplishing this exposure within the framework of the course content.
Because English 137/138 is an English requirement for students enrolled in occupational/technical programs, the course goals focus on students taking advantage of the integration of the processes of English and speech. The courses center on personal, interpersonal, and small group communication. Students participate in varied, integrated writings, speaking, reading and listening experiences, including argumentative/persuasion speeches, informative speeches, small group problem solving, interviewing skills and resume writing, research methods, business writing forms, and collaborative group work.
To achieve the objectives and results that I want from the students, I have developed a formal team research project for English 138. Some of the skills the project incorporates include planning and organization, research and investigation, problem solving, collaboration and team work, oral and written communication, use of formal business writing format, use of technology, following directions, use of evaluation processes, and creativity.
Format
At the beginning of the semester, I divide the class into teams of three. One class period per week, the teams work on the development of the research project. Any additional time needed by team members is arranged outside of class time. The project extends the length of one semester. With direction and guidance from me, the teams select a topic for research and development. These examples of past topics demonstrate the variety possible: "New Pollution Laws and Their Effects on the Automotive Industry and the Consumer," "What Is Technology Doing to the Accounting Field? " Is There a Job for Us when We Graduate?" " BRCC Needs More Parking Facilities with Better Lighting."
One class period a week, the teams meet in a networked computer lab with each team occupying three computer workstations: a Library/Internet Search Station, a Microsoft Word/ Recorder Station, and a Power Point/E-mail Station.
I distribute assignments for the workstations, and the individual team member proceeds to do his/her assignment in a collaborative fashion. The student at the Library/Internet Station has the responsibility of searching for information on the topic the team has selected for the project. While at this station, the student must report to the Recorder information found on the topic and its location. The Recorder’s responsibility includes filing and recording all incoming information on the topic, sorting information and organizing log sheets of weekly work activity, and recording minutes from meetings the group holds outside of class time. The student at the Power Point/E-mail Station must e-mail me weekly on the progress of the team, preview and begin selecting a format from Power Point for the group oral presentation, and make visits to outside sources for additional information needed to complete the project.
Each week team members rotate to a different station, and in so doing, change job responsibilities so that equal distribution of all activities will occur throughout the semester. Then, once sufficient information has been gathered, each team begins the process of drafting the formal report.
Evaluation Process
The team project is worth 60 percent of a student’s semester grade and is divided into four equal parts: the team process (15%), the research process (15%), the written report (15%), and the oral reports (15%). The students play a major role in this evaluation process. For the team process, I have created a plotting grid that the students fill out on each other (Appendix A). The grid evaluates the attendance, contributions, and productivity of the individual team players. For instance, as I fill out the grid weekly, I may see a team member is absent on the computer day; therefore, I would give that individual no points for attendance and contribution to the project. However, fellow team members may turn in two points for that student because although the student stayed home with a sick child, he/she worked on the project and gave the team the work at the next meeting. Another example would be a student who is present and appears to be working on the project. I would award that student two points on the grid. However, team members may award no points because no contributions were actually made by that student for that particular meeting. Students have indicated that the evaluation grid is equitable and manageable for the team process evaluation.
The research evaluation is based on how well the team has documented the research with records and collected source material and how effectively they have kept computer disc notes and information from the group. I award the points for this process, and all members receive the same number of points.
The third part of the evaluation is the formal report. I am also responsible for giving the final grade on the report. However, I have one other team read the report and make comments on its content, written format, and overall effectiveness. All team members also get the same grade for the written portion of this project.
Finally, all members of the class evaluate the Power Point presentations. The students save the presentation and notes on a disc and turn these in to me. I provide students with a form for evaluating and rating the speeches and then take the average of all the students’ and my ratings for the final grade. Students take the evaluation process more seriously when they are preparing the work for peers and not just for me. I believe the methods I use to involve the students in this are also important skills to be learned.
Final Outcomes
The final products of the team work allow me to evaluate a wide spectrum of skills: the files of printed and summarized data collected by the team, the computer files on the weekly interpersonal relationships, observations and activities by the team, an evaluation grid that reflects each team member’s view of contributions made by individuals, a formal research report that reflects the experiences and knowledge each participant gained by using these methods of investigation, the effectiveness of the team approach and methods used to maintain quality control on their time and of the product, and a formal oral presentation using Power Point software.
All of the objectives and writing assignments that are typical for Communication Processes classes can be accomplished within this project by assignments such as complaint letters, letters of inquiry, procedural reports, and progress reports. Students may write complaints about how a particular activity in the project is going. They can write progress reports on their research. They can send inquiry letters to businesses or industries asking for some pertinent information needed for their reports. Within this context, the students perceive a real audience for their writing.
Observations
Students have initially expressed many differing feelings about this process, from initial reluctance at being made to join a team and become personally dependent on and somewhat socially involved with others, to enthusiasm and lively interchange about an innovative approach to mastering our course objectives. However, throughout the semester, the students find they can use Communication Processes’ research methods and presentation skills for projects in other academic classes. For example, automotive students have taken the opportunity from English class to research, report, and give oral presentations required in their automotive classes. Other students who already work have used the opportunity to prepare reports and oral presentations for their job requirements. Also, many students take this opportunity to explore their chosen career paths and to make formal reports on the outlook of the job market. By the end of the semester, the students have come away from the activity with a much better understanding of what real-work experiences demand of them, practical approaches for the use of technology in their lives, improved understanding of the intercommunication process and its effects on us all, and a feeling of community in the classroom while mastering the course objectives. As for me, I have developed a renewed sense of enthusiasm for teaching the class.
References
Olesen, Douglas E. (1995). "Technology Strategies for 2005." Vital Speeches of the Day: LXI (17), 534-537.
Appendix A
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Donna P. Mayes is Assistant Professor of English/Reading at BRCC. She has given presentations at New Horizon Conferences on the English 137/138 projects.