Provost's Office
Admin South 311 UALR
2801 S. University Ave.
Little Rock, AR 72204
(501) 569-3204
The assessment of Speech Communication 1300 centers on three basic objectives. The first is the assessment of deep learning in the course. Our objective is to help our students “dig postholes” regarding critical information, rather than having them “cut a path a mile wide and an inch deep.” We have identified ten fundamental communication concepts that our students must understand by the end of the course. We conduct a pre and post course assessment of the students’ understanding of these concepts.
We also assess the closing of the instructional loop. Our objective is to use assessment data to feedback and influence specific teaching techniques. During the past year we focused on the teaching relational dialectics, with particular attention to the application paper students write during that section of the course. We identified two learning outcomes associated with their paper, conducted a preliminary assessment during the Fall 2004 semester, modified our teaching techniques in hopes of improving students performance, and then reassessed during the Spring 2005 semester.
Finally, we assess the mystery of education. Our objective is to account for the unaccountable. We believe intelligence is the recombining of existing information in new and unexpected ways. At the end of the Spring 2005 semester we asked students to identify at least one way they had used, outside of class, what they had learned during the semester.
Deep Learning
The results of our Critical Communication Concepts assessment follow:
| Critical Communication Concept | Spring 2005 Pre Test | Spring 2005 Post Test |
| Complexity | 1.64 | 2.47 |
| Inevitability | 3.62 | 2.94 |
| Irreversibility | 2.73 | 4.35 |
| Content/Relationship Messsages | 3.40 | 3.57 |
| Adaptability | 3.17 | 3.36 |
| Transactivity | 4.40 | 2.64 |
| Uniqueness | 3.77 | 2.72 |
| Context | 3.78 | 4.18 |
| Learnable | 3.46 | 2.80 |
| Verbal/Nonverbal | 3.89 | 3.81 |
Results indicate that students enter the course with some clear conceptions about communication. More importantly, their presence in the course changes those conceptions for better and worse. We need more of the former and less of the latter.
Closing the Loop
During Fall 2004 and Spring 2005 we focused on two aspects of the students’ relational dialectics application papers—the use of preview statements and the students’ description of an alternate method of managing the dialectic. As a direct response to the Spring 2004 assessment, 1300 instructors modified their lectures and PowerPoint slides to reinforce the importance of a preview statement in the paper. In addition, instructors included alternate management methods in their in-class dialectic analysis. Results of our efforts follow. Spring 2005 data reflects student performance after changes in teaching styles were made.
Results suggest that we were successful in decreasing the percentage of low evaluations on each of these criteria. However, the absence of higher evaluations on the alternate methods criteria indicate that additional work in this area is needed.
Mystery
Over 200 responses were collected from students across 8 sections at the end of the Spring 2005 semester. A sampling of the comments includes:
Communicting with my children when they do good or bad; and also communicating with my boyfriend about problems or any situation that may occcur in the relationship
I give presentation to groups all the time for work and the information has helped me. As well, I communicate with others all the time and it has helped me understand differences in communication styles and the reasons why.
how to break up with a "clingy" girlfriend
I learned a lot about communication in my relationship. My boyfriend is an ambush listener extraordinaire. I made him read my book and he realized he did it and tries not to anymore.
I used I and you language with my boyfriend. It worked because he didn't seem to get so defensive about the issue!
this class has helped my mariage. My husband and I have been communicationg much better since I have taken this course. I have really enjoyed this class.
relational dialectics have definitely been used in my relationship with my boyfriend (who is also in this class) we have dealt with and overcome novelty / predictability and became stronger by doing so. Also, we learned, in this class, how to listen effectively - it has helped us to not be so defensive and to understand each other a little better.
I have learned the benefits of positive self-talk from this course. Wheras I would telly myself " I can't do this or that", now I tell myself "you can do this and do well". This class has helped me raise my self-esteem exponentially.
relational dialectics, "I" "you" talk is mor effective to use in relationships ("I" talk) communication with my four year old seems a little easier
I used the speech format to write a presentation for another class
I've used novelty/ predictabilty in my relationship with my fiance. After learning about this I discovered how true it was with our relationship
at work when I am asked to do something… its obvious that I'm busy, instead of becoming andgry I have learned how to better deal with the situation through communication. I understand the communcication breakdown of assuming that it is obvious that I am busy
positive visualization - also learned how to tell when it is ok to get mad and when to just back away
I told my wife she was monoplizing in our communication
when talking with my husband I now use paraphrasing a lot. Also I let him read the section on acknowledement. Now we talk about recognizing and allowing each others feelings
I like the idea of communicating as a ping pong game - I try that a lot now
Our results indicate our students are using the information they’ve been exposed in class in their personal lives outside of class. In many instances, students refer to specific concepts, using appropriate terminology. In a few instances, students seem to be misapplying concepts.
In response to this data we will:
Deep Learning
a. continue to refine the assessment instrument to remain confident that we are accurately capturing the students’ conceptions about communication.
b. begin a faculty discussion of the teaching techniques we use to address these misconceptions.
c. target specific misconceptions to address and hopefully improve through changes in specific teaching practices.
Closing the Loop
a. continue to monitor performance on the interpersonal relationship exercise.
b. begin an examination of our public speaking evaluation form as the next learning outcome issue.
c. encourage the department chair to include on the annual professional growth contract of each faculty member teaching SPCH1300 the assessment of at least one teaching outcome (as selected by that faculty member). This will help us effectively integrate assessment into the evaluation of our day-to-day teaching in the department.
Mystery
a. continue to collect these responses from our students in an effort to build a library of applications.
b. distribute all of the student responses to the core course faculty to help them adapt their approach, in part, to the applications students seem to be making with the information.
c. develop a method of content analyzing the responses to harvest more beneficial information.