A core component of teaching media literacy involves students analyzing and reflecting on how they use media in their daily lives. In this hands-on activity, college students play social media privacy bingo. Each square represents a different type of private information that they might choose to share on social media. The instructor calls out…

Courses: Campaigns, Account Planning, Public Relations (PR), and any other strategic communication course where groups are assigned. Objectives: The purpose of this single-class escape-room activity is to increase students' ability to work in time-demanding group settings while utilizing unconventional methods to reinforce material covered in…

This design case chronicles a photography assignment starting with its origins in the master's level lab of a communications design program in Taiwan's National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, directed by Jalin Huang. We follow this assignment through its adaptation for a basic media development course taught by Professor Elizabeth…

Course: Interpersonal Communication. Objective: This semester-long approach utilizes weekly podcasts to engage students in narrative learning. Students evaluate podcast narratives and apply interpersonal communication concepts and theories through structured and unstructured learning activities.

Courses: Undergraduate courses in interpersonal communication, nonverbal communication, relational communication, computer-mediated communication (CMC), and intercultural communication, as well as basic communication courses. Objectives: The purpose of this activity is twofold: (1) to demonstrate how nonverbal communication shapes content and…

Course: Online or mediated communication courses. Objectives: The purpose of this activity is to provide students with a more engaging way of immersing themselves in the course material through an interactive "Easter egg" syllabus. An Easter egg is an "undocumented function hidden in software … [they are] secret 'goodies' … used in…

Courses: Strategic Campaigns, Advertising/Public Relations Campaigns. Objectives: The purpose of this semester-long project is student application of research-based strategic communication strategies and techniques used in executing a professional strategic communication campaign for a client.

A unique pedagogical challenge is presented in the form of a concentrated 400-level introductory public relations course that meets for a total of 15 lessons of 2.5 hours each. The instructor details the benefits of active learning in the classroom, as well as how the use of team projects helps bring real-world examples and hands-on experience of…

This paper outlines a team teaching partnership between a full time marketing faculty member and a full time professional in advertising. The purpose of the course design is to give students realistic feedback on assignments and projects so that they work for more than a grade and understand that once they are working in a full time career, a…

In light of considerable debate centering on the value of higher education and its effect on student preparation for the world of work, this article describes new methods employed in teaching an introductory professional course and the outcomes of its initial offerings. This case study supports research indicating that problem-based learning is an…

The purpose of this report is to describe a rationale and strategies for use of the Promising Syllabus (in Bain, 2004, What the best college teachers do). This syllabus reflects the learner-centered paradigm where students take charge of their own learning. The syllabus creates a series of promises between teacher and student, focusing on a…

We implemented two local area network (LAN) projects in our introductory data communications and networking course. The first project required students to develop a LAN from scratch for a small imaginary organization. The second project required student groups to analyze a LAN for a real world small organization. By allowing students to apply what…

In this paper we identify some of the issues and problems that we confronted while developing a new, one-semester, interdepartmental, multidisciplinary capstone design course. We implemented the following changes to the pre-existing capstone design course: (1) Utilized a website to enhance information transfer, (2) Modularized the course and…

Describes a computer communication course (and its associated laboratory) developed for electrical engineering students at the University of Florida. The course teaches seniors and graduate students the theoretical limits that affect the implementation of serial digital communications and surveys the interface standards, data link protocols, and…

Described is a sociology of communications and media course in which college students look at and analyze major media institutions in order to understand communications in society. The strategy of developing students' analytic, synthesis, and critical thinking skills is applicable to other programs and courses. (RM)