Describes an action research project studying a process to improve communication about managerial performance in a (Scottish) college of further education. The project comprised training, implementation, and evaluation phases. Responses during evaluation and training phases suggest that the most appropriate role for the observer-appraiser is…

Impediments to implementing quality assurance programs include the condition of clinic records and individual charts, lack of established criteria for care, communication problems during evaluations, manpower availability, choice of evaluation methods, and methods of implementing corrective action. (Editor/PG)

The purpose of this study was to determine whether interrelationships exist among the assignments an instructor plans to give (topic, format, and mode), the intended use of instructional time, and rank order of typical comments used in annotating student papers. The study involved the use of a short questionnaire which contained three parts: (1)…

Guidelines are offered to a college or university for conducting a communication audit. These include steps in planning the audit, use of the variety of tools available for administering the audit, the development and feedback to the institution, and development of recommendations to improve institutional communication. (JMF)

Kenneth Burke's 20 ratios permit the rhetorical critic to make very specific statements about the discourse under analysis and open the way for analytic speculation. The ratio method permits the critic to describe and understand the specific qualities of practical ethical dispute. Burkian ratios were employed to analyze the justificatory rhetoric…

Discusses the use of role-play for the development of interpersonal skills and evaluates a computer-based learning environment for initial training in dealing with social-communicative problems. Discusses high cognitive load, explains the use of a conversational model, describes the results of two experiments with university students, and suggests…

The ICA Communication Audit is described in detail as an effective measurement procedure that can help an academic institution to evaluate its internal communication system. Tools, computer programs, analysis, and feedback procedures are described and illustrated. (JMF)

Noting that employers in the New York City area have complained about the lack of communication skills of City University of New York (CUNY) graduates, this paper discusses a new program of communication-intensive courses at Baruch College (a CUNY college with a specialization in business) to address the problem. The paper highlights standards and…

The conundrums discussed are: (1) Can media be used for instruction when people feel that its purpose is purely entertainment? (2) How much credibility can there be in messages originating from mistrusted sources? and (3) Is comprehension related to the sophistication of technology used in instructional presentations? Also in this issue: Brajesh…

Over 100 academic administrators, professionals in English, and writers responded to a request to annotate a sample paragraph written by a college student at a minimum skill level. Responses varied to extreme degrees in several areas, with letter grades ranging from B to F and annotations ranging from declaring the student's situation hopeless to…

Each of the three sections of this book highlights a basic concept in communication research that needs more attention, and includes individual articles that review or apply new methods for the study of social communication. The first part deals with organizational analysis and field studies, and reminds its readers that mass communication is not…

An 11-step process may be used by freshman composition students to help them write effective prose in a series of clear steps. The steps are: (1) select a topic (for the first assignment, usually a place about which students have strong feelings and vivid remembrances), (2) individually brainstorm the topic, (3) categorize the details that have…

Despite complaints from undergraduate students concerning language and pedagogical skills of international teaching assistants (ITAs), institutions of higher education continue to appoint ITAs to teach. Legislative mandates have appeared to assess and improve language and pedagogical skills of ITAs, and the academies have likewise responded with…

This digest summarizes a longer document with the same title that discusses the problem of using, training, and assessing international teaching assistants (ITAs) in undergraduate education. Legislative mandates have appeared to assess and improve language and pedagogical skills of ITAs, and academies have likewise responded with workshops and…

Proceedings of a 1980 workshop in Queensland, Australia, on evaluation in distance teaching are presented. Two focal areas were the assessment of students and evaluation of programs and courses. In addition to keynote and workshop papers, a variety of evaluation forms are presented. Among the papers and authors are: "The Setting of Tertiary…