In the context of a large-scale randomized controlled trial, our team investigated "front line" teaching issues as schools implemented a fully digital, blended learning curriculum in mathematics. This paper focuses on observations of instruction within schools that were assigned to use the new digital resources. Compared to a…

This dissertation is a mixed-methods ethnographic study of students in the introductory class in the Engineering & Computer Science (ECS) department at University of California, Davis (UC Davis). I collected audio-recorded natural speech and questionnaire data from students attending this course during two academic quarters, Fall 2016 and…

Readers can explore 13 teaching innovations presented at the 2019 Association for Business Communication annual international conference in Detroit, Michigan. These assignments are designed to add fuel to oral and written persuasion, including the practical use of rhetorical tools. Ideas to advance learners' professional development are presented.…

During an eight month period in 2019 the researchers conducted case study classroom-based observations and pursued conversations with ten study abroad participants from four Fulbright-Hays study abroad programs (India, South Korea, Israel, SeneGambia). Observing, documenting and reflecting on the translation of global to local and local to global…

Using a low-inference observation instrument, we investigated the effect of an ongoing, intensive, and structured virtual professional development (VPD) based on the fidelity of implementation (FOI) across treatment and control conditions in a randomized controlled trial validation study implemented in 116-bilingual classrooms in seven Texas…

Learning with informational texts doesn't need to be restricted to the recall of information and facts; instead, challenging students to interpret and present their findings in the form of readers theatre performances requires the application of synthesis and analysis skills. This article frames informational texts and readers theatre as…

Engaging young students in an authentic writing process is an important part of their literacy development. Equally important is maintaining a developmentally appropriate classroom where young students explore, create, and play. In this article, the author shares her endeavors into implementing an illustration study during writer's workshop and…

One of the challenges for undergraduate students is to comprehend abstract and theoretical concepts in communication classes. Given today's college students' expectations for in-class interaction (Rocca, 2010), it is important that instructors integrate hands-on activities in their lesson plans while teaching theoretical concepts.…

In this article, we describe 10 separate classroom experiences where an appreciative inquiry (AI) exercise was used for course creation. Post-exercise surveys of students showed that the AI exercise was perceived to be a successful practice. Students indicated putting effort toward reaching their peak learning experience and were satisfied with…

Working effectively in groups is essential for college graduates (Hart Research Associates, 2013). University and college administrators have responded to this need by increasing the number of group communication courses by 25% (Bertelsen & Goodboy, 2009). However, it is the quality of course instruction that determines how well prepared…

For educators tasked with helping students become more skillful and successful communicators in increasingly diverse political and economic contexts, it is crucial to help students understand the ways that whiteness and white privilege influence interactions. However, because of its invisibility, whiteness proves difficult to talk about. This…

Aristotle's three proofs remain central to students' understanding of argumentation and persuasion. They are fundamental for those just beginning rhetorical study, as well as being of interest to experienced scholars. Investing time in learning the proofs supports students' future practice and study of rhetoric. Unfortunately, the…

The Widget design task is an in-class, experiential exercise that affords students the opportunity to develop interpersonal skills in group negotiation. Students engage in new product design in committees of two dyads where one dyad represents Consumer Research and the other represents Strategic Management. Task information creates different…

This paper focuses on the conceptual model of an academic course inspired by complexity theory. In the proposed conceptual model, the aim of teaching is to form a learning organization: a knowledge community with emergent properties that cannot be reduced to any linear combination of the properties of its parts. In this approach, the learning of…

Using transcripts of 6 classroom debates that took place in 4 urban schools, the present study takes a closer look at what middle school students do during classroom debates in the context of a social studies curriculum designed to support student argumentation in debate. Two coding schemes were used to analyze student comments in the transcripts:…