Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Communication Component

Assumptions

1.    Every institution of higher education will adopt a core curriculum. . .

2.    . . . a core curriculum should contain courses that establish multiple perspectives on the individual and the world in which he or she lives. . .

Definition

The objective of the study of a communication component of a core curriculum is to enable the student to communicate effectively in clear and correct prose in a style appropriate to the subject, occasion, and audience.           

Exemplary Educational Objectives

The way in which colleges and universities achieve these outcomes will thus vary in accordance with the particular circumstances of the institutions. The outcomes for student learning provide both guidelines for instruction and also a profile of the student. . . . The student will be able to:

1.    understand and demonstrate writing and speaking processes through invention, organization, drafting, revision, editing and presentation;

2.    understand the importance of specifying audience and purpose, and to select appropriate communication choices;

3.    understand and appropriately apply modes of expression, i.e. descriptive, expositive, narrative, scientific and self-expressive, in written, visual, and oral communication;

4.    participate effectively in groups with emphasis on listening, critical and reflective thinking, and responding;

5.    understand and apply basic principles of critical thinking, problem solving, and technical proficiency in the development of exposition and argument;

6.    develop the ability to research and write a documented paper and/or to give an oral presentation.

Texas State University-San Marcos Communication Component

Definitions

The Texas State communication component contains two perspectives within the component: a speaking and listening perspective, as well as a reading and writing perspective:

Speaking and Listening

The speaking and listening skills perspective develops students’ verbal/oral and nonverbal communication skills in three specific communication contexts: interpersonal communication; small group communication; and public speaking. Further, students are introduced to fundamental theories that explain human verbal/oral and nonverbal communication in its various forms or contexts. The over-arching objective of the perspective is to help students achieve competence in verbal/oral and nonverbal communication skills

Reading and Writing

The reading and writing perspective introduces students to the principles of expository writing – the kind of objective, audience-directed prose they will use in college and beyond to explain and defend their ideas. Although self-expressive and narrative writing are not, in themselves, the focus of the perspective, students gain experience in utilizing these modes as means of developing and supporting ideas. Since effective writing goes hand in hand with intelligent reading, the reading and writing perspective also develops students’ abilities to read, understand and analyze a variety of texts, including students’ own writing.

Reading and writing have long been considered a cornerstone experience of the undergraduate curriculum because of their decidedly practical value in the classroom and on the job. However, the first-year English sequence at Texas State also looks beyond the practice. It aims to discipline thought and expression, giving students the opportunity to study the art of written communication for its intrinsic worth. 

Defining Characteristics

The Speaking and Listening perspective develops competent communicators who:

- are aware of their own communicative verbal/oral and nonverbal behaviors while engaged in those behaviors and use the knowledge gained from that awareness to improve their communicative skills.

- understand fundamental theories that explain human communication and enhance communication effectiveness.

- appropriately adjust both the form and the content of verbal/oral and nonverbal messages to situation, audience and purpose; use appropriate verbal/oral and nonverbal symbols to express ideas and feelings.

- accurately listen to, interpret and evaluate the messages of others; listen critically in order to analyze and make accurate judgments about the messages they receive.

- recognize and appreciate diversity; respond and appropriately adapt to differences in messages from different cultures and genders to enhance understanding.

- value and seek constructive feedback to improve their communication skills; know that communication reticence can be overcome by working to improve their sense of self and developing skill in presenting messages to others.

- recognize and engage in ethical communication; recognize all participants in a communicative act make choices and must accept responsibility for those choices; and are willing to reflect on and address those choices and responsibilities.

The Reading and Writing perspective will:

- introduce students to the writing process so they understand the multi-stage, recursive nature of that process.

- equip students with skills and strategies applicable to each stage of the writing process.

- explore writing as both a communication tool and a learning process for understanding and responding to challenging texts and ideas and for exploring their own thoughts and experiences.

- challenge students to produce clear, correct, and coherent prose adapted to purpose, occasion and audience and to learn coherent prose adapted to purpose, occasion and audience.

- offer opportunities for writing; producing essays with related drafts and revisions.

- challenge students with a variety of thought-provoking expository and literary texts and offer strategies for reading and understanding those texts.

- provide a forum for discussing and analyzing assigned texts which serve as sources of ideas for essay topics and for rhetorical and stylistic analysis.

- equip students to integrate the work of others into their own writing including appropriate ways to cite and document that work.

Requirements

Reading and Writing

Speaking and Listening

Objectives

Speaking and Listening

- possess enhanced speaking and listening skills as demonstrated in interpersonal interactions, group discussions and public presentations.

- engage in productive, self-reflexive analysis of their own communicative behaviors.

- apply fundamental theories of human communication to real-life interpersonal, small group and public speaking situations.

- appropriately adapt both message form and message content to situations, audience and purpose including appropriately organizing messages, using appropriate language and effectively delivering oral messages.

- make reasoned, critical judgments of messages.

- seek and appropriately respond to constructive feedback to enhance communication skills and develop confidence.

- recognize and avoid unethical communicative behaviors.

Reading and Writing

- formulate a central idea (thesis).

- develop a thesis in an orderly way.

- form clear and effective sentences.

- adapt vocabulary to purpose and reader.

- apply the grammatical and mechanical conventions of written English.

- demonstrate the ability to read critically and to analyze various types of texts.

- draw on written sources to support ideas.

- use standard procedures of citation and documentation.

Assessment

In evaluating students’ success in meeting the objectives of the communication component, and in assessing the overall effectiveness of courses that satisfy the requirement of the component, faculty use some or all of the following measures:

- Objective quizzes and tests, including final exams, that determine whether students have achieved a mastery of course content through ability to comprehend, analyze, apply, synthesize and evaluate oral communication messages; including pre-tests and post-tests, which measure student knowledge of speech communication principles.

- Essay questions and exams that determine whether students have achieved a satisfactory grasp of content and achieved minimum competence in reading and analyzing literature.

- Papers, essays and other writing assignments that determine whether students have achieved minimum competence in reading and analyzing literature, and present a central idea that is adequately developed and competently organized.

- Written outlines of informative and persuasive oral presentations which document students’ skill in presenting ideas with appropriate support, organizing messages, informing listeners, and appropriately using evidence and reasoning to ethically persuade listeners.

- Participation in whole- class and small-group discussions to demonstrate student mastery of interpersonal and group communication principles and skills

            To help determine instructor, course and program effectiveness:

                        - Faculty surveys, including peer review of syllabi and tests.

                        - Mid-course student assessments.

                        - End-of-course student evaluation.