Luke LeFebvre

“The eye in the sky doesn’t lie”: Video replay and self-evaluations as part of the basic communication course

ABSTRACT This study explores extent and frequency of conventional practices in the basic communication course: speeches, video replay, and self-evaluations from 45 basic course directors and instructors. Results indicated three to four speeches per curriculum, with two prominent speech types: informative (97.8%) and persuasive (91.1%). Approximately 76% of curriculums used video replay. Self-evaluation questions (N = 254) used 52.8% open, 40.6% closed, 21.9% circular, and 21.9% strategic questions. Most frequently used questions focused on: delivery (12.1%), content (10.6%), or delivery and content (11.1%). Findings suggest pedagogical practices vary across the discipline, and the discussion offers practical applications for improving practices.

Training the butterflies to fly in formation: cataloguing student fears about public speaking*

ABSTRACT This study catalogues student (N = 828) self-described fears related to public speaking. Specifically, this investigation adds to the knowledge of public speaking anxiety through an initial inductive analysis of students’ fears about public speaking and a second analysis (of different data) to authenticate emergent categories. Resulting categories included both internal and external fears about public speaking, providing meaningful implications for teaching and learning within the introductory communication course.

The communication center at U.S. colleges and universities: a descriptive overview II

ABSTRACT This study gathered data about communication centers and built on past investigations of how centers function across the United States. Communication center directors or individuals who oversee centers at two- and four-year institutions of higher education (N = 47) were surveyed. Participants responded to questions about center structure and configuration, logistics and operation, directorship, staff and training, and services. The findings highlight current and changing trends of centers. Overall, this study offers a summative discussion of how centers should be re-envisioned to provide broader impacts for institutions of higher education.

Team-based learning for the basic communication course: a transformative pedagogical approach

ABSTRACT Team-based learning (TBL) is an instructional method that provides a specific sequence of individual and group work followed by immediate feedback. Scaffolding the basic course based on TBL principles allows for a democratic focus of the general-education requirement and development of communication skills at multiple levels simultaneously (interpersonal, group, and public).