Strengthening the Introductory Communication Course: An Opportunity through Better Alignment with Today’s Needs

Basic Communication Course Annual Volume 28 Article 7 2016 Strengthening the Introductory Communication Course: An Opportunity through Better Alignment with Today’s Needs Jon A. Hess University of Dayton, Follow this and additional works at: http://ecommons.udayton.edu/bcca Part of the Higher Education Commons, Interpersonal and Small Group Communication Commons, Mass Communication Commons, Other Communication Commons, and the Speech and Rhetorical Studies Commons Recommended Citation Hess, Jon A. (2016) "Strengthening the Introductory Communication Course: An Opportunity through Better Alignment with Today’s Needs," Basic Communication Course Annual: Vol. 28 , Article 7. Available at: http://ecommons.udayton.edu/bcca/vol28/iss1/7 This Essay is brought to you for free and open access by the Department of Communication at eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Basic Communication Course Annual by an authorized editor of eCommons. For more information, please contact , . Hess: Strengthening the Introductory Communication Course: An Opportuni 11 Strengthening the Introductory Communication Course: An Opportunity through Better Alignment with Today’s Needs Jon A. Hess University of Dayton More than a century after its inception in contemporary form, the discipline of Communication has encountered a tremendous opportunity—the chance to become an “essential discipline” in the academy, one like Math or English, which universities consider indispensable to the work they do. And yet, as a discipline, we have not sufficiently moved toward taking advantage of that opportunity. While such a move will require action in curriculum, scholarship, and service, one of the highest-impact areas in establishing the necessity of Communication is the introductory course. In order to understand the opportunity that lies before us, we have to understand how higher education in the United States has evolved and how recent changes have created this opening. In this essay, I offer brief historical context to explain the relevant changes, then offer a path forward for the discipline respond productively. CONTEXT OF HIGHER EDUCATION IN AMERICA Nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The 1800s were a period of significant growth for higher education in the United States, with the bulk of colleges and universities tracing their roots to that century. It is not Volume 28, 2016 Published by eCommons, 2016 1 Basic Communication Course Annual, Vol. 28 [2016], Art. 7 12 Strengthening the Introductory Course surprising, then, that in the late 1800s American higher education saw considerable development. During a 20 year span from the early 1870s through the mid-1890s, higher education took on the form we know today (Damrosch, 1995; Valenzano, Wallace, & Morreale, 2014). Since 1900, higher education has only seen comparatively small evolutionary change (Damrosch, 1995). But a combination of factors set up the perfect storm for another period of revolutionary change, and the recession of 2008 was the catalyst that triggered what Bok (2013) contends will be another reshaping of higher education in America. These changes should be widespread, with the curriculum seeing some of the biggest impact. The nature of course delivery, financial models, relationship of higher education with government and industry, assessment, use of technology, administrative structure, nature of faculty work, and more are subject to change. As is always the case in times of change, there will be winners and losers. Some disciplines will gain enrollment and credibility as others struggle to remain viable. Many liberal arts disciplines are currently on a downswing. But, external forces impacting higher education set up favorably for Communication—not so much for what it is now, but for what it realistically could be. To take advantage of this situation, the discipline needs to deliver what is needed, both in knowledge produced (research) and knowledge delivered (teaching)—and nowhere are the curricular contributions more important than the introductory course. Higher education today. A large set of factors are forcing change in higher education. Many trace their roots to economic conditions, as less favorable financial times have forced administrators to consider all options BASIC COMMUNICATION COURSE ANNUAL http://ecommons.udayton.edu/bcca/vol28/iss1/7 2 Hess: Strengthening the Introductory Communication Course: An Opportuni Strengthening the Introductory Course 13 to keep their institutions solvent. Increases in tuition that have outstripped inflation for decades risk pricing higher education out of the market for all but the wealthiest Americans. Decreased government funding for higher education, and significant increases in costs of health care and compliance have compounded this problem. Another major factor is new technology. Demand for online classes has sharply increased as a means of reducing costs and making an education available to new populations who could not easily attend college due to circumstances (e.g., single working parents) or geography (e.g., areas with low population density). Today’s “millennial” students have a different relationship with technology than students of the past, and may be better served with some changes in instructional practices. Additionally, numerous collateral forces are impacting higher education. These include an increase in students with enough pre-college credit (AP, dual enrollment, etc.) that they begin school partly or largely done with their first-year classes, significant increases in demand for assessment to demonstrate value to external stakeholders, a growing expectation that colleges will provide some vocational preparation that was previously provided by employers (Fischer, 2013), and an increase in university presidents who were never faculty (coming from government, corporate leadership, or advancement; Carmichael, 2012). OPPORTUNITIES WITH BOUNDARIES Among the most prominent responses are revisions to academic programs, as schools strive to meet changVolume 28, 2016 Published by eCommons, 2016 3 Basic Communication Course Annual, Vol. 28 [2016], Art. 7 14 Strengthening the Introductory Course ing demands, help justify the high price of attendance, and integrate newer thinking about education. Academic leaders are seeking ways to make their school’s education distinctive and demonstrate value to students and other stakeholders. This situation is fortuitous for Communication for many reasons. Strong and widespread support has emerged with a push from external stakeholders who see effective communication as an essential area of knowledge and skill for every college graduate. Annual surveys by the National Association of College and Employers regularly place effective oral communication— stated explicitly, and also manifested as activities that are communication-intensive, such as working in a team structure—as top qualities employers seek (NA (...truncated)