ECA Convention Short Courses
Below is a directory of the short course we will be offering at this years ECA Convention. Fees for Short Courses are $15 each and can be registered for during the registration process. If you are already registered for the convention, but are interested in adding a short course, please contact Kathie Cesa, eca@kocmemberservices.com.
Thursday, April 24 9:30-10:45 Providence II
Pedagogy - How do we Teach it? Designing a Communication Pedagogy Practicum for Graduate Teaching Assistants
Presenter: Rachel L. DiCioccio, The University of Rhode Island
Help participants think about how to design and implement a graduate communication pedagogy practicum. Graduate teaching assistants are integral to the delivery of most M.A. and Ph.D. programs. Providing pedagogical training to equip new teachers with the necessary tools to develop effective instruction not only benefits the student, it enhances the strength and validity of a program. Session will discuss the rationale for developing a pedagogy practicum and examine the different aspects of design and delivery. Participants will receive sample materials including a syllabus, assignments, and a list of recommended texts
Thursday, April 24 9:30-10:45 Narragansett A
Teaching Persuasion: A Revolt
Presenter: Richard E. Vatz, Towson University
D. L. Stephenson, Western Connecticut State University
Presents a new paradigm for Persuasion and Rhetoric. Attendees will be able to explain how persuasion is effected – why some persuasion succeeds and some fails; why some is sustainable and some is not; and what persuasive goals are possible and what persuasive goals are impossible. The course will explicate the Persuasion and Rhetoric Salience- Agenda/Meaning-Spin theory and a new Persuasion course’s “Article Rewrite Assignment.” This new approach has implications that with some elaboration, according to University of Pittsburgh Emeritus Professor of Rhetoric Trevor Melia, “could well replace much that passes for rhetorical theory today.”
Friday, April 25 8:00-9:15 Narragansett B
Sport Communication: A Shift Back to Theory
Presenters: Dariela Rodriguez, Ashland University
Gwen Nisbett, University of North Texas
Jennifer Hartsfield, Bridgewater State University
Stephanie Schartel Dunn, University of Oklahoma
Participants will be exposed to the creation of courses combining sport studies, communication theory, and communication research used to help predict and explain a variety of sport related phenomena. A growing number of communication studies departments are including sport communication courses as part of the curriculum, either via course offerings or fully developed programs. The growth of sport communication as a discipline has included a shift away from media and rhetoric as a sole basis for investigation and back to a social science analysis of sport from a theoretical and practical perspective.
Friday, April 25 9:30-10:45 Narragansett A
Course Redesign for Online: Interaction isn’t Optional
Sponsor: Short Course
Presenter: Robyn E. Parker, Plymouth State University
Looking to bring a course online? Online, but not satisfied with learner engagement? Looking to really know your online students? This session will help you rethink courses to maximize the advantages of online environments. Too often we simply digitize the content and processes we use in our face-to-face courses—or abandon those processes we believe don’t translate well. Using metaphor, we tap into inherent views about content and the nature of the instructor/student relationship. We use the results to explore online course design and effective utilization of online technologies. Come with a course in mind; this is a hands-on session.
Friday, April 25 2:00-3:15 Providence IV
Conflict Between Persons: The Origin of Leadership
Sponsor: Short Course
Presenter: Dr. Ronald C. Arnett, Duquesne University
Leeanne M. Bell McManus, Stevenson University
Amanda G. McKendree, University of Notre Dame
Susan Carr, Duquesne University
This short course will identify different frameworks for teaching conflict communication and reflect on a new approach grounded in the connection between communication, conflict, ethics, and leadership. The facilitators view communication and conflict as a form of existential schooling for leadership that requires an ironic sense of moral height—a willingness to enter the fray of everyday disagreement, not in hopes of winning conflicts, but from the importance of what we can and should learn from one another. Participants will navigate the various questions that emerge when teaching conflict communication, connecting the stability of traditional perspectives with an alternative engagement grounded in leadership.
Saturday, April 26 8:00-9:15 Narragansett A
A Lively Experiment in the Communication Classroom: Discovering the ‘Flipped Classroom’ and Blending Learning Environments
Presenter: Nicole Blau, Ohio University-Lancaster
Candice Thomas-Maddox, Ohio University-Lancaster
Jason S. Wrench, SUNY New Paltz
Melissa Broeckelman-Post, George Mason University
Designed for instructors who are interested in learning about new pedagogy and instructional tools. The “flipped classroom” model is traditionally structured as a blended learning environment in which instructors can engage students using low-‐cost technologies. Specifically, this short course will address the following: strategies to “flip” the traditional communication classroom, evaluation of student work, and strategies/technology available to deliver course content. Short course participants will receive sample syllabi for various communication courses that have been flipped; as well as assignments, activities, and teaching ideas for delivering course content in a blended format.