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News Blotter |
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People change, especially during college; but social media now easily allow us to look back at the 'old you' and how you've grown and changed over the years. New work by Alina Niftulaeva, Omolola Lasisi, Millicent Elewosi, Matthew Edor, and myself looks at how employers are affected by older vs. newer self-disclosures from an applicant, and whether getting 'better' or 'worse' as a human further impacts hiring decisions. The good news: Your old dumb stuff is bad; but not as good as the newer good stuff.
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Back to where it began, I'll be at the biennial MediaPsych conference. There, Matt Merkling will be presenting some of our team's latest work on identity shift and the Proteus effect, Zhixin Li will present work (with Dr. Jaime Banks, Jianghui Li), and myself) on how humans talk about their AI companions, and I'll chair a special session containing works to be published in a forthcoming issue of JMP. See you in Duisburg-Essen!
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We're giving Denver another shot, following rescheduling ICA21 due to COVID. This June, we're a mile high in Denver, meeting and collaborating with colleagues, scholars, and friends from around the world. I've got three papers being presented, addressing suspicion in warranting theory, parent's perceptions of their kids' social media use, and the interpersonal effect of multitasking during videochats. Check out the ICA25 program for more, and I will see you in the Rockies!
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Years ago, finding nothing existed on the market sketched out a textbook for an undergraduate CMC course. I've been gob-smacked how well it's been received and how many of my colleagues have found it helpful to introduce students to mediated communication. Given the demand, the second edition of Computer-Mediated Communication: A theoretical and practical approach to online human communication is now out. A comprehensive survey of this contemporary field, and instructor materials (e.g.,video lectures, quiz bank, slide decks) for each chapter; and instructors are always welcome to reach out to me about Zoom visits and any help I can provide. Available in early January!
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Overview |
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I have taught over 200 credit hours of graduate and undergraduate
courses in several departments (Business, Communication, and
Telecommunication) and in many formats (traditional, residential
college, returning students, and Online courses). If you are interested in working with me as an advisor or committee member, please see my open letter to prospective graduate students. |
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Traditional
Courses |
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I have really enjoyed my classroom hours working with students
at various stages in their academic careers. I have taught
several entry-level and survey courses, as well as upper-level
and specialized courses, each deriving a unique joy of teaching.
In entry-level courses, I have particularly enjoyed the opportunity
to engage and nurture developing scholars, challenging them
to think creatively yet objectively, and in doing so illustrate
the exciting fields they have chosen to explore. Upper-level
courses have presented their own enjoyment for me, such as
the ability in IPC495A to train senior undergraduates to be classroom
discussion leaders and facilitators--essentially teaching
others how to teach. At the same time, teaching a course with
8 enrolled students has been very different from teaching
a course whose enrollment exceeds 250 students. In a small
class, I try to make the course personal and personable, using
individual presentations and reports to guide and govern class
discussion. In a large class, daily individual attention becomes
impractical, but the large number of students allows opportunities
for more group work and small-group interaction. In the Spring
of 2009, the 200+ students enrolled in my TC100 course gained
first-hand knowledge of mass collaboration by collaborating
on a single 25-page final paper using a Wikipedia-like program-a
project less feasible with only a handful of students. |
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Nontraditional
Courses |
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One challenge facing many institutions today is the nontraditional
student. Some students return to college following children
or jobs to better themselves or provide an opportunity for
job advancement. Others enter school following corporate downsizing,
learning new skills to re-enter a competitive job market.
These students present challenges, but also new opportunity,
for a classroom environment. In several classes I have dealt
with students (and sometimes even a course-load) who are resuming
their higher education after taking time off for professional
development, family, and health reasons. I have tried to draw
on these students' experiences as much as possible to illustrate
that more often than not it is not about learning entirely
new skill sets, but rather looking at a familiar situation
from a new perspective. I considered it a successful class
period when a student (who lost his labor-intensive job after
25 years when the plant closed) explained to me the managerial
and financial benefits of closing his former employer's factory
and offshoring the job--and in doing so preparing himself
for a position that cannot be outsourced. |
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Online
Courses |
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Online classrooms and courses are a mixed blessing: Highly
desirable for their flexibility and low overhead, yet challenging
as it requires decades-old pedagogy to be rethought and applied
in a mediated environment. I have been fortunate to work with
several online courses that have begun to address these challenges
while aspiring to their benefits. For example, an online public
speaking course has allowed deployed soldiers and rural students
to get a University-level education, utilizing iTunes
to record, upload, and view class speeches. Another online
course, Group Dynamics, has been focused to discuss online
group interaction, using class groups, discussion fora,
and decision support systems to create teachable moments while
discussing course content. |
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Course
Development |
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One challenge to teaching is creating a course. Once created
it is relatively easy to copy and tweak, yet its genesis takes
careful planning, articulation of goals and evaluations, and
pedagogical style to implement. I have developed several courses,
both within and outside of academia. I was responsible for
the redevelopment of SPK211: Group Dynamics, an online course
at Baker College, and worked closely with staff to construct
a syllabus, timelines, assignments, and evaluation materials.
In an applied setting, I worked with a non-profit organization
to create a 13-week training program to provide individuals
with disabilities job-seeking and public speaking skills to
increase their employability. |
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Sample
Syllabi |
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TC100: The
Information Society (MSU)
SDA101: Introduction to Communication
(CMU)
SPK211: Group Dynamics (DU)
MGMT225: International Business
(DU)
COM229: Foundations of Organizational
Communication (ILSTU)
COMM5363:
Communication and Technology (OU)
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