Posted on No Comments on [Blog post] End of year musings on student feedback

[Blog post] End of year musings on student feedback

The era of course evaluations is coming. In every class, students will be asked to comment on the past semester: how much they learned, how effective their professor was and how fairly the grades were assessed. As a fifth-year senior, I’ve filled out more of these than I can count. I know that my feedback is confidential and anonymous, but that it’s used by both SCOM and the professor.

Last Spring, I received an email from a professor, Dr. Leppington, who taught one of my favorite classes at JMU. She was asking for student comments on that course so that she could market the course to new students better. I, of course, offered my response happily. This past week, I visited her again to ask her how she uses student feedback. She said, “I try and work out to what extent I have succeeded in connecting with the students. What I try to look for is evidence of growth and learning.”

As I got ready to leave, I told Dr. Leppington that her course had been one of a handful that had really made a difference in my college career. She smiled and said, “Well that is the most helpful feedback of all.”

Have you had any experiences like mine? Share in the comments!

Posted on No Comments on [News Release] JMU Professors Attend National Communication Association Annual Conference

[News Release] JMU Professors Attend National Communication Association Annual Conference

HARRISONBURG, Va. – The National Communication Association hosted its 98th Annual Convention in Orlando, Florida, Nov. 15-18.  Communication scholars from around the country, including 28 James Madison University professors from the School of Communication Studies, presented their own research and participated in panel discussions.

Professors from the SCOM presented research on topics ranging from family communication to health communication to social media. Assistant professor at JMU SCOM, Dr. Isaac Woo, said before he left for the conference, “I am excited about traveling with colleagues and building relationships with communication scholars around the country.” Woo also presented two research studies. “I am especially excited to present my paper about the use of social media in collegiate sports organizations because I am very interested in both social media and sports,” Woo added.

This year’s conference theme was entitled Celebrating COMMunity. “My experiences at the recent NCA convention were quite diverse, but all served to energize both my scholarship and my teaching,” said Dr. Melissa Aleman, professor of communication studies. Aleman presented a project on the use of narratives in bicultural families with her co-author, Dr. Carlos Aleman, associate professor in SCOM. “It was particularly rewarding to hear the narratives of the other panelists, as they resonated with our own family experiences. I am looking forward to sharing those insights in SCOM 440 Family Communication this coming spring semester,” Melissa added.

In addition to presenting research and participating in panel discussions, JMU SCOM had the opportunity to share their new MA program at the NCA Graduate Open House. This event was a way to meet prospective graduate students as well as introduce the new program to colleagues from around the country. “We had fantastic conversations with other faculty about our respective programs and are hopeful that they will encourage their students to apply to our program,” Melissa said.

According to the NCA website, the NCA  “advances communication as the discipline that studies all forms, modes, media and consequences of communication through humanistic, social scientific and aesthetic inquiry.” The NCA serves its members by supporting their teaching and research. The NCA Annual Convention is a way for members to present their research through the leading outlet for the discipline’s scholarship. Attendees had the chance to participant in special sessions/events, special series and annual series.

To learn more about the NCA Annual Convention, visit http://www.natcom.org/convention/

The School of Communication Studies is part of the College of Arts and Letters at James Madison University. Their mission is the teaching of communication theory and criticism, the development of communication and advocacy skills, the research of communication processes and practices, and the application of generated knowledge about human communication toward the betterment of self and community. Visit http://www.jmu.edu/commstudies for more information.

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