The Role of Engagement in Teaching Business Communication

Abstract

As a journal devoted to teaching communication in the workplace, Business Communication Quarterly (BCQ) publishes research that advances knowledge about business communication, including best practices. But implementing best practices will not be enough if our students and employees are not motivated to improve. Engagement is a critically important component in the teaching and learning process. In the United States, the National Survey of Student Engagement was launched more than a decade ago as a means of gathering information about collegiate quality. The survey is designed to report empirical data on desirable behaviors by students and institutions of higher education. Student engagement is twofold—the effort students put into their own education and all the ways in which colleges and universities deploy resources and organize their curricula to encourage active participation. The assumption, then, is that the more engaged students are, the more likely they are to learn what we believe we are teaching them. In this issue of BCQ, we begin with an article that shows how eBooks can increase student engagement and learning. The pilot project described here had other benefits as well, not the least of which was cost, the portability, and the contribution to sustainable resources. Our second article analyzes mandates for plain language in reporting information to the public. Although the author does not focus here on student engagement, one could well argue that writers and readers would be more engaged if they did not have to wade through gobbledygook. Our third feature article approaches the complicated question of instructor credibility and the impact on student engagement and learning; business communication students expect their teachers to demonstrate competence, character, and caring. A highly creative teaching exercise is the focus of our fourth feature article in this issue; the author describes a means of engaging students in practicing and honing skills in information literacy, including what to do when mistakes are made. We do not specifically address employee engagement in these articles, but I would like to call your attention to an Association for Business Communication panel on this subject scheduled for the Corporate Communication International Conference in New York in June.