Mass Communication Courses Research Articles

Addressing Transactional Distance Through Teaching Presence Strategies in Online Journalism and Mass Communication Courses

This multiple case study of four journalism and mass communication programs examines teaching presence as a mechanism for mitigating transactional distance in online learning environments. This study explores instructor-to-student communication strategies and techniques utilized by experienced online journalism and mass communication educators, and the contributions of instructional designers in collaborative course design and delivery settings. Six emergent themes are identified and discussed. Recommendations for journalism and mass communication educators, including administrators, are provided.

The Outcome of the Development of Multimedia and Activities to Enhance Knowledge about Arts and Cultures for Community Youths Through Social Lab

This research was aimed to develop multimedia and activities to enhance knowledge about arts and cultures for community youths through social lab at the community under the bridge zone 1, to determine the quality of the multimedia and activities, to examine the learning achievement of the community youths, to evaluate the satisfaction of the sampling group and to evaluate the after-action review (AAR) of the organizers. The research tools in this study included the quality evaluation form for contents, the quality evaluation form for media and activities, the learning achievement test, the satisfaction survey for the sampling group towards the multimedia and activities, and the activity to get after-action review (AAR) of the organizers. The sampling group consisted of people who had lived in the community under the bridge zone 1 for over 2 years had participated in this research from the beginning till the end. There were 120 people who filled out the questionnaires. They were chosen using purposive sampling method. The group included local people and community youths. The research results showed that the organizers ran the project about dancing performance alongside single-head drums for the community youths through social lab. The multimedia included vinyl media and video clips to teach dancing performance alongside music from single-head drums. The clips and teaching were made by students who got scholarship from KMUTT for their art and cultural skills and the fence-painting activity was done by graduate students from the LTM652 Principle and Theories of Mass Communication course. The organizers analyzed, designed and developed multimedia and activities in accordance with the ADDIE Model in the first semester of the academic year 2018. The quality of the contents was at a good level (x ̅ = 4.46, S.D = 0.26). The quality of the media and activities was at a very good level (x ̅ = 4.60, S.D = 0.26). The learning achievement of the students from their pre-test and post-test scores showed that their average post-test score was higher with statistical significance at the.05 level. The satisfaction of the sampling group was at the highest level (x ̅ = 4.63, S.D = 0.56), confirming the research hypothesis. The after-action review showed that it was at a good level. The organizers expressed their opinion that the multimedia and activities to enhance knowledge about arts and cultures for community youths through social lab were beneficial for both the organizers and the community youths. The organizers learned how to work as a team and they could use their skills in real situations. They realized the importance of giving, especially teaching knowledge about arts and cultures for community youths. The community youths learned to spend their free time on useful activities and did not involve in drug abuse. They also learned new skills and they could do dancing performance to earn their living on the weekends and holidays or when there were festive events. It could be concluded that the multimedia and activities to enhance knowledge about arts and cultures for community youths through social lab were of good quality and could be applied for real use.

Critical Thinking During a Time of Critical Change in Media Industries: Examining Media Students’ Perception and Appreciation of Higher-Level Learning Outcomes

The mass communication industries continue to undergo a period of uncertainty and rapid change. The time of change has reached universities as mass communication programs across the nation seek ways to adjust their curricula to include fast-changing technological skills demanded by the industry. During this time of change on both the professional and academic levels, this study uses Bloom’s taxonomy to examine media students’ perceptions of higher-level, analytical knowledge in regard to their coursework and future employment prospects. Scholars in several fields have argued universities must do more than provide students with the skills they need to get their first job. Instead, scholars argue students must know why they do the job, not simply how to do the work. Using a comparative analysis of students in a core, entry-level mass communication course and their more advanced counterparts in a senior-level media law class, this study found students have generally favorable views regarding higher-level learning outcomes. It also showed little evidence that students’ value and perception of learning analytical-level knowledge change between the time they enter mass communication programs and when they graduate.

Turkish Teacher Candidates’ Views on the “Mass Communication and Turkish” Course in the Context of Social Media Use

It was aimed in this study to determine the Turkish teacher candidates’ views on the “Mass Communication and Turkish” course in the context of social media use. A case study method was used in the study. Semi-structured interview forms for students were used in the process of gathering data. Certain data obtained as a result of interviews were interpreted through descriptive analyses within the scope of scientific research methods. The study was conducted at a university in the Eastern Black Sea region of Turkey on 20 teacher candidates studying in the Department of Turkish Education. As a data collection instrument, interview forms were used to obtain the teacher candidates’ views on the relationship between mass communication and language, their habits of using mass media, the influence of mass media on language and on the teacher candidates, language problems in the context of the use of social media, the basic factors causing these problems and their suggestions for the solution of the problems within the scope of “Mass Communication and Turkish” course. The data obtained through the interview forms were recorded within the participant’s knowledge, and then transcribed by using the content analysis method. It was ensured that the data were complete, intact, and reliable. They were confirmed by the participants. Then, the voice recordings were destroyed based on ethical principles. Based on the data obtained from the interview forms, a content analysis was carried out to make explanations and do evaluations. As a result of the study, the teacher candidates saw the Mass Communication and Turkish course as a useful and necessary course for themselves. According to the teacher candidates, mass communication was important, and it was important to use the mass communication tools correctly and effectively in terms of language. Mass communication tools were not used in a conscious and sensitive way, especially in the context of social media. There were problems especially in the use of Turkish. A unity could not be established in language. A national consciousness could not be achieved. The “Mass Communication and Turkish” course expanded the horizons of the Turkish teacher candidates and made them more conscious in the use of language. After taking this course, they were clearly more familiar with the concept of mass communication. They learned the functions of mass media better. Again, according to the teacher candidates, they understood the importance of using Turkish correctly in mass communication in the context of social media. In the context of social media, the “Mass Communication and Turkish” course was found to fulfill important functions in the communication skills of Turkish teacher candidates in gaining the habit of using Turkish correctly and effectively. As a result of this study, it was found that this course provided an important contribution with a national consciousness to the reading, writing, listening and speaking of language/Turkish, which is the most basic tool for mass communication today that we call the information age. In this sense, as a result of the study, solutions were proposed for problems related to Turkish education and teaching in the context of mass communication.

Web-Based Course Delivery Approach in Teaching Mass Communication Courses

Web-Based Course Delivery Approach in Teaching Mass Communication Courses

Applying challenge-based learning in the (feminist) communication classroom: Positioning students as knowledgeable change agents

ABSTRACTThis article explores the potential of challenge-based learning (CBL) for feminist pedagogy. In a qualitative case study of an introductory mass communication and social theory course, students were more likely to indicate sophisticated, intersectional understandings of course concepts following the CBL project. Before the CBL project, students spoke tentatively and hypothetically about “making change.” Self-reported ability to take action was defined passively and negatively. In contrast, after the CBL project, students employed positive frames when discussing ability to act, and proposed avenues for action were expanded. The paper concludes with a discussion of how faculty might incorporate CBL.

The Flipped Classroom in Mass Communication Education, Using Lynda.Com

The flipped classroom is a form of instruction with growing interest in academia. There are several papers that highlight the appeal and benefits of the flipped classroom, but they are primarily limited case studies and anecdotal accounts. Our dual quantitative/qualitative study explores the flipped classroom through two mass communication courses (a 3-D animation class and a single-camera video class taught over a year and a half, offering data from eight classes total) using lynda.com for outside-of-class instruction. The results indicate that the flipped classroom increases student performance over regular class instruction. Many factors often assumed to be correlated with better performance did not show significance in this study (i.e., preferential learning modalities, comfort with online structure), but there were other factors observed (e.g., self-efficacy, instructor knowledge...) that were significantly aligned with performance in the flipped classroom.

An Improvement of Content and Teaching Methods for Codes of Conduct and Ethics in Mass Communication Courses of Thailand’s Universities

This research examines the content about ethical issues in Thailand’s mass communication courses, teaching methods and guidelines for improving the content and teaching methods about codes of conduct cultivation. This research uses 3 methods in collecting data: content analysis of syllabus in mass communication courses, focus group of experts and in-depth interviews of instructors and professionals. The results show that most media courses emphasize every-day life and professional ethics. Their main content focuses on principles law and ethics which are taught by lecture in classes without any professional organizations’ collaboration. Most instructors and students do not aware of the significance of mass communication ethics’ courses. Guidelines for improving content and teaching methods which suggested by experts and instructors are: 1) collaborating of third parties—mass communication/professional organizations, institutions and enterprises 2) emphasizing practices in reallife situations/scenarios and discussions 3) training and adjusting instructors’ attitudes toward mass communication’s ethics including a role model 4) updating ethical courses’ content and interposing it in every course.

Scenario-based Assessment Exercises and the Perceived Learning of Mass Communication Students

One of the biggest challenges faced by online learning systems is the absence of opportunities for the practical exposure of the students, especially in professional degree programmes. The theoretical knowledge they gain is undoubtedly more refined and enriched, but it is quite difficult to provide an e-learner with occasions where he/she can actually apply the concepts in real-time situations,as student and teacher are at a great distance from each other. This shortcoming can be overcome by giving scenario-based assignments to the students during their study programme. A hypothetical situation is created in scenario-based assignments where students are required to apply their theoretical knowledge according to the scenario given. In this way, students are actively involved in brainstorming rather than merely reproducing bookish knowledge. In this regard, the Virtual University of Pakistan has adopted advanced methodologies for learning and evaluation of its students. For this purpose, the researchers have aimed to measure the perceived learning of the students of the BS Mass Communication programme. The main objectives of this study were to determine the effectiveness of online scenario-based exercises on student learning and comprehension; and to enhance their analytical abilities and the mode of student-instructor interaction. For this purpose, five scenario-based assignments on various mass communication courses in the autumn 2012 semester were selected; and an online survey of all enrolled students in five subjects was conducted. The tool used in this study was derived from Renda-Tanali's (2012) research on security studies. For data analysis,descriptive statistics, a one-sample t-test, an independent sample t-test and regression analysis were applied. The results of the study indicated a positive student response towards e-scenario-based exercises. The two prominent outcomes identified by students were their improvement in decision-making skills and deepened understanding of real life situations. In the light of the findings of the study, it can be concluded that students' learning in the context of scenario-based exercises was very encouraging for Mass Communication subjects.

Enhancing Student Learning in Knowledge-Based Courses

This study explores the adoption of the team-based learning (TBL) method in knowledge-based and theory-oriented journalism and mass communication (J&MC) courses. It first reviews the origin and concept of TBL, the relevant theories, and then introduces the TBL method and implementation, including procedures and assessments, employed in an undergraduate mass communication theory class in a large Midwest research university. Students showed significantly improved group knowledge versus individual knowledge over an entire semester through readiness assurance tests (RAT), which were also demonstrated in a pre–post survey and two peer evaluations. The significance of this study concerning students’ learning effectiveness and outcomes as well as its pedagogical implications for the J&MC field and beyond are discussed.

De-Westernizing Media and Communication Education in India

Post World War II, many countries liberated themselves from colonial rule, started looking up to western media as role models. Later they realized that there has been an information imbalance. NAM also emphasized on alternatives to western news values. India is one such country which vied to establish individuality, create an identity and, an image for itself in the backdrop of its bitter past experience. In this process, developing countries in general and India in particular started developing alternative perspectives. In this context, Indian theories of communication such as Sadharanikaran, which existed 500 B.C., came into prominence. In this background, endeavors to de-westernize media and communication education started by incorporating alternative media, traditional folk media, community radio, Indian theories of communication etc., in the curriculum of mass communication courses. This paper analyses in detail how efforts are made to de-westernize media and communication education in India.

Selection of Universities by Students in Journalism and Mass Communication Courses

This study measures the significance of factors used by minority students in their selection of universities/colleges. This web survey was conducted mainly on 778 students enrolled in journalism/mass communication courses representing five historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and twelve other universities. Differences were found among and between criteria favored by students of various ethnicities, minority, and majority students at public and private universities, and students at HBCUs and their counterparts at white majority institutions. Two factors, a university’s academic reputation and the availability of financial assistance, emerged as most important among all respondents. Beyond that, however, the survey found differences between majority and minority students, for example, in their rankings of the presence of minority faculty and intercollegiate athletic programs, among others.

Identifying the Goals of Weather Instruction: Toward a Model Approach for Broadcast Meteorology

For more than forty years, researchers have understood the importance of broadcast meteorology to audiences. Viewers typically list weather among their top reasons for watching the news on television. Despite weather's significance, there is little empirical evidence regarding how college journalism and mass communication programs approach the subject. This study compares how media professionals regard its importance in college education with the views of journalism and mass communication faculty. Broadcasters believe more than faculty do that additional emphasis should be given to weather principles and presentation. An integrated model combining atmospheric science with mass communication courses is recommended.

Assessing initial anticipatory public relations socialization of early mass communication entrants

Differing from previous research of PR majors, this study of students in introduction to mass communication courses focused on how one is socialized into public relations before he or she arrives for the first day on the job. The 236 students surveyed most frequently associated public relations with advocacy roles, working with people and advertising. Experience on high school newspapers and yearbooks were both positively related to a student's public relations technician self-efficacy.

Movie Ratings and Third-Person Perception

Students enrolled in an undergraduate mass communication course were asked to estimate self and third-person effects on learning, attitudes, and behavior after reading a movie plot synopsis that contained 6 versions of a rating, ranging from PG-13 to R, with varying degrees of sexual content. This study introduces media content that is neither harmful nor persuasive, as is often the case in third-person effect research, and this study also incorporates an age-based media rating system into a third-person framework. Respondents in this study considered others to be more affected by media messages along cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions; however, contrary to other third-person studies, we found perceived social distance to outweigh perceived likelihood of exposure.

When Disciplinary Associations Move beyond the Status Quo

I went to graduate school so I could be a teacher. Fresh from the advertising industry, I was thrilled to be liberated from the constraints of a micro-managed time sheet, and amazed that with just a word or two, students teetered on the edge of their seats hanging on my every word. They were enthralled that they had a teacher who had done and they were going to learn the secrets so they could do it, too. If I were only a moderately successful copywriter, working at an Atlanta agency that absolutely no one had ever heard of, it was all lost in the glory of war stories I could tell my eager students. All so they could become copywriters just like me. Only something funny happened on the way to getting my degree. I discovered the field of mass communication. I discovered the practicality of theory. I discovered the joys of data analysis. In short, I discovered that I wanted to be a professor. I also discovered that it was time to leave the war stories behind and figure out what this profession was all about. I learned by reading, writing, teaching, and talking to colleagues, of course. But, I learned the most by getting involved in the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication. I embraced everything about AEJMC. I went to paper sessions, bought papers, attended business meetings, hit the socials, you name it-and now thirteen years out of graduate school, I find myself at the end of my run with the Council of Divisions. It's now time to reflect on how AEJMC has impacted not only me, but also the field of journalism and mass communication. First, our organization is large so change comes slowly. The relationship between membership growth and the divisions and interest group expansion is close. Rarely does a division or interest group disband. So, logically, the older divisions tend to be the largest and the most stable-and carry the most weight. For example, the Newspaper and Advertising divisions typically garner large numbers of convention paper submissions, and, therefore, have a strong presence at the convention. Given their strong presence, other divisions want to co-sponsor panels with them, which give them an even bigger presence. A few brave souls periodically talk about whether the divisions need to reorganize, but they are so stable and so normal, no one wants to make the leap. And, then, even as we create for study (business journalism, community journalism, entertainment studies, religion and media, to name a few), we do that in addition to all of the traditional of study. The new areas in search of a co-sponsor at the convention end up being fairly traditional because they have to be sponsored by the traditional divisions. And the problem is that many of these panels then lose some of the cutting edge and are responses to the structure of the organization rather than to the the things we're thinking about. Graduate education is important. One of the best benefits of AEJMC is how it exalts graduate education. Given that the submitted research papers are blind reviewed, professors and graduate students compete for acceptance on the same level. As a result, we are privy to the bright minds beginning to climb the academic ladder. The down side, however, is that these graduate students have to be prolific to compete in the job market. So, they submit papers to divisions that have a large enough presence to accept large numbers of papers-again, the more traditionally oriented divisions, which perpetuates the academic cycle again and again. I have been reviewing manuscripts for many divisions for more than a decade. Every single year, I can count on reviewing papers about attitudes toward ads; a new look on agenda setting; and, for the past ten years, at least one paper that investigates how people are using the Web. We contribute entry-level workers, but are we contributing deep-thinking citizens? A few years ago, the Accrediting Council of Education in Journalism and Mass Communications eased its inside/outside hours of journalism and mass communications courses from 90/30 to 80/40 (a maximum allowance of 40 hours of journalism and mass communication courses), which means students can take more classes in their field-if they can fit them into their schedules. …

Diversity in Mass Communication Theory Courses

Since race, ethnicity and other diversity variables often are included in mass communication studies, one might assume that mass communication can tell us much about diversity-related aspects of the processes and effects of mass communication. However, as Bramlett-Solomon and Liebler1 noted in their work on race, many studies have examined media and race concerns and have included race variables, few of these studies are based. Compounding the problem, they said, is the slowness of media texts to include substantive discussions of media and race. While Bramlett-Solomon and Liebler were speaking about racial diversity only, it is likely that the same conclusions could be drawn about other aspects of diversity beyond race. What are these other aspects of diversity? There is no easy answer. As Hon, Weingold and Chance2 observed, is no single standard for what constitutes but there is some agreement about the major elements. Their survey respondents identified the following characteristics as indicative of diversity generally: age, disability status, ethnicity, gender, political ideology, race, region of origin, religion and sexual orientation. They also identified other characteristics that would be relevant specifically to the hiring of a diverse faculty (e.g., amount of professional experience, of scholarship, type of terminal degree): Other researchers3 have included other characteristics (e.g., income, class or parental status) and broadened others (e.g., physical abilities/characteristics). Thus, while there is no definitive list of diversity-- related characteristics, nonetheless it is possible to address at least the major characteristics most commonly identified by researchers. The assertion that much mass communication research involving diversity-related characteristics is not theory-based is a serious charge. The goal of science is to explain things and to make predictions about them. This is accomplished through theory. Research that merely describes things may be useful in its own right and it may become an important first step in constructing theory, but descriptions per se do not explain or predict anything. For example, cultivation is based on the important assumption that the TV world and the real world differ systematically in important ways. One of these is that certain social groups are over- or underrepresented on television and that these groups are predominantly portrayed in particular ways (e.g., as perpetrators or victims). Thus, an important initial step in advancing cultivation was to describe how the real world and TV world differed in these terms.4 However, many other mass communication studies have described media content for its own sake, without connecting these descriptions to theory. For example, studies have shown that newsrooms are not diverse racially or ethnically. If they stop there, these studies are merely describing what is. A would propose what factors lead to newsroom diversity, or what effects occur as a result of newsroom diversity, or make some other explanation or prediction related to newsroom diversity. If we are to understand the relevance of diversity to mass communication, we need not just descriptions but theories. Bramlett-Solomon and Liebler's5 assertion that theory is rather elusive in this scholarship area has been supported by others.6 While it does seem to be the case that mass communication theories do not deal directly and specifically with diversity issues, these theories nonetheless are applicable to such concerns. In other words, while the theories themselves may not have been framed in diversity-related terms, they can be used to address important diversity issues. The purpose of this paper is to show how prominent mass communication theories can be employed to further our knowledge about diversity-related issues. The relevance of these theories to diversity issues is suggested and examples are given to show how diversity-related issues can be addressed in mass communication courses. …

Service Learning's Foothold in Communication Scholarship

An expanding body of scholarship and other writing is emerging across may disciplines that views service learning as an effective, and perhaps core element of the higher education mission. James Applegate and Sherwyn Morreale, writing as disciplinary association officers of the National Communication Association, suggest that faculty, students and communities will continue to witness the proliferation of service learning initiatives as university service missions are recast with a new vision for community outreach that matches the expertise and values of the university with the needs of local, state, national, and international communities.1 It has not been clear to date how much of an impact service learning pedagogies have had among those who teach journalism and mass communication. The journalism and mass communication literature in this area is, in comparison to other disciplines, small. The study described below attempts to address this imbalance. Service learning has been defined by several scholars whose theoretical positions vary. Most acknowledge that the essence of service learning is in its ability to connect student involvement to community outlets.2 One of the more inclusive definitions of service learning is offered by the American Association of Higher Education: Service learning means a method under which students learn and develop a thoughtfully organized service that: is conducted in and meets the needs of a community and is coordinated with an institution of higher education and with the community; helps foster civic responsibility; is integrated into and embraces the academic curriculum of the students enrolled; and includes structured time for the students to reflect on the service experience.3 Although service learning can be categorized within the more general paradigm of experiential learning, its major distinction lies in the philosophical basis from which it springs-integrating a sense of civic responsibility into the academic environment in order to impart character development as part of the academic mission.4 For the democratic process to work, society needs active citizens with a sense of responsibility and involvement in the communities in which they live, not passive consumers. In fact, service learning has been posited as a way for the academy to acknowledge its commitment or renew its civic responsibility to the community it finds itself in. Studies that have assessed service learning experiences conclude that the outcomes have been positive for most involved: students, faculty, community and institution.5 Students are more motivated in their classwork, work harder and learn more; and many of the benefits acquired from their service learning experience are long term.6 Faculty find that student learning is enhanced and that there is an interaction between theory and practice and thought to action.7 Community organizations have also found student contributions valuable. Campus/community relationships are constructive, and connections are made that did not exist before.9 Researchers have studied particular class experience regarding the incorporation of service learning alongside more traditional classroom methods.10 With regard to the journalism/mass communication discipline, Cohen and Kinsey incorporated service learning projects into the Mass Communication and Society course and found that the greatest strength of this approach was in assisting students in placing classroom material into a meaningful context.11 They also found that both students and teachers observed the service learning projects they participated in were an effective use of academic time. Focusing on service-learning designated courses, Corbett and Kendall found that students enrolled in these courses believed that the service learning experiences heighten their sense of citizenship and assisted them in understanding basic concepts and theories of course content.12 Other researchers have looked at university-wide curricula and have determined that service learning components are found predominantly in education and social science courses. …

Using a Web-Based Interactive Test as a Learning Tool

The use of computer-mediated communication (CMC) as a pedagogic tool for class communication has been encouraged by numerous authors. Smith, Kim, and Bernstein (1993) suggested that classroom communication using CMC provides benefits such as increased communication, fostering efficiency in teamwork situations, facilitating problem-solving, and providing communication means for people who have trouble expressing themselves or being understood in face-to-face situations. Menges (1994) argued that interactive technology would ensure attention, and that well-designed computermediated instruction is more likely to engage individuals than are the words of a professor in front of a room filled with (p. 187). Many of the reports on the use of CMC in journalism and mass communication refer primarily to the use of electronic mail and bulletin boards. Elasmar and Carter (1996) suggested that journalism professors could use email as part of their curricular activities. For example, the authors suggested using electronic mail to distribute homework to students, asking students to submit assignments by e-mail, and creating a dedicated electronic bulletin board for each course. Smith, Kim, and Bernstein (1993) offered anecdotal evidence of the successful integration of e-mail and bulletin boards into journalism classes. As technology has developed, a number of authors have turned their attention to the use of the Internet, specifically the World Wide Web, in journalism and mass communication courses. Gunaratne and Lee (1996) reported on their development of a Web site tailor-made for teaching three journalism courses. Their Resources for Journalism homepage is primarily a collection of links to resources and tools located on the Internet. In course evaluations for the three courses, students indicated that the courses improved their skills in the use of the Internet research tools. Farnall and Geske (1996) investigated the use of the Internet in teaching an advertising strategy class, comparing class sections taught using traditional means with class sections taught using a heavy emphasis on the Internet as a source of information. They found that integration of the Internet into the classroom improved student and instructor performance and evaluation of the class as a whole. Results indicated that 72 percent of the students preferred the Internet over textbooks as a source of information. The Internet browser Netscape Navigator was considered a good learning tool, and 87 percent of the students indicated they wanted to see the Internet used in more courses. The results of the use of CMC in the classroom are not always favorable. In an experiment conducted by Smith (1994), students in traditional sections of a media law course reported higher satisfaction with the course than those students in sections using CMC to supplement traditional instruction methods. Smith (1994) also reported no significant differences in final exam results between traditional and on-line sections. Hudson and Holland (1992) reported that students who received interactive multimedia instruction in a video production class perceived that they learned more. However. the students did not score significantly higher than students who received traditional lecture instruction. In addition, Elasmar and Carter (1996) found that computer anxieties such as rejection and technical-based phobia of computers were negatively related to acceptance and potential use of email. While some studies have reported gender differences in the uses of CMC, Elasmar and Carter (1996) found no significant difference in e-mail use between male and female respondents. The current study This study investigated the effectiveness of one particular CMC technique, a Web-based interactive sample test, as a part of other CMC techniques used to supplement traditional instruction in a large lecture class. The course, mass communication theories, seemed particularly suited for the use of CMC due to its large section size. …

Assessment of the Adult Student's Progress in an Online Environment

Communications technologies (i.e., Internet, videoconferencing, etc.) have propelled distance education to a vibrant and burgeoning field. Online education, which is centered on the use of the Internet and the World Wide Web (Web), presents a new generation of distance learning tools. The online learning environment frees students from the constraints of time and place, and it can be made universally available. Although online courses break down physical and temporal barriers of access to education, assessing students' learning is one of the challenges of online education. In an effort to meet the needs of measuring the learning effectiveness of adult students in an online learning environment, a response paper assignment was developed to serve as a tool to assess students in an online course. Then, it was executed in Fall 1999 during an online segment of Pepperdine University's Philosophy and Effects of Mass Communication (MSCO 560) course. This article presents a snapshot of the assessment tool (i.e., response paper), the process used to test the assessment tool, response paper results, response paper evaluation results, and a summary of the summative committee meeting.