The case for core competencies in introductory communication courses

ABSTRACT

Most academic disciplines offer an introductory course that presents an overview of the discipline and introduces students to the fundamental principles and core competencies of that discipline. In communication studies, several context-based courses may qualify as “introductory,” e.g., public speaking, introduction to human communication, interpersonal communication, group communication, business and professional communication. Rather than proposing a single, standardized introductory course, this paper advocates the adoption and application of a set of core competencies for all introductory communication courses. This approach justifies the diversity of introductory courses and helps legitimize communication studies as a significant and unique academic discipline. In making the case for applying core competencies to all introductory courses, this essay also describes the benefits of this approach and responds to several common arguments claiming that introductory communication courses are neither appropriate nor critical as general education or graduation requirements.

KEYWORDS:

• introductory communication course
• basic communication course
• communication competencies
• core competencies
• general education
• arguments for and objections to introductory communication courses

Notes

1. Morreale, S. P., Myers, S. A., Backlund, P. M., & Simonds, C. J. “Study IX of the Basic Communication Course at Two- and Four-year U.S. Colleges and Universities: A Re-examination of Our Discipline's ‘Front Porch,’” Communication Education (2015): 1. doi:10.1080/03634523.2015.1073339.

2. Morreale et al., Study IX, 7.

3. West, R. “Message from the President.” Spectra, 48, no 2, (2012): 1.

4. Sellnow, D. D., & Martin, J. M. “The Basic Course in Communication: Where Do We Go From Here?” In D. L. Fassett & J. T. Warren (Eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Communication and Instruction, Los Angeles: Sage, 2010: 33–53.

5. Throughout this essay and in the research project conducted by the CCCG, the adjective introductory rather than basic precedes the phrase communication course. The label change was a strategic decision for several reasons. Other than some “basic biology” courses (a tribute to the power of alliteration), almost all disciplines use the term introductory, fundamental, principles of or an adjective that designates a context such as European literature or U.S. History. Equally significant, the word basic can connote simple, easy, or undemanding. The word introductory connotes the first, preliminary, or initial experience with a process or topic. Put another way, there is nothing basic or simple about an introductory communication course that uses a comprehensive and rigorous set of core communication competencies as the foundation for making the study and improvement of communication a lifelong endeavor.

6. Hart Research Associates, “Falling Short? College Learning and Career Success, Selected Findings from Online Surveys of Employers and Colleges Students Conducted on Behalf of the Association of American Colleges and Universities,” January 20, 2015. https://www.aacu.org/sites/default/files/files/LEAP/2015employerstudentsurvey.pdf; See also Hart Research Associates, “It Takes More than a Major: Employer Priorities for College Learning and Student Success,” April 10, 2013, https://www.aacu.org/sites/default/files/files/LEAP/2013_EmployerSurvey.pdf.

7. CareerBuilder, “Companies Planning to Hire More Recent College Graduates This Year and Pay Them Better,” April 23, 2015, http://www.careerbuilder.com/share/aboutus/pressreleasesdetail.aspx?sd=4%2F23%2F2015&id=pr889&ed=12%2F31%2F2015.

8. National Communication Association. (2015). About NCA. http://www.natcom.org/discipline: “The discipline of communication focuses on how people use messages to generate meanings within and across various contexts, cultures, channels, and media. The discipline promotes the effective and ethical practice of human communication.”

9. The CCCG Reports to the National Communication Association are available online at http://www.natcom.org/teachingandlearning/basiccourse/developing. Under the heading “What Core Communication Competencies Should the Basic Course Address?” there are three documents: National Communication Association Core Competencies Task Force Report, December 2013. This document includes a brief explanation of the methodology used by the CCCG research team as well a detailed template for each competency. This report was accepted and endorsed by the NCA’s Executive Committee in January 2014. The Case for Core Competencies in Introductory Communication Courses, 2014. This document is an earlier case for using core competencies as the basis for introductory communication courses. Core Competencies for Introductory Communication Courses handout, April 2014. This document was used in the focused group sessions at communication conferences.

10. Engleberg, I. N., Ward, S. M., Disbrow, L. M., Katt, J. A., Myers, S. A., & O’Keefe, P. “The Development Of A Set Of Core Communication Competencies For Introductory Communication Courses.” Communication Education (2016). Advance online publication. doi:10.1080/03634523.2016.1159316

11. Shaiko, R. G. “Admission Is Just Part of the Diversity Puzzle,” The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 9, 2013, http://chronicle.com/article/Admissions-Is-Just-Part-of-the/13963. Also see Frank Bruni, “The Lie About College Diversity,” The New York Times, December 13, 2015, p. SR3.

12. The arguments in this essay reflect the author’s teaching, academic, professional, and institutional experiences as well as recent research, writing, and presentations focus on the need for core competencies in introductory communication courses that apply to a variety of communication contexts. The claims also reflect a lifelong dedication to strengthening and defending the communication disciplines and its introductory courses as central to achieving academic, professional, and personal goals. I am not alone in this endeavor and have been privileged to work with like-minded colleagues who share similar perspectives and goals. Most significant are my colleagues on the Core Communication Competencies Group: Lynn Disbrow (Huntingdon College, AL), James Katt (University of Central Florida), Scott A. Myers (West Virginia University), Patricia O’Keefe (College of Marin, CA) and Susan Ward, Delaware Community College, PA).