Learning by doing: Student development and evaluation of communication theory

Abstract

For the communication theory course to be successful, instructors must tap into their students’ lives and create a sense of how communication theory is not only relevant to their needs, interests, or goals, but also practical when applied to their social, personal, and organizational relationships. One way in which instructors can create a sense of relevance and practicality is through this activity, which requires students to develop a communication theory that is rooted in some aspect of their personal lives. This activity unfolds over the course of a semester and requires a total of seven class sessions, with the culminating part of the activity resulting in a two- to three-page report that requires students to develop and evaluate an original communication theory using content discussed in class and taken from the course textbook. Overall student evaluation of the activity is positive, with students being able to identify its challenges and rewards clearly.

Course

Communication Theory.

Objectives

By the end of this activity, students should be able to (1) identify the properties and criteria associated with theory development and evaluation, (2) create a theory using the properties of theory development, and (3) critique their theory using established theory evaluation criteria.