|
Criteria
for Courses Satisfying Part B of the General Education Communication
Requirement
(As updated by the Communications Implementation Committee, 1997-2000;
revised by Gen Ed subcommittee, 2002-03 and approved by UAPC on
26 June 2003)
For
assistance with Comm B course approval, please consult Professor David Zimmerman (dazimmerman@wisc.edu).
Purpose:
The second Communication course will be a low-enrollment course
involving substantial instruction in the four modes of literacy
(that is, speaking, reading, writing, and listening), with emphasis
on speaking and writing, either in the conventions of specific fields
or in more advanced courses in communication.
Objectives:
Specific objectives will vary with each discipline, but each course
is expected to develop advanced skills in
- critical
reading, logical thinking, and the use of evidence
- the use
of appropriate style and disciplinary conventions in writing and
speaking
- the productive
use of core library resources specific to the discipline
Requirements:
Specific requirements will vary, but each course is expected to
include:
- numerous
assignments [6-8 would be ideal], spaced through the semester,
that culminate in oral or written presentations. The balance between
oral and written presentations may vary, as appropriate to the
discipline, so long as the total amount of graded communication
remains reasonably consistent from course to course. In a course
with a 50/50 balance, students should submit at least 20 pages
of writing (in multiple assignments) and give 2 or more formal
oral presentations totaling at least 10 minutes. In a course with
the maximum emphasis on writing (75%), students should submit
at least 30 pages of writing and give 2 or more formal oral presentations
totaling at least 5 minutes. Drafts count in the total number
of pages.
- at least
two opportunities for each student to be graded for oral communication
as well as two or more opportunities to be graded for writing.
Comm-B courses should also include informal, ungraded oral communication
activities that give students further opportunities to develop
and receive feedback on their speaking skills. (Please refer to
the document, "Strategies
for Integrating Oral Communication into the Comm-B Course"
for ideas about how to increase instruction in oral communication.)
- at least
two assignments that require students to submit a draft or give
a practice speech, assimilate feedback on it, and then revise
it. Additional opportunities for feedback and revision would be
better yet.
- at least
one individual conference with each student, preferably early
in the semester, to discuss the student's writing and/or speaking.
- an information-gathering
component beyond a beginning level, normally involving two hours
of instructional time in one of the campus libraries. Such activities
should be planned in consultation with appropriate members of
the library staff; contact Abbie Loomis, 443D Memorial Library,
for help in getting started. (Guides
to help Comm A and Comm-B students use the library effectively
are available online at http://www.library.wisc.edu/libraries/Instruction/commreq.htm.)
Prerequisites:
Successful completion of or exemption from first communication
course. Courses designated As satisfying Part A of the requirement
may not be used to satisfy Part B of the requirement.
Class
size: Recommended 20 or fewer students.
Those departments or individuals requesting approval for courses
with larger class size must clearly demonstrate how the objectives
and requirements of the course can be satisfied within the larger
format.
Instructors:
Faculty and other qualified instructional staff
Assessment:
There will be normal evaluations of student
work by individual instructors. In addition, each course proposal
shall include an assessment plan designed to demonstrate that the
course meets the objectives and requirements stated above.
<<Back
to New Courses
|
