COMM 250 Agenda - Week 1

1
COMM 250 Agenda - Week 1

• Introducing the Professor
• Syllabus
• Student Expectations (Exercise)
• Implicit and Explicit Course Agreements
• Lecture
• The Nature of Science
• The Role of Research
• Team Formation - Tomorrow

2
Who I Am . . .

• Dr. Andrew Finn
• Web Site mason.gmu.edu/afinn
• E-mail afinn_at_gmu.edu
• Home 703-425-1641
• Cell 703-850-7003
• Office 703-993-1092
• My Intention for this Semester
• We Learn a Lot
• Everybody Makes It
• Highest Grades EVER in COMM 250
• We Have FUN and ENJOY Coming to Class

3
Learning Teams

• Pedagogical Principles
• Student Learning - not Professor Teaching
• Discussion is More Engaging than Lecture
• Learn the Material, then Apply It
• You are Responsible for Your Own Learning
• Why I Use Teams
• Students Learn MUCH More
• Why Businesses Use Teams
• Rapidly Shifting Tasks
• Empowerment, Self-Direction

4
What Organizations Value

• http//www.cox.com/CoxCareer
• Critical thinking -- seeing the big picture and
  being analytical comprehending what you read
• Communication -- getting your point across
  effectively when writing and speaking
• Visionary qualities -- brainstorming, looking to
  the future, setting goals
• Self-motivation -- showing a willingness to take
  the initiative

5
What Organizations Value

• Proficiency with information -- being
  inquisitive, curious, and resourceful knowing
  how to conduct research
• Global-minded -- understanding and showing an
  interest in other cultures and getting along with
  diverse groups of people
• Teamwork -- working well with others to achieve
  common goals
• http//www.cox.com/CoxCareer

6
Learning Teams

• Components of Learning Teams
• Readiness Assessment Tests
• In-Class Team Exercises
• Team Projects
• TP2 Peer Evaluation Procedures Criteria
• Evaluating Peers
• Helping Behavior

7
Concerns You May Have

• The Amount of Work
• Do I Really Want to Learn This Stuff?
• This is B O R I N G !
• Ive Been in Teams and One Person Does All the
  Work
• Does this Guy Know What He is Talking About?

8
Team Exercise 1

• First do individually . . .
• Draw a vertical line down a paper
• list Negative Thoughts about . . .
• then list Positive Thoughts about . . .
• COMM 250,
• Research Methods
• then do as a team (use the official form)

9
Housekeeping / Logistics

• Tasks for EVERYONE
• Circle the number on the Class List
• Fill in your information on the Team Roster
• Sign TEAM attendance sheet (1st half, 2nd half)
• Tasks for each TEAM
• If not going to Hemlock Overlook, your team will
  need to pick a time to meet between Wed. Mon.
• Choose a team name (soon)
• Team Photos will be Taken in Class Next Wed.

10
Housekeeping After Class

• Tasks for EVERYONE
• Sign up for your TAs LISTSERV
• Tasks for each TEAM
• Download MS Word file from Website, then E-mail
  Team Roster to your TA
• Prepare for TP1, TP2
• Choose a Team Name

11
Semester Activities

• Thinking
• Shifting Paradigms
• Learning Teams
• Learning Research
• Doing Research

12
Do we need science?

• What Science Provides
• a systematic examination of the world
• a relatively objective examination of the world
• our technology now has huge consequences
• global warming, nuclear waste, acid rain, smog,
  television content
• the truth is . . . no one is in charge
• were making changes on a massive scale
• and no one can predict the effects

13
The Nature of Science

• The Goals of (Traditional) Science
• description
• prediction
• control
• Examples
• Economics
• Weather

14
How Do We KNOW Things?

• Experiential Reality
• Firsts Hand Experience
• Done There Been That !
• Agreement Reality
• Second Hand Knowledge
• Tradition and/or Authority
• Both Can Assist or Hinder Inquiry
• Science A Special Standard for Agreement
  Reality

15
The Research Process

• Conceptualization
• Planning Designing Research
• Methods for Conducting Research
• Analyzing Interpreting Data
• Re-Conceptualization

16
Types of Research

• Experimental
• Survey
• Textual Analysis
• Naturalistic Inquiry