Creating Colleagues - Grad Students Empowered

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This summer I had the chance to work on an interdisciplinary research team for a Presidential Grant at Tarleton State. Communication and criminal justice faculty and graduate students dove into a study on AI and group texting implications. The study is interesting and I'll talk more about it later, but one huge advantage to this process struck me yesterday. 

On a Zoom debrief, I watched as our two graduate students developed into researchers and colleagues over the summer. They conducted interviews with our majors about ChatGPT and GroupMe perceptions and through the process, they created a tight network to accomplish their goals. 

I left the Zoom smiling because our grad students had become colleagues and researchers. One is a doctoral student in Criminal Justice and the other a master's student in Communication Studies. I am so proud of their progress and thankful for the reminder that much of graduate school consists of the experiences and the connections made through those experiences. I find so much joy from working with colleagues (like Dr. Dobbs and Dr. Wang on this project) and was thankful our students found connections, too! 

Pursuing grants and faculty-student interdisciplinary projects are engines for so much that is valuable... the faculty-faculty connections, faculty-student connections, socialization of the research process for our students (READ: real projects have bumps along the way), student-student connections, research output, future grant possibilities, etc. This is a gentle reminder to self that the time necessary to organize and apply for these experiences is WORTH it!

Here is the project abstract: In this project, an interdisciplinary team will use a mixed-methods research design to investigate student perceptions, motivations, and justifications for cheating and cyberbullying via technology. Specifically, the researchers will use surveys and interviews to learn more about how students view and use group texting platforms like GroupMe and artificial intelligence aids like ChatGPT. This pilot study begins a line of inquiry and hopes to expand data collection from multiple institutions, as well as create a faculty companion survey about their perceptions. Findings will be used to inform professors and universities about these emerging online phenomena and begin to build best practices, professional development sessions, and policy recommendations. The research will expand the body of knowledge to newer technologies, collective academic dishonesty, and artificial intelligence. This project will build upon both communication and criminal justice theories and conclude with discussions on practical and theoretical implications.

And I'll update as we have more to share!

This project is funded by the Tarleton State University President’s Excellence in Research Scholars initiative. 

SWECJMC - A Yearly Favorite

One of my favorite conferences is the Southwest Education Council for Journalism and Mass Communication's (SWECJMC) Annual Research Symposium. After virtual meetings, it was lovely to be face-to-face again! The Baylor University team was an awesome host. The Friday afternoon crew is pictured below at the Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative (BRIC).

Research presentations interest me, but the panels are where I scribble notes to bring back to my own program. Here are some of my notes to self:

• Some programs are integrating AR, VR, and AI through digital clubs. "Playing" with the tools (like an Amazon Deep Racer) is OK as we explore what they can mean for news and brands.
• TikTok is a quick way to introduce AR filters.
• Writing Alexa scripts and working through AWS could be a good resume and skills boost.
• Programming a chatbot might be a good way to work through FAQs and think of stakeholders and target audiences.
• One faculty member encourages students to explore new technology and apps by assigning a project where they must find a new XYZ, teach themselves and then teach him. 

Another thing I love about SWECJMC is catching up with colleagues. Dr. George Daniels, University of Alabama, and I celebrated 22 years since our days at the University of Georgia! And I met Jon Zmikly, Texas State, after about a 10-year virtual friendship. I also met new friends and research colleagues and witnessed so many great presentations by graduate students who will be joining the faculty ranks soon. 

See you in Jonesboro, Ark., next year! 

For the love of grading

A new assignment gave me new grading life! Instead of a final paper, I gave students the option of creating a podcast episode or vlog on a topic of their choosing related to tourism, travel, and hospitality as an industry.

I had fun grading and even found that I began to just listen to the projects as an interested listener as opposed to a rubric-minded red-pen-handed teacher.

With ample opportunities to practice their writing already, I made space for another creative vehicle they could use to showcase their understanding and learning. The assignment still met our learning objectives; it required research, critically analyzing a topic, organizing the material for an audience, and presenting.

The podcast/vlog assignment infused our class with a creative outlet and encouraged students to find/learn/use technology as a tool. They had to really think about their audience and universal design/accessibility in their content creation (adding captions). 

Students really got into the project. Some created b-roll for their backgrounds and others created show graphics for their new podcast. A few said how much fun they had and discovered a passion for podcasting. One said she might even keep adding episodes to her show. Students can add this project to electronic portfolios and share their work more broadly. Here are the details I gave them. Feel free to adapt it to your needs.

Assignment Details

You will take one aspect of the TTH industry you’d like to investigate further. Or you can present a sales presentation on a property or destination. Or you can interview someone working in the TTH industry.

You will present your findings and discoveries as a podcast or vlog (video blog) of 5-8 minutes, complete with script so it can be universal design and captioned. This should be your own original work and can be included in your e-portfolio. And if it's a show-stopper, we could place it on the department's YouTube or Comm Speaks podcast (with your permission - and permission of any of your guests).

Industry-specific podcasts for ideas and inspiration: https://www.allintheindustry.com/ or https://www.slicktalkthepodcast.com/podcast 

Here's a list of 15 best travel podcasts: https://discoverpods.com/travel-podcasts/ 

Ideas (you can use one of these or come up with something that interests you):

• Investigate further a type of tourism
• Dive into one of the Elizabeth Becker's destinations and give a "where are they now" update
• Analyze your own town's tourism efforts
• Take a topic from our OER and see how another country compares to Canada
• How to be a responsible tourist
• The future of a piece of the travel/tourism industry
• Interview someone who works in the industry

You can use free podcasting tools or in Canvas, head to Studio. You can make a vlog with screen-in-screen, or you can tell it audio-only. Consume a few vlogs or podcasts to get a feel for the medium. Work from a script or at least an outline of what you want to talk about. If you don't, you might wander and your listener will get lost. Practicing just a little will help you estimate your time. 5-8 mins. flies once you get going.

Here are some great tips about planning an episode of a podcast (or vlog): https://improvepodcast.com/9-key-tips-on-how-to-plan-podcast-episodes/

• Introduce yourself and your topic to your audience.
• Talk about your topic and what you want to share with the listener.
• Orally cite sources like ... "the number of tourists increased 10 fold according to an article in The New York Times." 
• Make your points.
• Use conversational language.
• Have an exit strategy. You don't want the awkward "um, bye" (that I do on my weekly welcome videos!) Thank your listeners and if you have a regular show, invite them to the next one. 

Topics to Avoid - please steer away from these kinds of ideas because I want you to take a larger, industry look.
-My Trip to ____________
-Top X things to do in _________

TURN IN: You'll turn in both the vlog/podcast (upload or a link) and your script that could be used to caption it.

When students need a break

Reading your audience is something we teach in communication courses. As teachers, we are constantly scanning for understanding and confusion on faces or Zoom screens — gauging our audience. So when a more vocal student tells you that students are tired and you see an entire class or screen of nodding heads, you listen.

This happened in a recent graduate seminar. At about the 10-week mark, students were stressing beyond their normal stress. A student messaged me that they needed a break. So, during class I asked them how the semester was going and they said they were exhausted. I felt it, too. The ongoing pandemic and a drama-filled semester can do that. 

I thought about just canceling a class meeting to give them time for self-care or whatever they most needed. Instead, I offered them brief one-on-one consultations over a two-week period. They could use that time to chat about their final project, vent, or just pick my brain. They selected their time to Zoom in on a Google Doc. They received individualized instruction and got some time back to handle however they most needed. It was wonderful to have focused time with each one of them and get a truer sense for what they needed related to our class, our program, and their career path. 

Sometimes, we just need a switch-up, something different for a class. Maybe it's a break or maybe it's one of these ideas:

• One-on-one consultations--This works well for courses with a large project or with seniors or graduate students who may also be seeking career and program advice.
• Guest speakers--Sometimes, the constant that needs to change is us. A new voice, even if it's saying the same words we say, can resonate. Or have students step into the role of the professor. My daughter's kindergarten teacher used this tactic and it made my little feel so important. 
• Change your modality/location--With so many schools set up for an easy pivot (you're tired of this word, I know), you could meet online for a class. Make a quick trip to the library for APA review. Or did you ever have a teacher who would take you outside? I loved that. I have designs on an evening sunset meeting at our Fort Worth campus where grad students bring lawn chairs and we have a "campfire" class. It's such a beautiful view on the prairie and lends itself to a philosophical chat about communication ethics.
• Change your format--Do you normally use a lecture method? Switch to a facilitator model or open discussion format. One evening I simply ditched my PowerPoint and started a discussion. Our grad students found the change of pace refreshing.

What do you do when you or your students just need a break?

<<Written in a past semester>>

Educational Excellence Week - Notes and Takeaways

I love a presentation with takeaways I can implement immediately. If your campus has an Educational Excellence Week, your fellow teachers will load you up with their favorite tips and tricks to improve your teaching right now.  Scott January, an instructional designer at Tarleton, had me taking all kinds of notes this morning at our EEWeek in his presentation for making courses more accessible.

Photo by Elizabeth Woolner on Unsplash

• Use Headers in blocks of text. This helps those using a screen reader to jump from header to header. In Canvas, you can find the set headers under the Paragraph section. In Word, you're looking for the headings in the Styles gallery.
• Customized hyperlinks prevent a screen reader from having to announce a horrible list of characters and letters. Just highlight the words in a sentence you want linked to and engage the link system in Canvas or Word. See the last bullet for an example. And it makes the page look cleaner for everyone.
• Accessibility Checkers: Canvas has an automatic ADA checker; it looks like a circle with a body inside. Word has one, too! Look under the Review Tab.
• In Word and Canvas, use the list function to create lists so a screen reader will acknowledge the list.
• Alternative Text or alt tags are easy and make a huge difference for someone listening to a screen reader. It's basically an embedded description of a visual. Did you know Word lets you add alt tags?

Scott called it "Digital Equity" and using Universal Design can help all learners. 

Panel Power!

 

The 2022 Texas Women in Higher Education conference was a great event! I was especially proud to present on mentoring with Dr. Therese Pennell, Skyla Claxton, and Dr. Rochelle Gregory. Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?! You never know if a panel will gel and this one did. 

Our participants really open up and shared their challenges and mentoring successes. It was as good as you could hope for -- when time is up and no one wants to run to the luncheon immediately. 

In the "it's a small world" category, we discovered that each of us had Tarleton State connections. Dr. Pennell and I know each other and teach in the same college. Skyla and Dr. Gregory have Tarleton master's degrees.

After two years of virtual-only attendance, I found the renewal and networking of a face-to-face conference to be exactly what I needed for the end-of-the-semester slide.

Until next year, TWHE! See you in Denton.

Resource Share - AHB's Manuscript Recipe

One of my colleagues has launched a website full of resources that can help us all. Dr. Amber Harris Bozer is one cool cat. I love this neuroscientist's passion for sharing and learning! As Associate Editor for the Journal of Social Media in Society, she created an entire how-to manual for our editorial team. And now, she's creating and curating how-to's for researchers at all stages.

Dr. Harris Bozer's ability to organize and outline processes is one to emulate. On her website, she has a Manuscript Recipe that might help you as you revamp an article or strike out on your first one, step by step. You'll also find a timeline for thesis/dissertation committees that will guide chairs and students alike. She has it all for you to download, adapt, and share some more.