OER as a way to share student case studies

In my graduate communication ethics course, students consume a lot of case studies and then write one of their own. So many interested cases began to pile up with no reader beyond me. I am a big fan of using OER -- Open Education Resources -- for my courses, and thought why not help our students create one showcasing their ethics case studies. Now into our second volume, I present What If: Ethics Case Studies.

Cases use various philosophies to illustrate how a case can be analyzed weighing principles/values, stakeholders, and facts. Here's a peek at the table of contents:

The OER begins with a short introduction and then case links below are organized by the philosophy used for analysis. 

Introduction

Communitarianism

Your New Backseat Driver: A Communitarianism Approach to the Government’s Implementation of Advanced Drunk and Impaired Driving Technology

Celebrity Influence and Medication Scarcity: An Ethical Examination through a Communitarian Lens

Towards Ethical and Effective Emergency Response: A Cosmopolitan Perspective on the Tragic Case of Debra Stevens in Arkansas

Dialogic Ethics

From Bamboo Bliss to Social Media Crisis: The Kyte Baby Maternity Leave Debacle

She’s Drunk, But Should She Go Home? A Case Study Using Dialogic Ethics

Ethics of Care

The Case Study of the Withheld Sales

Ethics of Trust

Fallout of Alabama Baseball Coach Brian Bohannon's Gambling Scandal Using Ethics of Trust

Unauthorized Use of Shubnum Khan's Headshots and Watsuji’s Ethics of Trust Analysis

Rawl's Theory of Justice

A Case Study of the Princess of Wales' Photoshop Manipulation Incident 

Ubuntu

Canadian government decision to not search landfill for the bodies of three murdered Indigenous Women

From Disappointment to Discovery: Ubuntu Ethics and the Rebirth of No Man's Sky

Virtue Ethics

Alyssa Milano’s GoFundMe Baseball Fundraiser

A Case Study of a Mississippi Daycare Nightmare

I am extremely proud of my students for their willingness to share their work with others in the OER format. We have it set up where other instructors can remix cases for their own courses. 

APR: A Journey Toward Accreditation in Public Relations

After earning tenure, I felt like it was time for more professional development. Public relations (PR) practitioner-scholars whom I admire have earned their APRs (accreditation in public relations) and I want to remain competitive in my field. An APR designation signifies an investment and belief in our profession as a profession. Additionally, I want to model lifelong learning and industry commitment to my students. 

As part of the process, you present a campaign you have implemented. Timing worked out perfectly because I was launching a Women's History Month campaign for Tarleton's Women's Mentoring Network. Members’ research efforts were the focus, as this fulfilled the university’s mission to increase our research profile and institutional prominence. We celebrated a Month of Research on LinkedIn. The campaign was a success and provided an campaign for my panel presentation.

After many hours of preparations and studying, I sat for my panel presentation (think dissertation defense). I truly learned a few things along the way. For example, my objectives needed to be pushed beyond output measures. 

After passing the panel presentation (thank you to the APRs who gave their time for the evaluation and feedback), I prepared for the written exam. The PRSA-provided study guide is a great starting point. Many of the suggested textbooks are ones I've used as a teacher over the past 20 years. Nonetheless, I studied and studied. 

Next, it was test time. I spent hours glued to my chair taking an online exam while a proctor watched over my webcam and screenshare. It was a beast. The moment I hit submit, I held my breath and hoped for the PASS notification. I had to re-read it several times before my brain would believe that I had passed. 

I have many thank you notes to issue. To my APR mentor Dr. Kay Colley, APR, you are the best! Last year, she presented at a monthly PRSA meeting and forced us to consider one-year and five-year goals. I put APR on the notecard she handed me for my one-year goal. To Dr. Julie O'Neil, APR, who shared about her experience that same day and helped me make the leap. To Jeremy Agor, APR, our APR chair, who shepherded the process. To Jessamy Brown, APR, for her expertise on my panel. To all the APRs who came before and may not even know that they influenced my decision -- Kim Brown, APR, our PRSA chapter president, Dr. Amiso George, APR, Dr. Katie Place, APR, Dr. LaShonda Eaddy, APR, Jeff Wilson, APR, and many more -- thank you!

If you are thinking about pursuing your APR, I'm happy to share my experiences. 

Public and nonprofit sector communications: AI in your roles

AI-generated art.

Dr. Jacqueline Lambiase, TCU, Dr. Rosalynn Vasquez, Baylor, and I are looking at GenAI and communicators in the public and nonprofit sectors. If you're a communicator in these sectors, we would love your input. 

Survey link

IRB on file at the university.