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Montgomery College General Education Program Revision Question 1: Should a speech course be required for all students who complete Consider the Full Story -
A
Summary Section is followed by Details for each side below. New
Are the Votes for Speech and Health Interrelated
or Distinct? |
| Yes
-
one speech
course should be required for all students. This is a vote to keep the current speech course Foundation Requirement. Keep Speech as a Requirement
Why
Speech Communication Should Be a General Education Requirement at Presented
by Fritzi Bodenheimer,
What
is Communication? Communication. According to the National Communication Association, the discipline of communication focuses on how people use verbal and nonverbal messages to generate meanings within and across various contexts, cultures, channels, and media. The field promotes the effective and ethical practice of human communication. 1.
Most of the nation’s community colleges require
speech communication as a general education course. The
majority of community colleges recognized as leaders and models of good
practices in higher education require speech communication as a general
education requirement. 2.
Oral communication courses prepare students for the modern work
force and constitute the most important skill sought in job applicants
and valued in new employees. The
Business-Higher Education Forum conducted a survey asking employers to
identify the skills needed by college students preparing for the world
of work. Oral communication was first on the list, followed by other
communication competencies such as working in teams, leadership,
interpersonal skills, and critical thinking. Written communication
followed as 6th on the list. The Association of American Colleges and Universities’ 2007 report, College Learning for the New Global Century, surveyed executives about the skills they look for in a job candidate. The top three choices were teamwork skills, critical thinking and analytical reasoning skills, and oral/written communication. Recent college graduates, 80 percent of whom are currently employed, ranked the same three skills as most important to their success as employees. 3.
Many college graduates lack the ability to communicate
effectively, to work in teams, to interact with people from diverse
backgrounds, to motivate and lead others, and to listen. A
study of Fortune 500 executives found that “newly hired graduates have
impressive academic skills. However, graduates lack communication skills
and the ability to work in teams and with people from diverse
backgrounds.” (The Business-Higher Education Forum, 1997) The
Chronicle of Higher Education reports that college faculty members
identify speaking, listening, problem solving, interpersonal skills,
working in groups, and leading groups as essential skills for every
college graduate. (Diamond, 1997) 4.
Oral communication is the language of leadership, group
communication, interpersonal relationships, and intercultural
communication.
All of the above competency areas are included in basic communication courses. 5.
Citizens in a mediated world and global marketplace must be able
to listen accurately, analyze critically, and respond intelligently
and
appropriately to oral and visual messages in a variety of
contexts. In
his book, Are You Communicating?
You Can’t Manage Without It, Donald Walton admonishes readers to
take all the speech and communication courses they can because the world
turns on communication. Only
speech communication courses teach classical and contemporary theory
as well as research-based
strategies and practical
skills necessary for effective communication. Only
speech communication courses teach
students how to
communicate in interpersonal, group, presentational, and mediated
contexts. Whereas other disciplines may use and require group work as
well as oral and mediated presentations, only communication courses
provide qualified
instruction and reliable assessment in these competency areas.
Only
speech communication courses apply
ethical communication standards to messages and promote personal
responsibility for the consequences of communication. Only
speech communication courses encompass critical
life skills necessary to: s
interpret and evaluate nonverbal communication. s
understand, respect, and adapt to others. s
develop and deliver effective oral presentations. s
influence opinions, attitudes, and behaviors. s
listen comprehensively, analytically, appreciatively, and empathically. s
analyze and resolve interpersonal conflicts. s
work effectively and efficiently in groups and teams. s
chair effective and efficient meetings. s
lead and motivate others in a variety of contexts. s
interact with family, friends, and colleagues. s
explain complex and controversial ideas. s
develop and analyze valid arguments. s
analyze and critique mediated messages. s
apply ethical standards to communication in a variety of contexts. Only
speech communication courses focus on students’ ability to analyze and
express personal beliefs, attitudes, and opinions that adapt
to the characteristics and needs of others. Association
of Business-Higher
Education Forum in affiliation with the American Council on Education
(January 1997), Spanning the
chasm: Corporate and academic cooperation to improve work-force
preparation. Diamond,
R. M. (August 1997), Designing and assessing courses and curricula,” Chronicle
of Higher Education, B7. Emanuel,
R. (2005). The case for fundamentals of oral communication, Community College Journal of Research and Practice, 29: 153-162. Engleberg,
Walton,
D. (1989). Are you communicating?
You cannot manage without it. Please send your
comments for publication on this issue to GenEd@montgomerycollege.edu From: Farrell, Benjamin 3/1/08 from Rockville Speech Faculty: We appreciate Steve Leitz's service to the general education committee and his thoughtful consideration of the issues related to this important college decision. However, his most recent comments are based on a fundamental error. The course in question, SP 108, is called Introduction to Human Communication. Telling students that this is a course in public speaking is misleading and it inaccurately frames the issue for our own discussions here as the vote approaches. While Introduction to Human Communication contains a public speaking component, it is not a course in public speaking. In Introduction to Human Communication, students learn how to:
All career choices—from scientists explaining
their research to police officers calming a crowd—rely on
communication to get the job done. There
is no better evidence for this than the hundreds of help wanted ads
every day, from CEO to motorcycle mechanic, which list communication
skills as essential for applicants.
For ten years running,
communication skills have topped the list of desired traits in job
applicants according to the National Association of Colleges and
Employers. It is no
wonder that the first MHEC requirement is for our students to have
proficiency in written and oral communication.
And therefore it is our duty, to provide students qualified
instruction in these skills. Not
only will Introduction to Human Communication satisfy the MHEC requirement,
the skills students gain in this class will serve them for a lifetime. 2/13/08 from Professor Shahova:
Dear Colleagues,
I have been teaching all of the AELP and
Russian courses at MC for ten years, so my experience has shown
that YES, speech programs are absolutely necessary for the students
seeking degrees. In fact,all our courses are interactive, and lack
of proper oral communication is a serious impediment not only to
students' progress in studies and also in their ability to
responsibly express themselves as future professionals.
Thank you,
Adjunct Professor Iryna Shahova
___________________________________
2/12/08, from Professor Rueben-Powell: "We lead in
meeting economic and workforce development needs" - this is the
penultimate line of our college mission. Return to the top of this page From:
Giron, Robert With
regard to removing Speech from the Foundation Being able to read, write, and communicate effectively are always on the "wish lists" of what perspective employers want from workers. Add to that critical thinking skills which students develop in such courses as English (composition/literature), Speech (communication and interpersonal skills), and Art/Creative Writing (creative thinking outside of the box). We at MC should be focused on what is best for the student in terms of an general education not necessarily abstract tables and charts of this or that in terms of graduation rates. If that is how the State is judging us, then we need to communicate our position more effectively. _______________________________________ I
surveyed the National Speech Communication web site to view
communication requirements and programs across the country. The national
trend is to require more communication courses not fewer. No longer
requiring speech seems to buck the national trend. |
No - a vote of no
means that speech courses will become an optional choice within the
courses on the Humanities Distribution List.
Make Speech an Optional, Not a Required Course
Should a Speech
Course be required for all This
draft proposal to align MC’s general education distribution categories
with MC’s speech course will transfer as a general education Humanities course to UMCP, and also to UMUC, our two primary transfer destinations. When students take Speech 108 or 112 at MC, they may not be aware that it transfers to UMCP’s CORE, “Humanities Other” category because there is not a direct equivalency for the course at UMCP. They often feel that this was a “wasted course” because it is not listed as a requirement at UMCP. Students are especially concerned when they find that they were expected to take both a history and a literature for UMCP CORE requirements. Under the current general education program, a student can take two Arts classes, one Humanities (a foreign language, for example), and SP 108, completely missing UMCP’s preferred literature and history requirements. With so many general education courses to choose from under the current system, and knowing that the MHEC agreement will assure general education transfer, students are typically advised to take any courses without being aware that they could have fulfilled some specific general education requirements at MC prior to transfer. The new General Education Program proposal moves Speech into the Humanities category, where it becomes a choice for students rather than a requirement. This plan gives students greater flexibility in selecting courses that meet the requirements of transfer destinations. A survey of the 30 schools to which most MC students transfer (SP,HE,AR Chart, Attachment 9) both in-state and out-of-state, indicates that SP is a required course at only 10 out of the 30 schools. Making speech an option, rather than a requirement, does not mean that the General Education Program is ignoring the Written and Oral Communication Competency. Rather, it puts more emphasis on that competency by encouraging courses in all disciplines to incorporate an oral communications activities including presentations, active class discussions and debates. Speech remains an important requirement in many majors; for example, business, education and communication majors at most schools all require a SP course. A vote for No to the Speech Requirement means that students will still be able to elect to take SP from among EN literature, foreign language, history, philosophy, and women’s studies course choices. For faculty concerned about students who are not transferring, Speech can easily be a specific requirement within Humanities in Career Degrees. In summary, voting to eliminate Speech as a specific, separate requirement means that
-------------------------------------------------- Comments from Faculty Please send your comments for publication on this issue to GenEd@montgomerycollege.edu Submitted by Steve
Lietz, Counselor, Rockville on 2/20/08 There is not doubt that oral communication is an important trait and desired in many situations from personal communications to speaking to many people as a group. Public speaking is also an important trait but not for everyone. While we would like to promote democracy through the ability to speak well, that is only a part of the equation to being democratic. We as human beings have our own feelings towards responsibilities and our role in a democratic society and that is developed from an innate desire to be part of the society in general. I believe each one of us will rise to the level of comfort to be a participant as best we can. My desire to see speech moved from a required course to a choice among Humanities options stems from the opinion that not everyone needs a human communications class. Many students come to MC already able to make presentations and present themselves in front of groups of peers and do not need a formal class. Others who are forced to take the speech class will never make a presentation in front of a group of more that one close friend. It is my opinion that each major at the College determine what is in the best interest of their students based upon the transfer requirements. Majors will still have the ability to include a human communication requirement in that particular major and other students can be advised to take a speech class as part of their curriculum in discussion with advisors at MC. Currently students who complete a degree at MC may find that upon arrival at a transfer institution that they need more general education requirements as speech does transfer as an elective but they still need to complete a history or literature class with the speech class not helping them. In fact the cost in time and tuition may set a student back; please keep in mind the time and money pressure under which many of our students operate. The proposal to make speech an elective or a specific requirement in each major speaks to student needs and transfer issues which are important considerations in spite of the desire to make each student everything MC thinks a student should be. If we believe speech is important then it should be part of many classes across many majors assisting students in particularly speaking the language of their chosen field.
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