30B-7 |
Improving oral communication of food science and human nutrition students |
C. A. REITMEIER1, B. A. Glatz1, J. A. Anderson1, and D. A. Vrchota2. (1) Dept. of Food Science & Human Nutrition, Iowa State Univ., 2543 Food Sciences Bldg., Ames, IA 50011, (2) The Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication, Iowa State University, Ames, IA Concern about the effectiveness of the communication skills of Food Science and Human Nutrition (FSHN) graduates prompted faculty to implement improvements in the communication experiences of students in FSHN courses. Students must be able to listen, write, speak, and present information to technical and lay audiences and to work in teams to be successful professionals. Improved communication skills will also help students attain deeper understanding of discipline-related concepts. As part of a long-term plan to improve the communication skills of FSHN students, the focus of this project was to help FSHN faculty incorporate oral communication skills and exercises into their courses. Three 6-hour workshops about interpersonal communication, group/team communication, and public speaking were presented to 20 FSHN faculty by an oral communication expert. Workshop activities included presentation of basic concepts of communication and opportunities to practice specific communication skills. Current communication objectives, activities, and assessment methods in FSHN courses were surveyed. Oral communication skills were practiced to some degree in all undergraduate FSHN courses. Most courses included interpersonal communication, individual presentations to large groups, and/or work in teams with presentations to the class. In consultation with the communication expert, each faculty member who participated in the workshops developed a communication plan for his/her course(s). The FSHN Curriculum Committee is using these plans to develop a coordinated, comprehensive communication plan to implement various types of communication activities, at various levels of complexity, throughout FSHN curricula. Identification of environments in which FSHN majors work has guided incorporation of communication in the disciplines. Students who graduate from this program will work in similarly diverse professional contexts. Through reflection on current practices, instructors have identified more effective methods of infusing communication experiences in their courses in such a way that compromising disciplinary content is minimized and learning and practice opportunities are maximized.
Session 30B, Education
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