Abstract
This article features 12 teaching innovations presented at the 2020 Association for Business Communication (ABC) annual international conference held online due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Readers can explore the classroom methods designed to enhance students’ individual and career skills, critical thinking, teamwork, and report writing skills—many are designed to be taught online. This article is the first in a two-part series. The next article will appear in the September 2021 issue. Additional teaching materials—instructions to students, stimulus materials, slides, grading rubrics, frequently asked questions, and sample student projects—are posted on the ABC website:https://www.businesscommunication.org/page/assignments.
Responding nimbly to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the Association for Business Communication (ABC) brought its members together via their computers for this year’s annual international conference. The well-designed virtual conference site attracted a record number ofMy Favorite Assignmentattendees—many enjoying the pandemic fashion trend of business dress on top, loungewear on bottom off-camera. Over 450 members joined in four sessions watching presentations by 62 business communication teachers. The online format made possible the participation of many international and first time ABC conference members.
In 2020, university professors around the world and their students were forced to learn together online. This year’sMy Favorite Assignmentpresenters responded to the pandemic by creating learning experiences that fit perfectly to an online environment. Many of the 12Favorite Assignmentsfeatured in this article adapt beautifully to the online learning environment. This article introduces the latest ideas in career and personal development, online teamwork, and report writing.
My Favorite Assignmentsare designed for fast classroom adoption. Readers can visit the ABC web page to see a collection of downloadable teaching support materials including instructions to students, stimulus and exercise materials, slides, grading rubrics, frequently asked questions (FAQs), and sample student work products at no cost to ABC members:https://www.businesscommunication.org/page/assignments. Materials are also available on DePaul University’s Center for Sales Leadership page:https://salesleadershipcenter.com/research/business-professional-communication-quarterly-my-favorite-assignment.
Assigning a Networking Plan
Baylor University, USA
Genre
Networking, document design, report writing, peer evaluation, relationship building, experiential learning
The Assignment
Learners apply a relationship-building approach to business networking. This assignment encourages a goal orientation as students first identify their career goals. Then, learners select people who are likely to help them reach their goals. Finally, learners build their interpersonal skills enhancing their ability to reciprocate with others. They list ways that they can serve their networking partners by laying the foundation for long-term, mutually supportive relationships.
Students create a 1- to 2-page, single-spaced document designed to capture their career goals and networking plan. See Support Materials: Guided Questions to Support Student Document Development.
Target Learners
College students
Learning Objectives
Students will do the following:
Build a strong ethos during interpersonal communication by finding ways to serve others while networking
Write clear, correct, coherent, and concise paragraphs
Design a document following design principles: contrast, repetition, alignment, and proximity
Time to Complete the Assignment
2 weeks
Evaluating Outcomes
Students are graded on
Specificity of their service ideas
Thoroughness in answering assignment’s structured career goal questions
Quality of planned steps they will take to meet those goals
Application of document design criteria
Writing’s clarity, correctness, coherence, and concision
Support Materials
Instructions to students
Stimulus and exercise materials
Guided questions for document development
Slides
Grading rubrics
Sample student work product
Integrating Team-Based Learning in the Basic Business Communication Course
West Texas A&M University, USA
Genre
Teamwork, report writing, presentation, personal capability analysis, communication apprehension, experiential learning
The Assignment
Too many students lack essential teamwork skills. They often dislike or do not take group assignments seriously. This pre-group work assignment first takes students through learning experiences designed to give them insights into their attitudes and capabilities in working with others. Their current teamwork skills are assessed before they begin projects with their classroom colleagues. Groups are transformed into working teams with shared goals and higher stakes.
Students complete a survey addressing communication apprehension, writing efficacy, and communication style. These data are used to create teams. Students practice communication skills taught in real time as they work together on a variety of assignments throughout the semester.
Assignments include report writing and giving presentations. Students also complete peer-evaluation forms at multiple points during the semester. Student feedback indicates many students find it a stretching experience that contributes in positive ways to their learning in the class and their growth as individuals.
Target Learners
Undergraduates, especially first-year and second-year students
Learning Objectives
Students will do the following:
Gain insight into their group work attitudes and capabilities
Learn about their personal communication apprehension
Gain experience working effectively in a team to accomplish shared goals
Practice communication skills including interpersonal communication, nonverbal communication, and group roles in an applied setting
Gain confidence in communicating via the written and spoken word, as well as in their ability to communicate within groups
Time to Complete the Assignment
Team-based learning is woven into course activities throughout the semester. A few class periods are allotted over 4 to 5 weeks to complete an assignment.
Materials, Equipment, Special Considerations
Team-based learning works best if fit in to the design of the course
Allow for team discussion time during class meetings
Provide students resource options for distributed teamwork (e.g., Zoom, Google Docs)
Pre-assessment survey
Peer evaluation forms
Evaluating Outcomes
Grading rubric is provided.
Individuals also receive a self- and peer-evaluation score based on their own and their teammates’ assessment of their contribution to the group effort.
Students complete an informal self-reflection at the end of the semester, assessing their experience of working in their team.
Support Materials
Instructions to students
Pre-assessment survey
Grading rubrics
Links to online team-based learning resources
Student peer evaluation form, self-reflection prompt
Reflection Comments: Student Review Feedback, Assess Their Own Performance, and Plan for the Future
Colorado State University, USA
Genre
Applying feedback, self-assessment, reflection, brief report writing, experiential learning
The Assignment
Many students ignore their teacher’s carefully crafted written feedback on their assignments. To encourage students to read feedback and grow from it, Reflection Comments ask students to review written feedback and respond to it. In their responses, they must quote from the feedback they have received as they discuss:
How they feel about their grade
What areas of the rubric they succeeded in and why
What areas of the rubric they can improve on and what steps they will take to improve
These comments encourage students to think about their own learning and how to learn from the feedback they receive.
Target Learners
Undergraduates
Learning Objectives
Students will do the following:
Read feedback on assignments
Understand areas for growth and improvement
Plan action steps for improvement
Integrate quotes into written work
Time to Complete the Assignment
10 to 15 minutes
Evaluating Outcomes
5 points total for assignment
3 points if student responds to questions
5 points if student included quotes from feedback in each response
7 points (extra credit)—if student responded to questions, included quotes from feedback, demonstrated significant and thoughtful responses to feedback and plans for improvement (e.g., responding to each comment in a draft)
Support Materials
Instructions to students
Grading rubrics
Sample student work product
Sample detailed comments, summary comment, and debrief provided to students prior to their reflection
Remote Video Interview Activity Using Flipgrid
Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, South Korea
Genre
Career development, interview skills, panel interviews, video communication, experiential learning, group work, role play, report writing
The Assignment
Learners prepare for and engage in job interview role-playing exercises via asynchronous videos.
First, groups discuss the hiring process and job interviews to find questions that may be asked in a professional interview. Then the group creates an interview video as an interviewer panel asking questions.
Second, individual students watch the interview videos and create a video response to answer the interviewer panel’s questions.
Finally, students report their experience by creating a memo or other professionally formatted document that organizes their responses as interviewees and reflect on lessons learned.
Target Learners
Undergraduate and graduate students
Learning Objectives
Students will do the following:
Research and understand common job interview questions
Plan and create a group interview video
Practice verbally responding to interview questions
Construct a professional report document
Summarize and report evidence of participation, experience, and lessons learned
Time to Complete the Assignment
2 weeks
Materials, Equipment, Special Considerations
Internet connection
Devices capable of recording videos—modern smartphones with cameras and laptops with cameras and updated browsers
Flipgrid App website (https://flipgrid.com) is Microsoft’s free video discussion service. Users interact using video on mobile devices or a computer with a camera. The service hosts the videos and offers many ways students can communicate as they organize topics and create responses.
Interview Question Resources—textbooks, websites, and books to stimulate interview question
Evaluating Outcomes
Reflection report grading rubric provided
Support Materials
Instructions to students
Slides
Grading rubric
Links to online material
Assignment set-up instructions for instructors
From Z to X and Beyond: How Understanding the Five Generations in Today’s Workplace Affects Communication Strategy
University of Utah, USA
Genre
Personal development, generational models, communication strategy, diversity and inclusion
The Assignment
Learners use a five-part generational model to develop communication strategies appropriate for each cohort. Students study an exercise worksheet that includes descriptions of the five main generations identified in today’s workplace. In addition, participants may add to the discussion about the multigenerational workplace using internet sources as well as their own personal experience.
Students consider their personal experience interacting and communicating with generations in the workplace. They discuss the vantages of intergenerational communication as well as the inherent difficulties. Learners conceive plans to increase diversity in the workplace.
Students apply their insights and intergenerational communication by creating a communication plan including message strategy, visual communication, and storytelling.
Target Learners
Undergraduate, MBA, and executive students
Learning Objectives
Students will do the following:
Understand the five generations that exist in today’s workforce
Grapple with the advantages and challenges associated with a multigenerational workforce
Develop strategies on how to communicate with and motivate different generational groups
Examine how understanding the generations in your audience will enhance your ability to connect/persuade in a public speaking context
Time to Complete the Assignment
45 minutes
Materials, Equipment, Special Considerations
Assignment description
Five generations description
Instructors teaching plan outlined steps
Discussion guide
Worksheet
Slides
Evaluating Outcomes
No grading involved; this in an in-class, dynamic exercise
Support Materials
Instructions to students
Stimulus and exercise materials
Slides
LinkedIn Profile Reviews
St. Cloud State University, USA
Genre
Job application, career development, feedback, LinkedIn, networking, self-reflection experiential learning
The Assignment
Students gain real-world career development skills as they experience the LinkedIn job application process.
First, students do a self-review of their LinkedIn profiles using a rubric developed specifically for this assignment. Participants are encouraged to enhance their LinkedIn profile applying what they have learned.
Second, students participate in a LinkedIn review with an employer, set up through the Career Center. Typically, reviews are conducted virtually. Students receive oral and written comments via a rubric.
Finally, students reflect on their experience and its value in writing to receive credit.
This assignment provides students with a “real-world” view of their employability, as assessed by an employer, and an excellent opportunity for networking.
Target Learners
Upper level undergraduate and graduate students
Learning Objectives
Students will do the following:
Learn the characteristics of an effective LinkedIn profile
Assess/evaluate their LinkedIn profile
Edit a LinkedIn profile including selection of information, determining how to present information effectively (design elements), and effective writing (proofreading)
Network with an employer
Receive employer feedback
Reflect on the learning experience
Time to Complete the Assignment
Several weeks before students meet with an employer they complete their LinkedIn self-profile review.
Employer reviews are about 20 minutes long.
Materials, Equipment, Special Considerations
Students need to create, or have created, a LinkedIn profile.
Partnership with a Career Center to recruit employers to participate in the reviews is extremely important.
Evaluating Outcomes
Points are awarded for good-faith completion of the self-review.
Students write a brief reflection email explaining their employer review experience. They evaluate the value of the assignment.
Support Materials
Instructions to students
Self-profile review rubric
Sample student work product
Take Someone to Lunch
Pfeiffer University, USA
Genre
Networking, personal development, SWOT analysis, reflection, experiential learning
The Assignment
This assignment requires students to take someone they would not usually interact with to lunch. The goal is for students to ask probing questions, listen, and find common ground.
Students do both a pre-lunch and post-lunch SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) analysis of their own skills. The analysis begins with an online test-yourself quiz of learner’s listening skills. Support Materials (including supplemental reading on effective listening) offer a good baseline of both good and bad listening habits, methods of giving and receiving feedback, and ability to form effective questions.
Post-lunch, students write a self-reflective paper of what they learned from the experience, their own growth in listening, and ability to create discussion-provoking questions. Using their pre-lunch SWOT analysis as a baseline, participants evaluate their skills growth.
Target Learners
Upper level undergraduate and graduate students
Learning Objectives
Students will do the following:
Evaluate and improve listening skills and biases
Create questions that uncover both facts and feelings around issues and experiences
Analyze differences between various belief systems, employment roles, economic status, and similar concepts, then create common ground
Time to Complete the Assignment
3 weeks
Evaluating Outcomes
Grading is based on depth of self-analysis as well as evidence of improved listening, improved ability to create questions that uncover both fact and feeling around an issue, and ability to recognize and evaluate their own communication biases. Students who provide in-depth answers to how and why, plus specific, detailed examples to support their answers, receive higher grades.
Support Materials
Instructions to students
Grading rubrics
Links to online material
List of supplemental reading and links to online listening quiz
Personal Website Creation Makes for a Perfect Final Exam
Brigham Young University–Hawaii, USA
Genre
Website development, personal development, career development, reflection, final project
The Assignment
Learners create a website to showcase the skills they have acquired throughout the class. Students’ growth in resume writing, LinkedIn development, personal branding, case study writing, writing for the web, persuasion, graphic design basics, and a 30-second elevator pitch can be featured.
This exercise contributes more to students’ personal and career development than a traditional, multiple choice final. A personal website positions them above the competition as they begin searching for internships and later, full-time employment. This assignment has proved beneficial in other courses as well. Students compile, reflect upon, and add new skills to their webpage throughout their college experience.
Target Learners
Sophomores and juniors
Learning Objectives
Students will do the following:
Create a basic website using easily accessible free software
Enhance awareness of skill growth
Showcase skills learned inside and outside of the classroom
Apply eye-catching visual communication techniques and good writing
Practice creating content for websites
Enhance personal branding
Time to Complete the Assignment
Semester-long assignment
Students report spending 10 to 30 hours
Materials, Equipment, Special Considerations
Wix and Weebly are recommended webpage development tools. Both have free versions.
Canva is a good tool to add graphic design elements.
Loom is suggested for video presentations.
All recommended tools are free.
Evaluating Outcomes
Spelling, grammar, and word usage are evaluated.
Visual elements and basic usage of graphic design rules are assessed.
Additional requirements may include learning objectives from previous assignments (such as LinkedIn, resume creation, and video elevator pitches).
Previous assignments should be uploaded after they have been completed, graded, and updated based on feedback from the instructor or TA.
Support Materials
Instructions to students
Creating a Personal Leadership Vision
Cornell University, USA
Genre
Personal development, career development, self-assessment, report writing, reflection, experiential learning
The Assignment
Students write a speech that someone else might deliver about them in 10 years: Imagine that you’re winning an award from your company or from a community organization for your leadership. What would someone say about you? Include future examples that illustrate your effect on individuals’ work or personal lives; your contribution to the team, your company, and your community; and the values you hold and model for others.
To prepare, students complete a strengths exercise, take the Via character assessment (viacharacter.org), review reflection activities during the class, and consider the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
To help students plan to achieve their vision, include an “Odyssey Plan” (Burnett & Evans, 2016).
Target Learners
Juniors
Learning Objectives
Students will do the following:
Identify and test what you consider to be your strengths
Identify examples that represent your personal leadership vision
Demonstrate proficient writing skills
Time to Complete the Assignment
Between 6 and 10 hours
Evaluating Outcomes
Grading rubric categories (included with support materials) include strategic approach and audience perspective, content and development, critical thinking and reflection, and organization and style.
Support Materials
Instructions to students
Grading rubric
Links to online material
The Cookie Report: Findings, Conclusions, and Recommendations
Dalhousie University, Canada
Genre
Sensory experience, decision matrices, critical thinking, message strategy, report writing, experiential learning
The Assignment
Students enjoy eating delicious cookies as they engage in the Cookie Report assignment. This fun activity requires students to use all five senses as they enjoy cookies with their classmates.
Students create a decision matrix, develop criteria, and evaluate cookies. Individually, they write out their findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
The distinctions between findings, conclusions, and recommendations are experienced through a multisensory approach. This approach yields greater student engagement and deeper learning.
Alternative Online Assignment
This assignment’s multisensory learning objectives adapt well to the online environment. In this separate assignment, students recommend an optimal background settings for video for presentations or meetings.
Working in small groups, students first develop criteria for assessing video backgrounds (e.g., lighting, use of color, and image quality). Next, they create a decision matrix for evaluating backgrounds.
As with the Cookie Report, students individually write out their findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
Target Learners
First-year business communication students
Learning Objectives
Students will do the following:
Apply a multisensory approach
Demonstrate the distinctions between findings, conclusions, and recommendations
Experience a simple, fun activity to ease the transition to more complex material and the length and format of a formal report
Understand the difference between descriptive and evaluative language
Apply descriptive and evaluative language to report components
Time to Complete the Assignment
60 to 80 minutes
Materials, Equipment, Special Considerations
Chocolate chip cookies (or other tasty treats)
Alternative learning stimulus: anything, of which, four or five different samples can be attained (erasers, pens, student phones, etc.)
Room Rater (https://twitter.com/ratemyskyperoom?lang=en) is a good resource for students learning about techniques and criteria for optimal video settings. It is a Twitter site dedicated to evaluating backgrounds used by Skype and Zoom speakers.
Online session: Internet access, breakout rooms
Evaluating Outcomes
This is a pre-grade developmental activity.
Support Materials
Instructions to students
Stimulus and exercise materials
Slides
Sample student work product
Links to online material
Making Individual Commitment Matters in a Group Research Proposal
Cameron University, USA
Genre
Teamwork, audience analysis, research project structure, communication strategy, proposal writing
The Assignment
This assignment is designed to enhance both the individual and group work experience.
First, prior to meeting as a group, each member works independently to create a draft version of a research proposal. They conduct their own, individual research that is developing their engagement and fresh perspective.
The idea sheet briefly describes the problem, audience, purpose, solution, benefits, best research methods, and schedule. It functions as a mini-proposal.
Target Learners
Undergraduates
Learning Objectives
Students will do the following:
Develop individual project engagement and commitment to teamwork
Engage every member in the group in finding the most suitable topic for the group project
Practice individual research skills
Reinforce individual understanding on writing a research proposal
Time to Complete the Assignment
1 week
Materials, Equipment, Special Considerations
Individual proposal sheet with specific description for each component of a proposal, internet
Evaluating Outcomes
Rubric provided
Support Materials
Instructions to students
Stimulus and exercise materials
Slides
Grading rubrics
FAQs
Sample student work product
Students’ Organizational Change Case Writing: A Wiki Approach
National University of Singapore, Singapore
Genre
Teamwork, case writing, collaborative writing, organizational change
The Assignment
Working in small groups, students write an organizational change case study.
First, learners explore a real-world organizational issue. They gather information from news articles, social media, annual reports, news releases, or other publicly available written materials.
The case must describe the type of change, factors influencing change, stakeholders involved and their perceptions, the messages that the organization sent to stakeholders, and the outcomes of change if already known. The report is designed to be descriptive rather than analytical. The goal is to “tell” a compelling story rather than providing an analysis of the case. Google Slides is used to report the case.
The cases are posted to a class website using Google Sites. Students assess other teams’ cases.
Target Learners
Upper level undergraduate or graduate students
Learning Objectives
Students will do the following:
Work collaboratively in a group
Analyze types of organizational change and factors influencing change
Identify stakeholders involved in organizational change
Evaluate outcomes of organizational change
Propose solutions to manage communication during organizational change
Time to Complete the Assignment
3 weeks for research and collaborative case writing on Google Slides
2 weeks for feedback and discussion
Materials, Equipment, Special Considerations
Google Slides and Google Sites
Evaluating Outcomes
Students’ cases will be assessed based on the following criteria:
Rigor of case selection that illustrates various factors affecting change implementation
Breadth of information presented for change analysis from perceptions of various stakeholders
Depth of research for case development that highlights dilemmas of organizational change
Application of theoretical concepts to formulate case narrative
Reliability of cited sources
Support Materials
Instructions to students
Sample student work
Links to online material
Summary
This year’s online conference setting compelled theMy Favorite Assignmentorganizers and presenters to make big adjustments to their traditional format. Rather than taking the stage to share their ideas, the presenters appeared in prerecorded 3-minute videos. This was first time sinceMy Favorite Assignment’s inception that the traditionaltime’s up bellwas not used. The much-loved audience’sthunderous applausewas, by necessity, prerecorded.
ABC’s technical coordinator, Andrew Cavanaugh, devoted his extensive video editing and production skills creating theMy Favorite Assignmentsessions. At the end of each presentation, he cleverly included video clips of a wide variety of audiences (people attending theater, television, sporting events, and concerts) thunderously applauding. Andrew’s dedication and selfless labor made this year’sMy Favorite Assignmentsessions possible.
TheMy Favorite Assignmentsubmissions were peer reviewed by 51 leading business communication educators. Their contribution is essential to ensuring quality pedagogical advancement in business communication education.
Readers are encouraged to join these fun, fast-pacedMy Favorite Assignmentsessions at the 86th annual Association for Business Communication conference (October 21-23, 2021). As this article goes to press the conference is scheduled to be held online.
Footnotes
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Author Biography