You Are the Key: Communicate for Learning Effectiveness.

Abstract

BACKGROUND PERSPECTIVES A variety of literature relates to instructor effectiveness (Clarke et al. 2001; Conant et al. 1988, Hill and Herche 2001; Kelley et al. 1991; Smart et al. 1999; and Weaver 1985). Much of it focuses on the opinions of both parties to the learning exchange-students and instructors. While there is considerable agreement between these parties as to what constitutes a good instructor, Gruenwald and Ackerman (1986) note that there are also important areas of disagreement. For example, they observed that while instructors rated of the as the most important factor in education, students considered skills to be most relevant. In an interesting study, Faranda and Clarke (2004) used in-depth interviews to allow students to express in their own words the attributes they considered to be most critical to a good instructor. Five themes became apparent: rapport, delivery, fairness, knowledge and credibility, and organization. Of these themes, rapport and delivery were considered to be of particular interest. Rapport was described as the ability to build relationships based on mutual trust and harmony. Students expressed a desire to build such relationships with their instructors. They were interested in the personal experiences of instructors and wanted to know who instructors were so that they might feel more comfortable opening up to them. Delivery was described as the manner in which instructors present and convey class-content materials. Students were especially concerned with things like enthusiasm, high-energy levels, positive attitudes, and passions for the subject matter. Interestingly, students accepted the lecture format as long as it was supplemented by some variation. Powerpoint was an acceptable delivery method but not if instructors only read from slides. Also, students valued communication that was not simply student-instructor oriented but also included student-to-student communication. EFFECTIVE INSTRUCTORS COMMUNICATE Delivery is a critical consideration and effective instructors can be expected to have at least one thing in common: They are good communicators with students. What is necessary to communicate well with others? For communication to occur between two individuals, a sharing of meaning must exist between the sender and the receiver. However, some instructors have a misguided understanding about what constitutes communication. They view it as a process with certain steps that need to be completed. Usually, the steps include having an idea, putting the idea into the form of a message, sending the message, and having the message received. Unfortunately, going through these steps does not guarantee that communication has occurred. When instructors view communication simply as a process, they are lulled into thinking that they have automatically achieved high levels of communication with students as a result of presenting in-class lectures. However, for effective communication to have occurred, there needs to be sharing of meaning. It is incorrect to conclude that sharing of meaning has occurred just because the communication process of sending and receiving has been completed. This concept can be demonstrated by asking students to think of an example of miscommunication that they have experienced with another person. If a student feels embarrassed or uncomfortable using an example from his or her personal life, the student can identify an example he or she has heard about or observed in others. Although the request could be in the form of a written assignment, it is best to ask for volunteers from class who are willing to speak up and share their examples of miscommunication with others. This approach quickly gets students involved and captures their attention. Furthermore, it helps students appreciate the fact that, although a message has been sent and received, there can be inadequate sharing of meaning. …