Introduction to Human Communication

 Survey of Communication Study

Common Course ID: COMM 180

CSU Instructor Open Textbook Adoption Portrait

Abstract: This open textbook is being utilized in a communications course for undergraduate students by Scott T. Paynton, Ph.D. at Humboldt State University. This text offers the opportunity to introduce people to communication as an academic field of study.  The main motivation to adopt an open textbook was to provide students with free materials that can be updated on a regular basis by a broad range of people in the discipline, making the text constantly current.  Most students access the open textbook online, as it is a Wikibook.

About the Textbook

Survey of Communication Study

Description: 

This text offers the opportunity to introduce people to Communication as an academic field of study. We have broken the book into two parts. First, we lay the foundation by covering the scope of communication study, its history, as well as a brief introduction to theories and research methods. Second, we provide chapters that survey many of the areas of specialization practiced in the field of Communication today. 

When I began teaching Introduction to Human Communication I could not find a suitable textbook. So, my co-authors and I wrote our own and decided to make it open source and free for students. 

Authors:

• Laura K. Hahn, Humboldt State University
• Scott T. Paynton, Humboldt State University

Formats:  

Students access the textbook through the online link. We are currently revising it and it will be housed on a new site, available as an e-book, and also available at low cost in print form through Amazon.

Supplemental resources:

Because we authored the textbook, we did not find a need to add any other external materials. Everything we wanted to include in the class is found in the textbook.

Cost savings:  

We previously used to Communication Mosaics, which now sells for $162. Over 125 students are affected each semester, resulting in an annual savings for students of $20,000.

Book Updates:

The book is updated in an unusual way. Seniors in our capstone course work on the updates as a way of demonstrating what they've learned in class.  The following article and video demonstrate this process.

Accessibility and diversity statement: 

We have tried to ensure that diversity is woven throughout the book and is not "added on" as sidebars or individual chapter sections.

We do not have any accessibility information to date.

License: 

The book, Survey of Communication Study, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported license. You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use. If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.

About the Course

COMM 105: Introduction to Human Communication

Description:   

Perceptual effects, verbal/nonverbal codes, and dynamics of interpersonal, group, and organizational communication. 

GE credit: 3 units

Learning outcomes:

• Introduce you to the broad scope of human communication. 
• Familiarize you with basic concepts in the field of communication and how they function in your life. 
• Develop your ability to talk and write about human communication. 
• Prepare you to critically analyze and practice communication theories and events. 
• Introduce you to various social scientific research methods for the evaluation of human communication as a social scientific event/phenomenon. 
• Introduce you to the history of the study of human communication. 
• Introduce you to the contextual, cultural, and social dimensions of human communication. 

Most students are freshmen and sophomores with roughly a one-third of the class consisting of communication majors. The rest of the students take it as an Area D GE (Social Science).

I did not make any curricular changes in using the textbook.

Teaching and learning impacts:

Collaborate more with other faculty: Yes
Use wider range of teaching materials: Yes
Student learning improved: Unsure
Student retention improved: Unsure
Any unexpected results: No

We have not made an attempt yet to determine if students learning or student retention was improved.

Sample assignment and syllabus:

Assignment
This is an assignment that I use for the class.

Syllabus
This is the syllabus I use for this class

Textbook Adoption

OER Adoption Process

When I began teaching Introduction to Human Communication I could not find a suitable textbook. So, my co-authors and I wrote our own and decided to make it open source and free for students. Our motivation was to provide students with free materials that can be updated on a regular basis by a broad range of people in our discipline, thus making the text constantly current.

Student access:  

Students access the book online. We are currently revising it and it will be housed on a new site, available as an e-book. It will also be available at low cost in print form through Amazon.

Student feedback or participation:

So far it has gone well. Students like it. I do find that many of them print it as they want a hard copy. So, having a cheap print version will be a step forward for this. 

• Readability of course text!!!
• His book is a masterpiece in the making.  I can't wait to own a copy.
• Very good job at actually getting me to read the textbook.  I read more of it in this class than any other.
• I found that having the text for this course available online was the most valuable because it allowed me to access the info when I needed it.
• I liked the text and the group presentations the most.
• Your book isn't wack (sic).  Thanks for everything."

Scott T. Paynton, Ph.D. 

I am a communication professor at Humboldt State University. I am also Associate Dean, Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. I teach Public Speaking, Introduction to Human Communication, Organizational Communication, Leadership, Business and Professional Communication, Health Communication, and Interpersonal Communication. 

As a scholar and teacher, my ongoing goal is to learn from everything I experience with the understanding that the process is what provides the necessary tools for effective teaching.  I challenge my students to think of their education not as a product, but as a living, growing aspect of their lives that will continue long after graduation. Intellectual, personal, social, and physical growth are essential aspects of a quality education.  

Respecting diversity and differing viewpoints has always been central to my pedagogy.  The open discussion of diverse ideas and perspectives challenges everyone devoted to learning to become both productive and critical thinkers. The exploration and free expression of ideas enhances the educational outcomes for all communication courses.  

I have done considerable scholarship in the area of pedagogy, focusing on methods of teaching that promote active participation from students in the learning process. I have produced papers and publications focusing on alternative teaching methods for teaching communication curriculum. I continually seek teaching methods that engage students in the learning process so that they might make the link between their education and everyday experience.  

In sum, education is a transaction among those individuals committed to the pursuit of learning.  Teachers and students alike contribute to the learning potential of each class, and ultimately, learning outcomes.  It is my responsibility as an educator to guide that learning process for my students as well as to be open to continual learning in my own life.