With 50 certified courses, plans for specialized studios across campus and high interest from students and faculty, one University initiative is finally coming into its own. Communication Across the Curriculum is a program designed to improve the communication skills of students, particularly those in colleges where such abilities are not stressed. The program works closely with students to develop four types of communication skills- written, spoken, visual and technological. Students may take certified communication-intensive courses, create an online digital portfolio or work in specially designed CxC studios. Lillian Bridwell-Bowles, who has a doctorate in education, is the director of CxC. She explained that most of about 20 similar interdisciplinary communication programs across the country focus only on writing. CxC is the only one that also features technological, spoken and visual components. “A lot of contemporary communication is visual,” she said. The program was initiated in spring 2004 with a grant from the Cain Center, part of the Office of Academic Affairs dedicated to improving learning in science and engineering. Originally developed as a program to bolster the communication skills of engineering students, CxC has now expanded to include students from every college. Electrical engineering sophomore Yunan Yuan said CxC helped her become familiar with important software applications as well as develop critical business communication skills. Yuan also created a digital portfolio – a Web site that showcases the student’s development in the four areas of communication. “You can use it in your future job search, and that’s really important,” Yuan said of the portfolio. An integral part of the CxC program is the development of discipline-specific communications studios. Three are slated to open this academic year-one in Art and Design in fall 2006 and one each in Arts and Sciences and Basic Sciences in spring 2007. Another studio, designed to facilitate engineering students, is already open in CEBA. The CEBA studio is a state-of-the-art center created to help students learn valuable communication and teamwork skills. The studio has a Wi-Fi hotspot lounge area featuring 17 computer workstations. It also features a large-format printer, a 3-D printer and a conference room with a huge hi-tech touch-sensitive computer screen. All these resources are available to faculty and students. Warren Hull, the CEBA studio’s communication coordinator, said the industry is recognizing communication skills being important, even for students in technical studies like the engineering program. The studio focuses not only on communication but also teamwork among students. Hull explained that students gain valuable team experience through the studio that they may not receive in the classroom. “We encourage small working groups,” he said. Hull also commented on the innovative concept of the studio. “We’re the only discipline-specific communication studio that I’ve run across,” Hull said. Jennifer Farrell, English doctoral student, will also be working at the CEBA studio this year. She worked with CxC students over the summer and described the program as “absolutely successful.” “It is important that CxC gives them this opportunity to see the wide range of skills they need to develop,” Farrell said. Though CxC has taken some time to develop, Bridwell-Bowles explained that the process was deliberate to guarantee the quality of the program. “I don’t want to promise things we can’t deliver,” she said. She also stressed that program resources are available to all students, not just those interested in certification. “Students can participate as much or as little as possible,” Bridwell-Bowles said. Bridwell-Bowles is satisfied that the program continues to grow and expand. “We know that students want it, and we know they need it,” she said.
—–Contact Daniel McBride at [email protected]