Students, not Consumers: Rethinking Our Assignment Sheet Design, part 1

By Jill Fennell and Jeffrey Howard “We build the corral as we reinvent the horse.” ~ Stephen Dunn, “A Little Essay on Form” Introduction In his “Little Essay on Form,” noted writer Stephen Dunn argues that even when writers work within the constraints of generic conventions, they also can reshape… Continue reading

The Shift to Online Consulting at Georgia Tech’s Communication Center, Part II

by Genny Onyiuke-Kennedy, Emily Nguyen, Stephanie Oliva, Raneem Rizvi, Rocio Soto, Sophia Tone, Jeff Howard, and Eric Lewis  This article is the second installment of a two-part series on the views of six peer consultants who have worked at the Naugle Communication Center during its transition from in-person/face-to-face consultations to online consultations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This installment focuses… Continue reading

The Shift to Online Consulting at Georgia Tech’s Communication Center, Part I 

by Genny Onyiuke-Kennedy, Emily Nguyen, Stephanie Oliva, Raneem Rizvi, Rocio Soto, Sophia Tone, Jeff Howard, and Eric Lewis  This article is the first installment of a two-part series relating the views of six peer consultants who have worked at the Naugle Communication Center during its transition from in-person/face-to-face consultations to online consultations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This… Continue reading

Strategies for Teaching Non-Native English Speakers: A Roundtable Review

On March 30, 2017, the Writing and Communication Program’s World Englishes Committee hosted the faculty roundtable “Instructing Non-Native English Speakers: Practical Tools.” This event drew Georgia Tech teaching faculty and staff interested in sharing ideas and learning new strategies for better serving the needs of the diverse population of English… Continue reading

Research News from the CommLab

At Georgia Tech, the Communication Center (or CommLab, as it is popularly known) is part of the Writing and Communication Program. The program’s commitment to the principles of WOVEN communication (i.e. Written, Oral, Visual, Electronic, and Non-verbal) has inspired instructors to design courses that develop and refine rhetorical skills in multiple media… Continue reading

The “Curse of Knowledge”: Adapting the Principles of Stony Brook University’s Center for Communicating Science to Georgia Tech

Alan Alda with short, brown haired girl.

At Stony Brook University, where I spent my Fall Break, I learned all about the Curse of Knowledge … from Alan Alda.  A few feet away from me, Alda gave the keynote speech at the Center for Communicating Science’s Fall Institute, explaining passionately that once we know something really well,… Continue reading

New CommLab is Creative Space for Practicing Communication

From teleconferencing to YouTube videos, project posters to green-screen presentations, slide design to report writing, the new Communication Center is designed to help Georgia Tech students develop professional competence in 21st century communication. The center has been designed as a leading-edge model for communication education. It uses conventional technology in unconventional ways.

“This is a creative space,” explains Karen Head, who is Director of the Communication Center. “Yes, we are coaching students in processes and strategies and techniques, but we are also providing the space and equipment needed to practice.” Continue reading