Epc Course Outline
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This document provides information about the "Effective Public Communication" module offered at Taylor's University. The 3-credit, 18-week module introduces concepts of interpersonal and group communication skills for personal and professional development. Assessment includes a class test, group project blog, and individual oral presentation. Students will develop skills in communication principles, cultural awareness, and conflict handling to achieve the learning outcomes of explaining and applying communication concepts between individuals and groups. The module uses student-centered learning with formative and summative assessments to evaluate students' mastery of topics and graduate capabilities.
![Effective Public Communication (COM 30103): September 2015 1 | P a g eP a g e | 1 of 10
SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & DESIGN
Center for Modern Architecture Studies in Southeast Asia
______________________________________________________________________________________
Foundation in Natural and Built Environments
Module: Effective Public Communication [COM 30103]
Prerequisite: None
Credit hours: 3
Instructor: Persis Dineen Rodrigues (PersisDineen.Rodrigues@taylors.edu.my)
Module Synopsis:
The module introduces and delves into the basic concepts and principles in the daily application of
interpersonal and group communication skills both for personal and professional development. Course
components include models and concepts within interpersonal, group and organizational communication
such as perception, listening, group decision making, leadership and conflict.
Module Teaching Objectives
1. To understand the concepts of communication, both verbal and nonverbal, and how people behave and
communicate in different situations.
2. To demonstrate the principles of communication and behaviour in analyzing interaction with others, both
at individual and at group levels
Module Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the subject, students will be able to:
1. Explain the concepts of communication, both verbal and nonverbal, and how people behave and
communicate in different situations.
2. Apply the principles of communication and behaviour in analyzing interaction with others, both at
individual and at group levels.
3. To demonstrate an ability to analyse and response to handling conflict as well as efficient negotiation
skills in dealing with variety of individuals.
4. To be aware of the importance of cultural differences and respect cultural differences as well as to build
healthy and positive relationships with fellow students, co-workers and clients.
Modes of Delivery
This is a 2 credit hour module held over the 18 weeks, 2 hours per session, once a week. As each session
is set to achieve different milestones in the students’ communication skills attendance is compulsory.
Students are to be self-directed in their work and at times will need to work in groups on projects assigned
to them and must be able to display ability to work as a team player, and display effective verbal and
nonverbal communication skills. The breakdown of the contact hours for the module is as follows:
Contact hours
Lecture: 1 hours/week
Tutorial: 1 hours/week
Self-study: 3.7 hours/week](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/epccourseoutline-151031000204-lva1-app6891/85/Epc-Course-Outline-1-320.jpg)
Epc Course Outline
- 1. Effective Public Communication (COM 30103): September 2015 1 | P a g eP a g e | 1 of 10 SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING & DESIGN Center for Modern Architecture Studies in Southeast Asia ______________________________________________________________________________________ Foundation in Natural and Built Environments Module: Effective Public Communication [COM 30103] Prerequisite: None Credit hours: 3 Instructor: Persis Dineen Rodrigues (PersisDineen.Rodrigues@taylors.edu.my) Module Synopsis: The module introduces and delves into the basic concepts and principles in the daily application of interpersonal and group communication skills both for personal and professional development. Course components include models and concepts within interpersonal, group and organizational communication such as perception, listening, group decision making, leadership and conflict. Module Teaching Objectives 1. To understand the concepts of communication, both verbal and nonverbal, and how people behave and communicate in different situations. 2. To demonstrate the principles of communication and behaviour in analyzing interaction with others, both at individual and at group levels Module Learning Outcomes Upon successful completion of the subject, students will be able to: 1. Explain the concepts of communication, both verbal and nonverbal, and how people behave and communicate in different situations. 2. Apply the principles of communication and behaviour in analyzing interaction with others, both at individual and at group levels. 3. To demonstrate an ability to analyse and response to handling conflict as well as efficient negotiation skills in dealing with variety of individuals. 4. To be aware of the importance of cultural differences and respect cultural differences as well as to build healthy and positive relationships with fellow students, co-workers and clients. Modes of Delivery This is a 2 credit hour module held over the 18 weeks, 2 hours per session, once a week. As each session is set to achieve different milestones in the students’ communication skills attendance is compulsory. Students are to be self-directed in their work and at times will need to work in groups on projects assigned to them and must be able to display ability to work as a team player, and display effective verbal and nonverbal communication skills. The breakdown of the contact hours for the module is as follows: Contact hours Lecture: 1 hours/week Tutorial: 1 hours/week Self-study: 3.7 hours/week
- 2. Effective Public Communication (COM 30103): September 2015 2 | P a g eP a g e | 2 of 10 Office Hours You are encouraged to visit the instructor/lecturer/tutor concerned for assistance during office hours. If the office hours do not meet your schedule, notify the instructor and set appointment times as needed. TIMeS Moodle will be used as a communication tool and information portal for students to access module materials, project briefs, assignments and announcements.
- 3. Effective Public Communication (COM 30103): September 2015 3 | P a g eP a g e | 3 of 10 Taylor’s Graduate Capabilities (TGC) The teaching and learning approach at Taylor’s University is focused on developing the Taylor’s Graduate Capabilities in its students; capabilities that encompass the knowledge, cognitive capabilities and soft skills of our graduates. Discipline Specific Knowledge TGCs Acquired Through Module Learning Outcomes 1.0 Discipline Specific Knowledge 1.1 Solid foundational knowledge in relevant subjects 1-4 1.2 Understand ethical issues in the context of the field of study Cognitive Capabilities 2.0 Lifelong Learning 2.1 Locate and extract information effectively 2.2 Relate learned knowledge to everyday life 1 & 2 3.0 Thinking and Problem Solving Skills 3.1 Learn to think critically and creatively 3.2 Define and analyse problems to arrive at effective solutions Soft Skills 4.0 Communication Skills 4.1 Communicate appropriately in various setting and modes 3 & 4 5.0 Interpersonal Skills 5.1 Understand team dynamics and work with others in a team 6.0 Intrapersonal Skills 6.1 Manage one self and be self-reliant - 6.2 Reflect on one’s actions and learning. - 6.3 Embody Taylor's core values. - 7.0 Citizenship and Global Perspectives 7.1 Be aware and form opinions from diverse perspectives. - 7.2 Understand the value of civic responsibility and community engagement. - 8.0 Digital Literacy 8.1 Effective use of information and communication (ICT) and related technologies. -
- 4. Effective Public Communication (COM 30103): September 2015 4 | P a g eP a g e | 4 of 10 General Rules and Regulations Late Submission Penalty The School imposes a late submission penalty for work submitted late without a valid reason e.g. a medical certificate. Any work submitted after the deadline (which may have been extended) shall have the percentage grade assigned to the work on face value reduced by 10% for the first day and 5% for each subsequent day late. A weekend counts as 1 day. Individual members of staff shall be permitted to grant extensions for assessed work that they have set if they are satisfied that a student has given good reasons. Absenteeism at intermediate or final presentations will result in zero mark for that presentation. Lecturers reserve the right to not accept any late submission after one (1) week. The Board of Examiners may overrule any penalty imposed and allow the actual mark achieved to be used if the late submission was for a good reason. Attendance and Participation Attendance is compulsory. Any student who arrives late after the first half-hour of class will be considered as absent. A minimum of 80% attendance is required to pass the module and/or be eligible for the final examination. You are expected to attend and participate actively in class. The lectures and tutorials will assist you in expanding your ideas and your research progression. Students will be assessed based on their performance throughout the semester. Students are expected to attend and participate actively in class. Class participation is an important component of every module. Students must attempt all assessment components including Portfolio. Failure to attempt assessment components worth 20% or more, the student would be required to resubmit or resit an assessment component, even though the student has achieved more than 50% in the overall assessment. Failure to attempt all assessment components, including final exam and final presentation, will result in failing the module irrespective of the marks earned, even though the student has achieved more than 50% in the overall assessment. Plagiarism (Excerpt from Taylor’s University Student Handbook 2013, page 59) Plagiarism, which is an attempt to present another person’s work as your own by not acknowledging the source, is a serious case of misconduct which is deemed unacceptable by the University. "Work" includes written materials such as books, journals and magazine articles or other papers and also includes films and computer programs. The two most common types of plagiarism are from published materials and other students’ works a. Published Materials In general, whenever anything from someone else’s work is used, whether it is an idea, an opinion or the results of a study or review, a standard system of referencing should be used. Examples of plagiarism may include a sentence or two, or a table or a diagram from a book or an article used without acknowledgement. Serious cases of plagiarism can be seen in cases where the entire paper presented by the student is copied from another book, with an addition of only a sentence or two by the student. While the former can be treated as a simple failure to cite references, the latter is likely to be viewed as cheating in an examination. Though most assignments require the need for reference to other peoples’ works, in order to avoid plagiarism, students should keep a detailed record of the sources of ideas and findings and ensure that these sources are clearly quoted in their assignment. Note that plagiarism refers to materials obtained from the Internet too.
- 5. Effective Public Communication (COM 30103): September 2015 5 | P a g eP a g e | 5 of 10 b. Other Students’ Work Circulating relevant articles and discussing ideas before writing an assignment is a common practice. However, with the exception of group assignments, students should write their own papers. Plagiarising the work of other students into assignments includes using identical or very similar sentences, paragraphs or sections. When two students submit papers which are very similar in tone and content, both are likely to be penalised. Student Participation Your participation in the module is encouraged. You have the opportunity to participate in the following ways: Your ideas and questions are welcomed, valued and encouraged. Your input is sought to understand your perspectives, ideas and needs in planning subject revision. You have opportunities to give feedback and issues will be addressed in response to that feedback. Do reflect on your performance in Portfolios. Student evaluation on your views and experiences about the module are actively sought and used as an integral part of improvement in teaching and continuous improvement. Student-centered Learning (SCL) The module uses the Student-centered Learning (SCL) approach. Utilization of SCL embodies most of the principles known to improve learning and to encourage student’s participation. SCL requires students to be active, responsible participants in their own learning and instructors are to facilitate the learning process. Various teaching and learning strategies such as experiential learning, problem-based learning, site visits, group discussions, presentations, working in group and etc. can be employed to facilitate the learning process. In SCL, students are expected to be: active in their own learning; self-directed to be responsible to enhance their learning abilities; able to cultivate skills that are useful in today’s workplace; active knowledge seekers; active players in a team. Types of Assessment and Feedback You will be graded in the form of formative and summative assessments. Formative assessments will provide information to guide you in the research process. This form of assessment involves participation in discussions and feedback sessions. Summative assessment will inform you about the level of understanding and performance capabilities achieved at the end of the module. Assessment Components Type Learning Outcome/s Submission Presentation Assessment Weightage Class Test Individual 1 Class Test Week 10 20 Group Project – Blog Group 2 & 4 Digital upload Week 13 30 Oral Presentation Individual 2 & 3 Digital Upload Week 16 & 18 40 Portfolio Individual ALL Digital upload Exam Week 10
- 6. Effective Public Communication (COM 30103): September 2015 6 | P a g eP a g e | 6 of 10 Assessment Plan Assessment Components This module will be graded in the form of coursework. It consists of a class test, oral presentation as well as a group project. 1. Class test (Individual) This test will examine how much the students understanding of chapters covered throughout the semester in class and test mastery of concepts of communication, both verbal and nonverbal and how people behave and communicate in different situations 2. Oral Presentation (Individual) This group work is designed to assess the ability of the students in applying the principles of communication and behaviour in analyzing interaction with others, both at individual and group levels. Students will be given four topics and will be required to choose one of them. The format of the assessment will be based on verbal presentation. 3. Group Project- Blog (Group) The group project which is in a form of a blog will demonstrate mastery of selected concepts from the course selected by students. Students will be expected to show application of the principles of communication at individual and at group levels as well as awareness of the importance of cultural differences. Mastery of these concepts is manifested by translating the selected concepts into a blog. Images, drawings, text and so on must be well edited, legible and composed. 4. Taylor’s Graduate Capabilities Portfolio (Online Portfolio) – (Individual) Each student is to develop an e-Portfolio, a web-based portfolio in the form of a personal academic blog. The e-Portfolio is developed progressively for all modules taken throughout Semesters 1 and 2, and MUST PASS THIS COMPONENT. The portfolio must encapsulate the acquisition of Module Learning Outcome, Programme Learning Outcomes and Taylor’s Graduate Capabilities, and showcases the distinctiveness and identity of the student as a graduate of the programme. Submission of the E-Portfolio is COMPULSORY.
- 7. Effective Public Communication (COM 30103): September 2015 7 | P a g eP a g e | 7 of 10 Marks and Grading Table Assessments and grades will be returned within 2 weeks of your submission. You will be given the grades and necessary feedback for each submission. The grading system is shown below: Grade Marks Grade Points Definition Description A 80 – 100 4.00 Excellent Evidence of original thinking; demonstrated outstanding capacity to analyze and synthesize; outstanding grasp of module matter; evidence of extensive knowledge base A- 75 – 79 3.67 Very Good Evidence of good grasp of module matter; critical capacity and analytical ability; understanding of relevant issues; evidence of familiarity with the literature B+ 70 – 74 3.33 Good Evidence of grasp of module matter; critical capacity and analytical ability, reasonable understanding of relevant issues; evidence of familiarity with the literatureB 65 – 69 3.00 B- 60 – 64 2.67 Pass Evidence of some understanding of the module matter; ability to develop solutions to simple problems; benefitting from his/her university experience C+ 55 – 59 2.33 C 50 – 54 2.00 D+ 47 – 49 1.67 Marginal Fail Evidence of nearly but not quite acceptable familiarity with subject matter, weak in critical and analytical skills D 44 – 46 1.33 D- 40 – 43 1.00 F 0 – 39 0.00 Fail Insufficient evidence of understanding of the module matter; weakness in critical and analytical skills; limited or irrelevant use of the literature WD - - Withdrawn Withdrawn from a module before census date, typically mid semester F(W) 0 0.00 Fail Withdrawn after census date, typically mid semester IN - - Incomplete An interim notation given for a module where a student has not completed certain requirements with valid reason or it is not possible to finalise the grade by the published deadline P - - Pass Given for satisfactory completion of practicum AU - - Audit Given for a module where attendance is for information only without earning academic credit
- 8. Effective Public Communication (COM 30103): September 2015 8 | P a g eP a g e | 8 of 10 Weekly Module Schedule Week/Date Topic Lecture Hour Tutorial Hour Blended Learning Week 1 21st – 25th September Lecture: Introduction to Effective Public Communication. 1 1 3.7 Week 2 28th September – 2nd October Process of Human Communication • Communication models • Communication contexts 1 1 3.7 Week 3 5th – 9th October Perception • Perception process • Self in communication • Barriers in perception 1 1 3.7 Week 4 12th – 16th October Verbal Messages • Words and meaning • Language and thought 1 1 3.7 Week 5 19th – 23rd October Nonverbal Messages • Interpreting nonverbal messages • Spatial and temporal cues 1 1 3.7 Week 6 26th – 30th October Nonverbal Messages • Time • Visual and vocal cues 1 1 3.7 Week 7 2nd – 6th November Listening • Importance of listening • Types of listening • Improving listening 1 1 3.7 (On line discussion/forum) Mid-Term Break (9th – 13th November 2015) Week 8 16th – 20th November Conflict • Definition • Levels of conflict • Conflict resolution 1 1 3.7 Week 9 23rd – 27th November Interpersonal Communication • Bases of human attraction • Characteristics of relationship 1 1 The class test is conducted for the whole cohort - 20%. 3.7 (On line discussion/forum) Week 10 30th November – 4th December Interpersonal Communication • Theories of relationship development and dissolution • Maintaining relationship • Family communication 1 1 3.7
- 9. Effective Public Communication (COM 30103): September 2015 9 | P a g eP a g e | 9 of 10 Week 11 7th – 11th December Small Group Communication • Types of small groups • Group dynamics 1 1 3.7 Week 12 14th – 18th December Small Group Communication • Group structure • Effective groups 1 Final submission of the Group Project and presentation 30% 3.7 Mid-Term Break (21st – 25th December 2015) Week 13 28th December – 1st January,16 Members in Group Communication • Members roles 1 1 3.7 Week 14 4th – 8th January Leaders in Group Communication •Approaches to leadership • Styles of leadership • Functions of leadership 1 1 3.7 Week 15 11th – 15th January Intercultural Communication • Definition of culture • Obstacles to intercultural definition • Barriers to intercultural communication 1 1 3.7 Week 16 18th – 22nd January In class presentation – Part 1 1 Oral Presentation- 20% 3.7 Week 17 25th – 29th January Organization Communication • Definition • Organization culture • Communication in an organization 1 1 3.7 Week 18 1st – 5th February Final project In class presentation – Part 2 1 Oral Presentation- 20% 3.7 Chinese New Year Break (8th – 12th February 2016) 15th-19th February Final Exam Week *No final exam for EPC Portfolio submission 10% Note: The Module Schedule above is subject to change at short notice.
- 10. Effective Public Communication (COM 30103): September 2015 10 | P a g eP a g e | 10 of 10 Recommended Reading References Main References : 1. Pearson, C.P., Nelson, E. N., Scott, T., Harter, H. (2013) Human Communication, (5th ed.) Boston: McGraw Hill 2. Tubbs,S.L. & Moss, S. (2003) Human Communication: Principles and Contexts, (11th ed.) Boston: McGraw Hill Additional References : 3. Beebe, S.A. & Materson, J.T. (2002) Communication in Small Groups: Principles and practices, (8th ed.) New York: Harper Collin Publishers 4. Wilson, G.L., Hantz, A.M., and Hanna, M.S. (1995) Interpersonal Growth Through Communication, (4th ed.) Iowa: William. C. Brown Publishers 5.Wood, J.T. (2002) Interpersonal Communication: Everyday Encounters, (3rd ed.) Australia: Wadsworth 6. Jandt, F. E. (2010) An Introduction to Intercultural Communication: Identities in a Global Community, (6th ed.) Los Angeles: SAGE Publications, Inc. 7. Samovar. L. A., Porter. R. E., McDaniel, E. R. (2010) Communication Between Cultures, (7th ed.) Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning 8. Adams, K. & Galanes, J.G. (2009) Communicating in Groups: Applications and Skills (8th ed.) New York: McGraw Hill 9. Verderder,K.S., Verderber, R.F., Sellnow D.D. (2008) Communicate! (13th ed.) Boston: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning 10. de Janasz,S.C., Dowd,K.O., Schneiler B. Z. (2009) Interpersonal Skills in Organizations (4th ed.) New York: McGraw Hill 11. DeVito, J.E. (2009) The Interpersonal Communication Book (12th ed.) New York: Pearson Education, Inc.