Abstract
This article, the first of a two-part series, catalogs teaching innovations presented at the 2013 Association for Business Communication (ABC) Annual Convention, New Orleans. They were presented during the My Favorite Assignment session. The 11 Favorite Assignments featured here offer the reader a variety of learning experiences including collaborative team work, debate, budgets, cross-cultural communication, report writing, persuasion, nonprofit organizations, client communication, and writing funding proposals. Additional teaching materials—including instructions to students, stimulus materials, slides, grading rubrics, frequently asked questions, and sample student projects—are posted on the Association for Business Communication webpagehttp://businesscommunication.org/assignments.
Introduction
A delightful gumbo of teaching innovations was dished-up at the Association for Business Communication (ABC) Annual Convention in New Orleans. Over 120 leading communication professors attended the twoMy Favorite Assignment Sessionsto hear fast-paced presentations by 32 great teachers.
This column, the seventh in the series, presents a selected group of 11 Favorite Assignments from those always popular sessions.
The reader can browse assignments and learning interventions in three business communication categories:
Global and international business
Gathering, assessing, and presenting complex information
Short-form message packaging and delivery: papers and presentations
At the end of the article, the reader may take the fourth category, “One Last Idea,” designed to make assignment creation a bit easier.
The authors offer ideas that can be part of a class or are designed to consume an entire semester. Each assignment reflects the individual author’s passion for active learning that stimulates practical skill building, judgment, and communication skills.
Readers interested in trying any of the Favorite Assignments featured in this article may download additional materials fromhttp://businesscommunication.org/assignments. Each author has posted additional material on the website: instructions to students, stimulus and exercise materials, slides, grading rubrics, frequently asked questions (FAQs), and sample student work products.