COMM 250 Agenda - Week 1 Introducing the Professor Syllabus Student Expectations (Exercise) Implicit and Explicit Course Agreements Lecture The Nature of Science The Role of Research Team Formation - Tomorrow

Who I Am... Dr. Andrew Finn Web Site:mason.gmu.edu/~afinn Home: Cell: Office: My Intention for this Semester: We Learn a Lot Everybody Makes It Highest Grades EVER in COMM 250 We Have FUN and ENJOY Coming to Class

Learning Teams Pedagogical Principles Student Learning - not Professor Teaching Discussion is More Engaging than Lecture Learn the Material, then Apply It You are Responsible for Your Own Learning Why I Use Teams Students Learn MUCH More Why Businesses Use Teams Rapidly Shifting Tasks Empowerment, Self-Direction

What Organizations Value Critical thinking -- seeing the big picture and being analytical; comprehending what you read  Communication -- getting your point across effectively when writing and speaking  Visionary qualities -- brainstorming, looking to the future, setting goals  Self-motivation -- showing a willingness to take the initiative

What Organizations Value  Proficiency with information -- being inquisitive, curious, and resourceful; knowing how to conduct research  Global-minded -- understanding and showing an interest in other cultures and getting along with diverse groups of people  Teamwork -- working well with others to achieve common goals

Learning Teams Components of Learning Teams Readiness Assessment Tests In-Class Team Exercises Team Projects TP2: Peer Evaluation Procedures & Criteria Evaluating Peers Helping Behavior

Concerns You May Have The Amount of Work Do I Really Want to Learn This Stuff? This is B O R I N G ! I’ve Been in Teams and One Person Does All the Work Does this Guy Know What He is Talking About?

Team Exercise 1 First do individually... Draw a vertical line down a paper list Negative Thoughts about... then list Positive Thoughts about... COMM 250, Research Methods then do as a team (use the “official” form)

Housekeeping / Logistics Tasks for EVERYONE: “Circle” the number on the Class List Fill in your information on the Team Roster Sign TEAM attendance sheet (1 st half, 2 nd half) Tasks for each TEAM: If not going to Hemlock Overlook, your team will need to pick a time to meet between Wed. & Mon. Choose a team name (soon) Team Photos will be Taken in Class Next Wed.

Housekeeping – After Class Tasks for EVERYONE: Sign up for your TA’s LISTSERV Tasks for each TEAM: Download MS Word file from Website, then E- mail Team Roster to your TA Prepare for TP1, TP2 Choose a Team Name

Semester Activities Thinking Shifting Paradigms Learning Teams Learning Research Doing Research

Do we need science? What Science Provides:  a systematic examination of the world  a relatively “objective” examination of the world  our technology now has huge consequences:  global warming, nuclear waste, acid rain, smog, television content  the truth is... no one is in charge  we’re making changes on a massive scale  and no one can predict the effects

The Nature of Science The Goals of (Traditional) Science:  description  prediction  control Examples  Economics  Weather

How Do We “KNOW” Things? Experiential Reality  Firsts Hand Experience  Done There; Been That !  Agreement Reality  Second Hand Knowledge  Tradition and/or Authority  Both Can Assist or Hinder Inquiry  Science: A Special Standard for “Agreement Reality”

The Research Process Conceptualization Planning & Designing Research Methods for Conducting Research Analyzing & Interpreting Data Re-Conceptualization

Types of Research: Experimental Survey Textual Analysis Naturalistic Inquiry