1. COMM 250 Agenda - Week 1 Professor & TA Introductions Syllabus
Student Expectations (Exercise)
Implicit and Explicit Course Agreements
Lecture
The Nature of Science
Team Formation
Student Introductions (Exercises)

2. Who I Am . . . Dr. Andrew Finn My Intention for this Semester:
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

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

4. 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

5. 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

6. Components of Learning Teams
Most Team Work is in Class
Negotiating “Grade Weights” for the Class
Team Projects - TP2: Peer Eval Procs & Criteria
Evaluating Peers – a Forum for Team Feedback
RATs: Individual Quizzes Followed by Team Quizzes
Readiness Assessment Tests
Weekly In-Class Team Exercises
Helping Behavior

7. Concerns You May Have This Looks Like a Lot of Work floyd
Do I Really Want to Learn This Stuff?
I Wonder if I Can Fake it for 14 Weeks?
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?

8. 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)

9. Housekeeping / Logistics
Tasks for Each INDIVIDUAL:
In Class Today:
“Circle” the number Next to Your Name on the Class List
Fill in your information on the Team Roster
Sign the TEAM attendance sheet (1st half, 2nd half)
After Class – within 48 Hours:
Join (one of) the Class Listservs
Activate Your GMU ID (if it’s not)
Tasks for each TEAM:
Pick a time to meet between class 1 and 2
After Class - Before Next Week:
Submit an E-version of the Team Roster (48 hours)
Submit a Team Name (by Tuesday)
Submit the Team’s ‘First Cut’ at Setting Grade Weights (by Tues.)
(Team Photos will be Taken in Class the Next 2-3 Weeks)

10. Listserv Sign-up Sign up for your TA’s LISTSERV
“comm250a” = Teams = Troy Bogino
“comm250b” = Teams = Beth Gannett
“comm250c” = Teams = Sergei Samoylenko
“comm250d” = Teams = Margo Scheinhaus

11. Semester Activities Thinking Shifting Paradigms Learning Teams
Learning Research
Doing Research

12. 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

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

14. 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”

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

16. Types of Research: Experimental Survey Textual Analysis
Naturalistic Inquiry