Many Americans know Edward R. Murrow as the most distinguished and renowned figure in the history of American broadcast journalism. His career was monumental in the creation and development of electronic newsgathering, yet it was Edward Murrow who said, “The newest computer can merely compound, at speed, the oldest problem in the relations between human beings, and in the end the communicator will be confronted with the old problem, of what to say and how to say it.”
As a global figure for many around the world, he was set on improving communication, resulting in advancements he would not have thought possible. Today at Rensselaer, administrators, faculty, and students are continuing this trend with the announcement of a new communication requirement established for all incoming freshmen.
Being able to communicate is an integral part of having a successful career. Student groups such as the Community Advocates, a student group which promotes valuing diversity, rely on accurate communication for realizing their goals. “The communication requirement is a positive initiative; the Community Advocates value the accurate dissemination of information, to promote better understanding,” said Cynthia Smith, assistant dean of students, and coordinator of the Community Advocates.
The new communication requirement imposed on all incoming freshmen eliminates many of RPI’s past policies regarding writing intensive courses. Receiving a 670 SAT score no longer excuses anyone from the communication requirement; in fact, not even an 800 will do. Rationale for this change has come from many angles. Important input for this initiative has come from some key alumni from major biotechnology firms who mark oral and written communication as the most important elements in a successful career.
For the past few years more data for the communication initiative has been gathered by the Rensselaer faculty and the writing center. Surveys have been given to RPI graduates in order to detect any deficiencies in their undergraduate communication skills development. These students were told to rate on a five point scale the importance of leadership, problem solving, and oral and written communication. Problem solving received the highest score with 4.77, followed by oral and written communication scoring 4.73, and lastly the ability to lead at 4.68.
The Faculty Senate also conducted a study comparing us with other technical schools and top universities, and finds Rensselaer lacking in this area. Rice University, for example, has one of the most extensive communication programs in the country, consisting of five required courses. It also funds an extremely successful center to advance communications that includes five full-time staff members, one of whom is a technical writer with a doctorate in biology. Other schools such as MIT require one communication intensive course every year, and Cornell mandates two plus a third course or a project to fulfill the communication requirement.
“This is a major change in Rensselaer, I have been here for 25 years, and this would have been an impossible change then, but now they see that in order to succeed anywhere, a good communications core is needed,” said Lee O’Dell, associate dean and H&SS professor. He has been leading the effort to ensure that this initiative came to fruition. Thus far, about 160 students are enrolled in communication intensive courses, and by next semester hopefully 300 more will join them.
The new requirement has many characteristics to it. Each course will require a minimum of two formal assignments—the equivalent of a 15 page paper—as well as individual assessments on the ability to communicate orally and in writing. The courses count written and oral assignments for at least 25 percent of the final grade, and they must grade on a criteria that has been set to identify communicative competencies. These have been defined as the ability to understand the context in which one is communicating, organization and structure, developing content appropriately, and being able to edit one’s own work.
Several courses have been approved as writing intensive courses, including “Minds and Machines,” and “Philosophy of Science, Drugs, Sex, and Crime.”
Current classes exist for those who wish to surpass the communication requirement, including “Speech Communication.” Students receive their grade in this course according to the improvements on delivery of seven speeches, some of which are technical, and others formal. The new communication-intensive courses also ensure more than one opportunity to make oral presentations.
The Student and Faculty senates were extremely supportive of this initiative last year with an overwhelming majority favoring the new communications requirement. Julia Leusner ’08, chair of the Student Academic Affairs Committee, has been at the forefront of this initiative. “The new communications requirement was designed to help students strengthen their written and oral skills, ultimately enabling them to communicate effectively in a variety of media—something that has become increasingly important over the past few years,” she said.
What used to be the writing center has been now integrated with the new Center for Communication Practices. With a new director, Barbara Lewis, the center plans to act as a useful resource to “provide one-on-one consultation in preparing written, oral, and electronic communication products.” The new center moved to the first floor of the library this summer. Training for current consultants is under way to better provide help with oral presentation. Dr. Lewis has been running a similar program at Siena college.
