Effective Communication in Higher Education 1

Effective Communication in Higher Education

Dominique’ Booker

Grand Canyon University- EDU 548

March 18th , 2021

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Video link: https://youtu.be/iDmhHGk_8iM

Script-

“Hi, my name is Ms. Dominique’ Booker and I am an instructor in Communications. I focus on

making sure that students learn the basic on communications skills and how it effects our day to day
lives. I graduated from the University of Kentucky in 2015 with a Bachelors degree in Psychology and
another in Sociology, while being a top tier student-athlete. I moved to Arizona after graduating to
pursue a career in professional track and field. After 3 years on the circuit and numerous jobs, I decided
to retire to pursue a different career. I taught pre-school for a year and realized my calling to teaching
soon after. I moved up to South High Mountain School and immersed myself in educating young adults. I
have now been at the high school level for 2 ½ years now and in school to get my Masters.”

The purpose of this video is to help students to learn how to effectively communicate within the
classroom setting. As educators, a goal in teaching is that the interactions with your students are of
substance and they walk away with new knowledge. Educators should look to build the relationship and
encourage dialogue with all their students. You have to be accessible and approachable to your learners.

Strategies to Foster Communication

Strategy #1: Feedback – Feedback is simply giving students critiques for improvement from their
submitted work. “Feedback could also emphasize learning goals by acknowledging the role that mistakes
and effort play in learning and by avoiding normative comparisons with other students”
(McKeachie&Svinicki, 2014, p.113). You want to remember that giving feedback to students is an
opportunity to build a rapport with them and help them create their independence in education. Your
job is to make sure that students walk away motivated to dig deeper and work harder on the next
assignment.

Strategy #2: Group Work – I strong believe in group work in the college classroom. Peer learning is being
realized more as a key aspect to how students retain new knowledge. Group work requires students to
open up and work along with one another. Students get to bounce knowledge off each other’s brain and
collaborate to solve a common mission. During this process, bonds can be formed between group
members and information exchanged.

Strategy #3: Active Listening- Listening to hear the other person rather than to respond, is a strategy
that a lot of individuals fail at. Actively listening to others and showing that it matters, helps a speaker to
feel as if they are being genuinely heard. This creates a safety for people to feel as though they can be
more vocal in class. You want students to feel comfortable and free in your classroom.
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Challenges to Communication in Higher Education and How to Overcome

Challenge #1: Unprepared and inattentive students – Students who are not prepared or paying attention
in class, can be challenging when trying to communicate with your students. This can be distracting to
instructor and class; especially if a student is disruptive. The best way to overcome this is to make more
engaging activities in the classroom that will peak the student’s attention. Create something that will
cause an attraction to the course and make student’s what to be apart more.

Challenge #2: Culturally diverse students- The college classroom is a place where people from all walks
of life can come and learn. This being the case, there can often times be an issue with interactions with
student and cultural differences. Th best way to overcome this challenge is to use it to your advantage!
Figure a way to incorporate the culture(s) or backgrounds of students to make the content more
relatable to them.

Strategies for Deescalating Interpersonal Conflict for Disagreement

Strategy #1: Stay Professional – You are the educator and it is your job to teaching to the willing minds
that sit before you. If a student confronts you on an issue, it is your job to stay professional because you
are at work. We must remember that students are humans and have emotions; they might not approach
us in the proper manner but returning the fire back to them will only scorch the situation. Keep your
cool and hear the student out. Once they are finished stating their piece, show empathy and try to guide
them to an understanding of the issue. If all else fails, then follow your university’s procedures for
dealing with students and leave the rest to those above you.

Strategy #2: Create a safe environment -Students can have conflicts with peers while having classroom
discussions and group work. The way to deescalate that tension first starts from the beginning of the
course. On the first day of class, set out rules and expectations that students need to adhere to when
taking your course. Stand firm on your regulations and when conflict arises, refer back to them once
more. Create a community within your classroom; this will allow for less conflict within students
because of the environment that was built. Push the narrative that everyone is allowed to have an
opinion but the objective is to be respectful of others in the class along with them .

Benefits of Effective Communication

Effective communication within the college classroom helps to enhance the student-centered
learning approach. Communication makes learning easier, helps students achieve goals, increases
opportunities for expanded learning, strengthens the connection between student and teacher, and
creates an overall positive experience (McKinley, 2019). As an educator, you want your students to be
excited about coming to class and to learn new information; you are the facilitator to their
enlightenment. The experience that you help create for your students also can help you to reflect on
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your personal teaching style. Let the class experience, help you to see where you excel as an educator
and how you can help bring out the best of your students.

I hope this video was helpful to you and your students in the future! All the best ahead.
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Reference

McKeachie, W., & Svinicki, M. (2014). McKeachie’s teaching tips  (14 ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage.
ISBN-13: 9781133836794

McKinley, M. (2019). Importance of Communicating in the Classroom. Career Trend.