MAC^3 Proposal

 

1. Proposed project: Integration of Statistical Methods and Audience Analysis in SPC 205 Public Speaking

There are currently no efforts to integrate mathematics into the communication discipline, although there have been a few other projects in the past, such as the college’s involvement in an ATE grant and the team-taught honor’s statistics and sociology courses a few years ago. Our goal is to have this project become the first of many activities that will include math across the curriculum

In our SPC 205 Public Speaking course, students must present a persuasive speech. A necessary component of this type of speech is audience analysis; it is important to research audience demographics so that the speaker can design his/her content to appropriately and effectively communicate the chosen topic. Students will be required to create a survey to use in class and then analyze the data using Excel.

At the institute, we would like to create the format of the entire project – how it will be implemented in the classroom, the various components of the assignment (survey design, data collection, data analysis, and interpretation of results), specific features of Excel that will be required, and the grading rubric. This assignment will be an enhancement to several selected sections that Ms. Trumbo will teach during the Fall term.

2. Purpose:

Other than the previously mentioned initiatives, this is essentially the initial effort in integrating mathematics in another discipline, especially in a seemingly unlikely discipline as the public speaking course. While many students may have taken our introductory statistics course, survey design and use of Excel are not components of that course. Students will gain practical skills that can be utilized in the workplace; Excel applications occur in every type of employment that our students might pursue. As approximately 90% of all students receiving a degree from Greenville Technical College are required to take SPC 205, this project would reach a diverse group of students. Surveys of graduates and employers indicate that public speaking skills are critical for success in every field. While the opportunity to actually conduct such an in-depth audience analysis before a speaking responsibility may not occur for the majority of graduates, an awareness of the clientele one serves or the culture of the employee’s organization is crucial; the public speaking course prepares students for much more than the standard speaker/audience scenario. Merging the technology and statistics skills into the speech curriculum provides an opportunity to communicate connections that students might otherwise not be aware of.

Our primary challenge initially is funding. Attending the institute allows the dedicated time to develop the project; additional professional development funds will not be available until late August so we have applied for a college foundation mini-grant. If we are not funded, we will be unable to attend. There are many faculty in other disciplines who are willing to incorporate mathematics activities into their curriculum but showcasing this project will assist in our efforts to secure time and perhaps funding to develop additional projects.

As our courses must follow a state course description, we may be challenged with finding the time to incorporate additional assignments into some courses, or rather convincing instructors that we can enhance their course in ways that are worth any time issues. But with guidance from the experienced individuals at the institute, we should be able to manage that challenge. Our division (Arts and Sciences) has an active Writing Across the Curriculum program; we believe MAC^3 initiatives will be equally embraced. The Math Department’s recent involvement of a wide variety of classes (English, Psychology, Political Science, and Sociology) in Pi Day celebrations is an indication of the willingness of other non-math faculty to allocate some class time for mathematically-focused information. We have excellent camaraderie within our division and across campus.

3. Goals for the institute:

Our trio will utilize our lengthy travel time from east coast to west coast and return as well as the institute time to completely create all aspects of the project. Busy schedules during the term have only permitted minimal face-to-face discussions of the project; our primary communication has been via email. While we are planning for Patty Amick and Cheryl Hawkins to present the project to the class and assist the students with the assignment, specific details of the student’s responsibility are yet to be determined. We need to create all documents that will be distributed to the students, including project instructions and assignments, Excel guidance and the grading rubric.

 

4. Rationale for team members:

Cheryl Hawkins and Patty Amick are both members of the Mathematics Department, regular instructors of the introductory statistics course and have expertise in using projects in courses, as well as performing data analysis using Excel. Lori Trumbo is a member of the Speech and Theater Department; she will provide the discipline-specific information so that we can draft the survey students will work from to determine audience characteristics. While we have never worked together on a project of this nature, our interests and enthusiasm are equal. We all firmly believe in providing our students with real skills that promote the integration of disciplines and preparation for employment, and we all are willing to designate our Fall faculty workdays prior to the start of the term for this project.