INFORMATIVE SPEECH ASSIGNMENT:
Purpose This assignment requires students to research, prepare, and present a speech to inform a college-level audience. "Telling us something we already know is not informative to a college-level audience." So he's not interested in topics like how to bake a cake or how to be a good cat owner, nor is he interested
A minimum of four (4) sources are required for this speech. Credible sources may be from either printed or online formats. Interviews, pamphlets, personal experiences can be used, but do not count toward the research requirement.
All citations must follow APA format.
Ryan Guy asks for 7 GOOD sources for his informative speech . That's a lot of sources, so when a student tells you this they are truth speaking.
Guy considers GOOD sources: peer-reviewed journal articles, books by experts, government statistics.
The next tier down is a MIDDLING source. He lets students use middling sources (including magazines and newspapers) as "extra" sources over and above the required 7, but they DO NOT count as one of the seven.
UNLESS (and this is crucial) the middling source cites an expert. To quote Ryan's response to a student:
"That said, sometimes experts give interviews in magazines and newspapers. You can cite the credibility of the expert and “bump up” a magazine interview to be a better source."
Here is an example I gave to a confused student. I forwarded it to Ryan and he confirmed we are on the same page.
MIDDLING SOURCE
According to Jessica Cohen, a writer at Healthcare magazine, "the same technology expected to make increasingly immersive virtual reality, driverless cars and other 'smart' products possible will also improve hospital processes and patient care."
THAT SAME MIDDLING SOURCE ELEVATED TO GOOD
Dr. Ryan Madder, an interventional cardiologist, has been conducting research into robot-assisted telesurgery. In a 2019 study he simulated a cardiac procedure in San Francisco in which he remotely controlled a system from a station in Boston. He used a 5g network. In a 2021 interview with Healthcare magazine, Madder said, "Based on the results of that study, I don't think distance is a significant barrier for what we're going to be able to accomplish in the future for telerobotics in healthcare. It's very possible that telerobotics could almost be connected from any location in the U.S."
SOURCE: Cohen, J. K. (2021). Challenge accepted: Healthcare providers will determine the best uses for ultrafast 5G technology. Modern Healthcare, 51(12), 20. http://libdbmjc.yosemite.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=f6h&AN=149468716&site=ehost-live
Of course, the student could also just find the study, but as we know that is not always possible.
Hope this helps you talk students off the ledge.
Oh: And the first 5 minutes or so of his video might be a good reminder to students on Ryan's philosophy and expectations about citing sources:
This is a multi-part, scaffolded assignment requiring students to choose a topic, complete an initial bibliography, write a literature review, then conduct an experiment/study, and ultimately write a paper.
This first part of this assignment involving us -- the bibliography --requires students to find and cite 20 scholarly sources on a topic related to interpersonal communication. It is really important they pick something related to the class. Sometimes Jim gives them a list of topics to choose from, sometimes they are on their own. Sahlman's textbook is online, and is useful when translating student interest (my mom argues too much, it's no fun to talk to her) into a suitable COMM103 topic (aggressive personalities and familial communication). Here is the link to the textbook.
Interpersonal communication: A mindful approach to relationships.
In terms of finding the 20 scholarly sources, by far, the best and safest database is EBSCO's Communication and Mass Media Complete.
Although it is included in the EBSCOhost Database "super search," if students search CMMC individually it will help keep them on track to find articles that focus on interpersonal communication. A common failure with this assignment is students choosing topics that involve interpersonal communication only peripherally. For instance a student finding 20 sources on internet addiction instead of a student finding 20 sources on how the Uncertainty Reduction Theory plays out in online communication.
Jim gives them a list of "appropriate journals" but they can deviate from the list. They can also use non-communication journals as long as the articles are on topic and will help students understand the role communication plays. Frankly I (Kathleen) use Google Scholar a lot for this assignment, because it's just so much less clunky to search than CMMC. I also mine bibliographies, making sure students understand that they will have to ILL some of the articles, but they should have time if they get at it when they are completing their bibliography. Sahlman has incorporated this into recent iterations of the assignment, so students shouldn't be too freaked out.
HINT FOR STUDENTS: Preliminary reading is especially important because of the scholarly nature of the required sources. I encourage students to re-read corresponding parts of textbook and do some Google searches to help get their head around basic concepts like aggressive personalities and communication before looking at how these concepts play out in empirical studies conducted on deaf seniors in Japan or whatever.
HINT FOR STUDENTS: Some students really trip on the study/experiment, and try to find a topic for which they can think of an experiment. Tell them to chill out. Jim will have lots of ideas for them, their research will give them ideas, and, in the end, it can just be a survey. DO NOT TRIP! They really should focus on choosing a topic in an area where they can relate, otherwise the reading will kill their soul long before the experiment is even due.
Jim uses APA style (7th edition).
Questions about this assignment can be directed to Kathleen. Students can email her directly. Yes, even on the weekends!