Planning for your future NOW.
Planning ahead is always good, but it gets a bad wrap. The investment of time almost always pays off. So my blogpost is all about helping you think ahead, so that you can take action!
- Could you get out a semester earlier than you planned by taking a 2nd block course or summer classes?
- Have you looked at what jobs are out there, who’s hiring and how to make yourself more marketable?
- Did you know the COM dept has scholarships available to help support you?
So, here are some items for you to consider in planning ahead for SUCCESS!
1) DRAFT Summer and Fall class schedules are currently on Banner…yeah, check them out. A few notes to pay attention to in planning:
- REGISTRATION POINTERS–no one ever told you this? Each course has a section number assigned (next to the course number, not CRN) 700 section numbers mean it’s an intersession course. 800 section numbers means it’s an online ONLY course. 900 means either Honors or that it’s a blended course.
- Deciding between a blended and online course? Here’s what you should know:
Online: A course that meets entirely online utilizing no traditional classroom time. Proctored exams may be required. A class may also include some synchronous activity and still be considered online.
Blended: A blended course includes: Integrating online and traditional face-to-face class activities in a planned, pedagogically valuable manner. A portion of the face-to-face time is reduced by online activities and specified in the course description, e.g. from three days to two or two days to one.
- Pay attention to course descriptions of special topics, blended courses, and online courses. Click on the CRN and read the description carefully (you’ll have to scroll up to see the full description). This is information about the content of the course, as well as the format of when it meets and if various components occur outside of class time.
- Fall ONLY courses are COM 332 Small Group, COM 325 Nonverbal Com, and COM 550: Political Com
- New Course COM 206: Introduction to Health Communication (TR 2-3:15). I highly recommend this course to new COM majors and minors who are interested in how communication applies and is important in health care settings. This is a required course in the Health Com major. You may also use this as an elective course in COM, if your degree provides for them.
- Related, the health communication and culture class is now numbered COM 507/604. I recommend that for any intercultural com and health com majors as well. It’ll be on Thursdays 6:30-9;20.
- I might also recommend COM 513: Communication Ethics. This is an online only course.
- We will also offer a number of online classes: COM 209, 328, 511, 521.
2) Attend the upcoming Career Expo
The Career Expo is an annual spring career fair that hosts as many as 140 local, regional, and national employers from a variety of industries (excluding education). This event is open to all students and alumni, the employers in attendance will be looking to fill full-time, part-time, and internship positions. Sponsored in consortium with Drury University, Evangel University, Southwest Baptist University and College of the Ozarks.
Career Expo 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
1:00 – 5:00 PM
University Plaza Convention Center
Students: View employers registered to attend.
3) SHOW ME THE MONEY! Apply for a COM Scholarship…application deadline March 15, 2010. Check out the dept website for all the information you need including a link to the application and criteria for all of the scholarships. APPLY NOW!
CHECK THIS OUT: our very own Dr. Heather Carmack has published a cool short article on “checklists” in medical procedures: http://www.communicationcurrents.com/index.asp?bid=15&issuepage=210&issue=56
Finally, I am still taking feedback on summer course offerings. We can still add a course to the summer schedule if a number of students request a particular class. I’ve received some suggestions, but not enough to indicate that we need to offer another course. Please email me directly with your input, it’s important that we provide you courses you need!
Take care, stay warm, and drive safely in our winter weather 😀
Kelly