Business Communication Quarterly

 

Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Click here for more information

Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Grant, T.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?
Business Communication Quarterly, Vol. 67, No. 4, 412-429 (2004)
DOI: 10.1177/1080569904270990

Assessing and Teaching Competence

Terri Grant

University of Cape Town

The Professional Communication Unit (PCU) at the University of Cape Town (UCT) recently conducted a business communication needs analysis to determine student perceptions of their communicative competence and the teaching strategies being used to develop such competence. Students felt that the specialist, stand-alone communication program was more effective than their 3 to 4-year degree per se in delivering communication instruction, but certain business fields (e.g., actuarial science) felt this more strongly than others (e.g., information systems). The implications are that expert tuition is essential and that a customized, more nuanced approach will ensure greater job literacy. Experiential teaching strategies that encourage student voice; workshop diversity; real-life scenarios; and supportive, scaffolding marking interventions will further consolidate skills development. In particular, communication teachers need to work with students and other stakeholders to deepen understanding of computer-mediated communications (CMC) and the expanded needs of a multicultural global society.

Key Words: workplace needs • perceptions of communicative competence • business curriculum • specialist communication program


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Business Communication QuarterlyHome page
K. Vance and D. Fitzpatrick
Teaching Tips and Assignment Ideas for ESL Students
Business Communication Quarterly, March 1, 2007; 70(1): 63 - 69.
[PDF]