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Managing Curriculum: A Sound Pedgogical Foundation
Leads to a Smooth Curriculum Redesign
Tamara L. Gillis, Ed.D.
Associate Professor and Chairman
Department of Communications
Elizabethtown College
One Alpha Drive
Elizabethtown, PA 17022
[log in to unmask]
Robert C. Moore, Ed.D.
Professor
Department of Communications
Elizabethtown College
Small Programs Insterst Group
AEJMC
April 1, 2005
Curriculum Redesign - 2
Managing Curriculum: A Sound Pedgogical Foundation
Leads to a Smooth Curriculum Redesign
ABSTRACT
This paper documents the experiences of a small communications 
program in developing
a rigorous yet flexible curriculum that has weathered the test of 
time and more recently a mandated
college-wide curriculum revision (from a three-credit based structure 
to a four-credit based
structure). In 2002-03 Elizabethtown College's Department of 
Communications celebrated its
25th anniversary and completed a curriculum revision. The 
Department's smooth transition is
attributed to a tradition of strategic planning and a commitment to 
the generalist philosophy in
the preparation of communications professionals.
Curriculum Redesign - 3
Managing Curriculum: A Sound Pedgogical Foundation
Leads to a Smooth Curriculum Redesign
INTRODUCTION
It was the fall of 2000 and all was well at Elizabethtown College, 
one of those picturesque
small comprehensive colleges with a liberal arts tradition nestled in 
the foothills of central
Pennsylvania. As well as it ever is in academia, that is. A movement 
was afoot among some
members of the College's faculty to redistribute faculty course work 
load and intensify the
college experience for the students. This set off a chain of events 
that would result in curriculum
redesign resonating throughout the college infrastructure for the 
next nine months. Committees
were formed; curricula were reviewed; faculty work load (teaching, 
professional development
and service) was measured, studied, and debated.
When the dust settled by the fall of 2001, the college emerged with a 
4-credit curriculum
structure, a new college core (still based in the liberal arts), and 
a mandate that all disciplines
across the college move from the old 3-credit based curriculum to a 
4-credit based curriculum.
This is the account of that transition of the Department of 
Communications. The tradition
of strategic planning and disciplined inquiry paved the way for sound 
rationale and the reorganization
of communication competencies to meet the mandate of a 4-credit based 
curriculum
without sacrificing quality or versatility.
The story begins in 1997 with a systemic and rigorous self-review of 
their work by the
Department of Communications.
BACKGROUND
The College: Elizabethtown College
Founded in 1899, Elizabethtown College's heritage lies with the 
Church of the Brethren,
one of three historic peace churches. The ties to the church are thin 
these days, but the College
maintains the values of peace, nonviolence and community service.
Curriculum Redesign - 4
Elizabethtown College is located in rural Lancaster County, 
Pennsylvania, approximately
25 miles from Harrisburg (the state capitol), 90 miles from 
Philadelphia, and 75 miles from
Baltimore/D.C.
According to the College's archives and statistical data (2004) 
during its first two decades,
the College functioned both as a college and an academy for 
high-school-age students, in
order to bolster its program in the training of teachers. In the 
College's first year, four academic
programs were offered: a "literary" course, science and programs in 
the classics and education.
By the end of the 1920s, the College enrolled 180 full-time students 
and 300 part-time students
in 11 major programs: history, English, modern languages, business, 
mathematics, education,
sociology, biology, chemistry, music and Bible studies.
society, publications and a debating society, orchestra, and several 
intercollegiate sports. By
1948, the College was recognized by accreditation in the Middle 
States Association and, in the
following year, in the American Council of Education. In the 
following two decades, the College
dedicated ten new buildings. By 1958, the student body had grown to 
almost 800.
humanities, arts and sciences, professional disciplines. Master's 
programs in occupational
therapy and educational practice were added in 2003. The student body 
stands at approximately
1,850 full-time undergraduates from nearly 30 states and 40 foreign 
countries with a full-time
faculty of 125.
Student life outside the classroom soon blossomed with the 
establishment of a literary
Today, the College offers 45 majors and more than 60 
minors/concentrations in the
The College has a rich history of strategic planning and master plan 
accomplishments
that enhances academic and co-curricular programs at the College and 
strengthen its position as a
regional leader in higher education. Reform to the College's liberal 
arts core was approved in
spring 2002 and implemented in fall 2003.
For 11 consecutive years, U.S. News and World Report has ranked 
Elizabethtown College
as one of the best comprehensive colleges in the North.
Curriculum Redesign - 5
The Department of Communications
The Department of Communications traces its origins to 1961 and the 
hiring of a faculty
member in the English Department who was charged with developing 
courses in speech communication.
In 1969, the English Department hired a second faculty member with 
expertise in
speech and theatre. An "emphasis" in communication arts in the 
English Department was established
in 1971, which included speech and theatre courses. (Fowlston, 2003) 
By 1975, courses
in radio production and programming were added as were beginning 
courses in mass communication.
These were the seeds that led to the department's current "generalist 
curriculum" philosophy
-- a philosophy that has been key to the success of the curriculum.
In 1977, a separate department named Communication Arts began 
operation and offered
a bachelor of arts degree in communication arts. In the early 1980s 
emphasis was placed in the
areas of broadcasting and journalism. In 1983, the department 
conducted its first curriculum
review and revision; this revision emphasized the commitment to mass 
communication and
journalism education, complemented by programs in public relations 
and corporate media.
The College received a major donation from the Steinman Foundation 
that funded the
conversion of a science hall into the Steinman Center for 
Communications. Classrooms, facilities
and offices in five buildings across campus were consolidated into 
the Steinman Center in 1985
along with new professional studios.
By 1985 communications had become the second largest department at 
Elizabethtown
College. Faculty grew from two positions to six full-time faculty and 
several adjuncts. In September
of 1988, the College received its first-ever Fulbright Scholar in 
Residence Award. The
carrier current student radio station, established in 1961 became a 
100-watt FM station in 1990.
In-house television instruction and production evolved into a 
nationally award winning cable
television community service program and, in 1991, became a 
full-service, 24-hour leased cable
access channel. The campus newspaper and yearbook as student 
activities became related to the
department and advised by communications faculty.
The Steinman Center for Communications was renovated three more times 
to accommo-
Curriculum Redesign - 6
date the technical demands of the communications program and student 
media. The last renovation
included a building addition.
Through all the changes, the department's curriculum has maintained 
the philosophy of
the generalist curriculum. This philosophy has allowed the department 
to maintain an edge in the
discipline and adapt to demands in the college's growth and that of 
the profession.
THE CURRICULUM
A Generalist Curriculum
Believing that the academy had grown too specialized, the faculty 
undertook a broad
based plan of education for its students. Rather than the traditional 
curriculum, communications
students had nearly two-thirds of their required major courses in 
writing, speaking, performance,
and production covering a wide interpretation of the discipline of 
communications. Only a third
of the major required courses were in an area of specialization: 
corporate media, public relations
and mass communications.
The belief was that a broadly competent professional communicator was 
more likely to
secure initial employment or pursue graduate study and that broad 
competencies enabled vertical
growth, promotion, and education, rather than the more traditional 
lateral prospects experienced
by specialists within the profession. The focus was a "compleat" 
communicator rather than, for
example, a videographer/producer.
Curriculum Plan 2000
In 1997, the Department of Communications embarked on a strategic planning and
curriculum review initiative. The outcome of that process was a model 
for a flexible communications
curriculum for the education of professional communicators that 
retains the department's
generalist philosophy. Figure 1 shows the mission, and objectives 
that drive the department
development. These directives are the outcome of a traditional 
strategic planning effort of the
Department. The strategic planning process included a series of 
self-review activities and exter-
Curriculum Redesign - 7
nal assessments (by alumni of the program and professionals in mass 
media, public relations and
marketing) that resulted in planning tools for a revised curriculum 
and laid the foundation for
future evaluations. Outcomes of the strategic planning process 
included the department's mission
and objectives statement; a model of communications for curriculum 
planning; course planning
documents for evaluating the implementation of the department's 
mission; and a long-range plan
for the development and assessment of the department's curricular efforts.
The strategic planning initiative that culminated in 1999 yielded a 
major redesign of the
communication curriculum. In the process, old courses were evaluated 
and reconstituted, new
courses were introduced and the concentrations were reorganized to 
better reflect communication
career opportunities and the skill sets necessary to be successful 
professional communicators.
That "new" curriculum, Curriculum 2000, was implemented in 2000.
The Nature of Communication
The department began the 1997-99 curriculum review with an agreement 
on the definition
of communication: the process of sharing meaning between or among a source and
receiver(s). (Department ,1998)
This definition takes into account the primacy of the audience. The 
definition implies the
importance of matching the desires of the client with the needs and 
limitations of the audience
they wish to reach. Important to our methods of teaching, this 
definition focuses upon communication
as a process to share meaning rather than a simple, and false, notion 
that communication is
the transmission of ideas or information.
Communication is a complex process in which humans transmit symbols through a
medium in order to evoke shared meanings. It is the very nature of 
meaning (it is in the mind)
and the nature of symbols (they merely represent meanings) that 
present the greatest challenge.
Following the advice of I. A. Richards (1965) the curriculum includes
...a study of misunderstanding and its remedies. We struggle all our 
days with misunderstandings
and no apology is required for any study which can prevent or remove them.
Curriculum Redesign - 8
Indeed, humans cannot transmit ideas or information, rather they can 
only transmit
symbols that stand for ideas or information. Communications students 
are challenged to encode
ideas with the most appropriate symbols whether those symbols are 
words, visual images, or
sounds. Additionally, the symbols must be adequately transmitted 
through the selected medium.
This leads to the next challenge: teaching students to select and 
manipulate the most
appropriate medium for carrying messages (made up of symbols) to the 
desired audience. Not
every audience has access to every medium and not every client can 
afford every medium. A
compromise between the ideal and the practical must be made that 
optimizes opportunities for
the sender and receiver to meet and share meaning.
The following model (Figure 2) best reflects our department's 
understanding of the
communication process and our department's pedagogy.
Using the Model as a Tool for Curriculum Design
Borrowing from a number of traditional and transactional models of 
communications, the
gist of developing a department model for use in curriculum 
development was to reinforce key
concepts about the problem-solving process inherent in professional 
communications at all
levels: mass communications and corporate communications.
This model was designed to be used as an instrument to guide 
curriculum development
and assist in teaching. Because we never know when the communication 
specialist's skills and
knowledge will be brought to bear on the context, this model does not 
assume a temporal nature:
it is not a visual representation of the process of communication 
with a beginning or end. The
communications specialist must be aware that the communication 
situation may have been in
existence long before the client called in the specialist. This model 
serves to remind both the
instructor and student of the important elements that must be 
considered when attempting to
create a communicative message, and ultimately, a solution to a 
communications challenge.
Therefore, this model is a "snapshot" displaying the relationship of 
the elements to one another,
rather than a flowchart.
Curriculum Redesign - 9
context, is symbolized by the dotted line along the outside. 
Communication does not occur in a
vacuum, it occurs in a context: a culture with history, norms, 
events, other persons, etc. The line
is broken to show that contexts are not isolated due to 
communications technologies. Frequent
interaction afforded by these technologies cause constant change.
message would not be needed. This model acknowledges a primary 
audience and a secondary
and tertiary audience. While the message is designed for the primary 
audience, the communication
specialist must acknowledge that a secondary and tertiary audience 
may also receive the
message.
Some elements of this model are more important than others. The first 
element, the
Another element that is just as important is the audience. If an 
audience did not exist, a
The communication specialist must also note that the message sent 
does not remain
pristine. First, semantic noise within the minds of all audience 
members (symbolized by the
small lightening bolts) may limit or distort the message.
The audience member's understanding of the message may also be 
distorted through
). This talk about the intra-audience communication, symbolized by 
the circular arrows (
message can change audience understanding as the talk reframes or 
reinterprets the message.
Members of the primary audience may talk with members of the 
secondary or tertiary audiences.
Again, this reframes or reinterprets the original message and that 
interaudience communication
) may be distorted. (
The next element is the subject matter of the message. Communication 
tends to be a
response to something in the context and the subject symbolizes these 
events, new ideas, needs,
etc. Subjects are not always independent of other subjects as shown 
by the juxtaposition of these
model elements.
In the lower right corner of the model is the communication 
specialist and the client
sender: the people who create the message. These two people must 
adapt themselves to all of the
other elements in the model to create effective messages. The 
interpersonal communication
that occurs between the client sender and the communication 
specialist as they work together is
Curriculum Redesign - 10
symbolized by the circular arrows with lightening bolts through them. 
This interpersonal communication
is complex and challenging as well. The communication specialist must 
adapt messages
to fit the needs of the client sender.
The large gray cloud emanating from the communication specialist and 
client sender
toward the primary audience symbolizes the message being carried on a 
medium. The large
lightening bolt symbolizes physical noise, which is some sort of 
disruption in the medium that
limits the audience member's ability to receive the message.
The fence symbolizes barriers that may exist between the 
communication specialist/
client sender and the audience.
The last part of the model is feedback, a message from the audience 
telling the communication
specialist and the client sender how the audience responded to the 
message. The symbol
for feedback is small and broken (symbolized by arrowheads) because 
the audience does not
always have the opportunity to respond directly to the communication 
specialist/client sender.
The model's purpose is to indicate to the student what the elements 
of the communication
situation are and what his or her relationship to those elements is. 
As a curriculum development
tool, this model indicates the necessity for a number of skills on 
the part of the communications
specialist: mass communication and corporate communication.
Basic Message Design
After the model was developed, it was applied to the development of a 
basic message
design. The basics of message design include: 1) establish the 
purpose of the message; 2) analyze
the audience, situation, message topic, relationship of the sender to 
the audience, etc. to select the
most appropriate content; 3) arrange the content of the message in 
the most understandable and
influencing way; 4) produce the mediated message using the most 
appropriate medium and
production techniques for the message based upon the purpose, 
analysis, and arrangement; 5)
receive feedback from a test audience; 6) evaluate the feedback from 
the test audience to assess
whether the message met its purpose; 7) revise the mediated message 
according to the evalua-
Curriculum Redesign - 11
tion; 8) deliver the mediated message to the actual audience; and 9) 
evaluate the actual effects of
the mediated message upon the audience to assess whether the purpose 
was met. Each step can
be visualized on the model and the model can be used to anticipate 
what must be done to successfully
share meaning with an audience.
Integrating the Basics and the Model
The fundamental teaching philosophy of this department is that both 
theory and practice
are necessary elements for communicative success. Students learn best 
when theory is applied
through hands-on practice in both simulations and actual 
communication situations. All courses
are to include a theoretical foundation with a focus on 
creative/aesthetic practice.
First, students must have a base of knowledge. The instructor is 
responsible for introducing
students to the basics of the discipline (the model, message design, 
production techniques,
etc.) and for reinforcing the learning done outside the department so 
that students appreciate the
importance of good message construction techniques and have an 
understanding of the subject of
the message. This knowledge may be best learned through traditional 
teaching methods of
lecture, readings, and objective evaluations. Yet, this type of 
teaching and learning is done with
the understanding that communications specialists are expected to 
apply knowledge rather than
simply repeat it.
offer opportunities for the students to apply their critical thinking 
skills to that knowledge. The
instructor must create a learning environment that requires students 
to become actively engaged
with the course content — to articulate the theoretical basis for a 
problem or a solution.
themselves in experiential learning. To this end, courses incorporate 
oral, written and mediated
experiential learning objectives. Students produce the message by 
manipulating various production
elements for success in using the appropriate delivery systems.
Second, not only must the instructor introduce students to knowledge, 
he or she must
In each class, as it is possible and appropriate, students are 
required to additionally apply
By taking a theory and practice approach, a higher level of learning 
is expected from our
Curriculum Redesign - 12
students; students are expected to make cognitive connections on 
their own through their own
discovery. By consistently laying out the basics of message 
construction through the model and
the design, we establish a foundation for experiential learning in 
all courses.
This theory and practice philosophy has some implementation 
challenges as experiential
learning methods tend to break the 
lecture-notes-memorization-examination cycle that students
have come to expect. When students encounter classroom activities 
that do not fit into their
expectations, they may "retaliate" by giving less than favorable 
professor evaluations. The
department faculty agree to stand firm as a department to encourage 
students to value these
learning opportunities for what they are, more realistic 
communications learning experiences.
Evaluation of the Basics of Communication
A wide variety of evaluation techniques are used by the members of 
the department.
Some evaluation methods tend to be subjective while others are 
objective depending on the
materials being learned. Of the assessment statements submitted for 
evaluating messages or
communication productions, the following elements were universal. 
These elements serve as a
basis for a departmental wide evaluation standard. Each are expanded 
upon in the curriculum
document and require the faculty member to include specific detail.
1) Is the message adapted to the audience?
2) Does the mediation or performance display quality techniques?
What must be clearly communicated to the students is that while poor 
production or
performance qualities can render a good, clear message 
unintelligible, a nonsensical message
cannot be enhanced or "fixed" with quality production or performance. 
A match between the
audience and the message comes first, even in a production course. 
Student evaluation is based
on understanding theory, articulation of a message based on those 
theories, and command of
production components for successful integration of message design 
and delivery.
Curriculum Redesign - 13
Realizing the Mission and Objectives through Curriculum Development
The mission statement served as the guiding principle to be applied 
to the development of
the curriculum and its courses. To paraphrase from the department 
mission statement, we must
balance student expectations with the faculty expectations of theory 
and practice, while maintaining
the tradition of the liberal arts in pursuit of professional excellence.
As a logical next step, faculty developed the various courses to be 
taught as part of the
curriculum. Prior to creating the courses, it was important to 
revisit the mission and objectives,
draw out those important key ideas that were enunciated as critical 
to what we do, and use them
as a basic philosophy and organizing tenets for the creation of 
courses. This process was accomplished
through a q-sort exercise. The content of the q-sort data was 
developed from the tenets of
the department's mission and objectives statements, as well as from 
the data collected from
alumni and invited communications experts/professionals. The q-sort 
exercise resulted in the
general areas of study for the curriculum (see Figure 5).
The mission statement provided key goals for the organization of the 
curriculum: creation
of an educational environment, professional expertise, technical 
acumen, critical judgement and
individual creativity. These goals serve as the organizing principles 
around which teaching and
learning take place.
The objectives of the department curriculum (1998) are to integrate 
learning with the
liberal arts curriculum of the college, apply that knowledge to a 
variety of disciplines, and to
provide challenging experiential learning opportunities. These 
objectives inherently represent the
three domains of learning (Hanclosky, 1995): Cognitive (knowledge), 
Affective (values and
attitudes), and Psychomotor Learning (skills). Appendix A applies the 
domains to the communications
curriculum development (Kemp and Smellie, 1994 & Christ, 1997).
Achievement of the mission statement by stressing these three key 
areas of learning is
accomplished by several enabling objectives. These enabling 
objectives provide the specific
benchmarks around which courses are organized.
The key components of the mission statement, its objectives, and the 
enabling objectives
are represented in Figure 3.
Curriculum Redesign - 14
Operationalizing the Mission and Objectives in Courses
This approach to curriculum development requires courses to show 
congruency with the
mission statement and objectives not only in organization but also in 
specific course objectives
that in and of themselves are designed to satisfy those things that 
we agree are being taught and
learned in our curriculum.
To this end, the following procedures and assumptions were 
established as a result of the
strategic planning process.
• A matrix (Figure 4) was developed that systematically shows the 
relationships between the
mission statement's goals and objectives, the curriculum enabling 
objectives, and the specific
course objectives. Each course in the curriculum was developed 
(course description and
course objectives) using this form. Departmental approval for courses 
requires the use of this
form along with a course syllabus.
• This matrix was designed to organize the mission statement's goals 
and objectives, as well as
the course objectives into the three general modes of learning: 
cognitive, affective and
psychomotor.
• Course objectives address all of the mission statement's goals and 
objectives and do so at a
variety of levels within the hierarchy of each domain of learning 
(Hanclosky, 1995). Generally,
courses at the 100-200 level seek to achieve the lower to mid-levels 
of difficulty in each
hierarchy; courses at the 300-400 level strive to reach the top of 
each hierarchy.
• Each course incorporates objectives in all three domains of 
learning. It is understood that
objectives may meet more than one domain of learning.
• The Elizabethtown College Integrated Model of Experiential Learning 
(Moore, 1996) served
(and continues to serve) as a guide for the faculty in the 
development of activities and psychomotor
learning in each course.
• Each course objective requires an assessment tool to evaluate the 
extent to which the student
has met the course objectives. The assessment tool may seek to 
evaluate learning in more
than one domain.
Curriculum Redesign - 15
 From the q-sort exercise, content areas (Figure 5) were established 
as those critical to a
curriculum in communications. These served as a basis for development 
of a course structure that
addressed (and continues to address) the department's curriculum philosophy.
Planning Learning Outcomes for the Curriculum
Outcomes assessment required a varied approach to determine the 
success of the departmental
mission and the curriculum. To this end, assessment was designed to 
include data collection
and analysis in two broad areas: statistical reports and anecdotal 
evaluations of department
courses. The curriculum revision and strategic planning process 
yielded an on-going outcomes
assessment program for the department.
Specific information included in these reports regarding faculty 
members' evaluations or
other personnel-specific information is for department internal use 
only. Nonspecific summaries
of the information may be shared without a breech of confidentiality 
to support ongoing curriculum
development decisions. The data collected and analyzed annually 
includes: annual course
statistics (course final grades, capstone final grades, student 
evaluations, etc.) and anecdotal
evaluations (student summary evaluation of graduating seniors, report 
of student award competitions
entered and awards earned, etc.).
The department strategic planning suggests the following assessment 
processes: alumni
evaluation conducted every 5 years—in years with a 0 or 5; an alumni 
board visitation and
evaluation conducted every 5 years—in years with 1 or 6; the 
formation of a professional advisory
council with visitation and evaluation conducted every 5 years—in 
years with a 2 or 7;
curriculum self-evaluation every 5 years—in years with a 3 or 8; and 
external evaluation with
visitation and evaluation by an external reviewer conducted every 5 
years—in years with a 4 or
9. External evaluations should address, in as much as possible, 
ACEJMC Accreditation Guidelines
and the Guidelines for Assessment addressed by the Department Chairs 
in February, 1998,
which include the resources available to the unit, teaching 
practices, curriculum, and learning
outcomes.
Curriculum Redesign - 16
At the conclusion of the strategic planning and curriculum review 
initiative, Curriculum
2000 was launched. Figure 6 summarizes the requirements of Curriculum 2000.
The new curriculum differed from its predecessor in the following 
ways. A number of
first year courses were reorganized and collapsed into an 
introductory course for majors. The
new curriculum included concentrations of study that better reflected 
the career and graduate
areas of study: mass communications (journalism and broadcasting); 
corporate communications/
public relations; corporate communications/marketing communications; 
and a new honors
concentration. The new curriculum required a minor area of study 
outside of the discipline of
communications, acknowledging that professional communicators must be 
able to communicate
on behalf of or about areas outside of communications. A number of 
special topics courses were
introduced including a course on association public relations and a 
course on marketing communications.
The new curriculum maintained the tradition of a generalist plan of 
study supported by
a specialization with many opportunities for student to choose 
electives to support their career
objectives.
Curriculum Revision Plan 2003
During 2001 and 2002 the College deliberated and ultimately adopted a 
4-credit system
and new college core curriculum program based on the 4-credit course 
system. This system was
adopted as a means to address faculty load issues and to provide a 
more concentrated or intense
content experience for students in every discipline. The shift to the 
4-credit system across the
campus reduced faculty load to three four-credit courses. The 
Department of Communications
was among the first departments to succeed at this process.
Logistics of the Curriculum Redesign
The Department of Communications' curriculum redesign was based on a minimum
expected number of credits to graduate under the new system of 128. 
The department faculty
returned to the roots of the strategic plan of 1999 and the mission 
and objectives of the program.
Curriculum Redesign - 17
The components established as part of the 1999 strategic plan and 
curriculum study were
tested through a self-assessment by department faculty and a focus 
group of external invited
experts/professionals. This was part of the department's regular 
external assessment process
defined earlier.
Unanimously, the department faculty and external reviewers agreed 
that the curriculum
component structure remained a sound foundation from which to build 
the 4-credit curriculum.
(Review Figure 5 for the curriculum components.)
In order to redesign the curriculum in light of the credit shift and 
anticipated course
intensity requirement, skill components were addressed and a number 
of skills were shifted or
repackaged from one course to another. Ultimately, some courses were 
collapsed into other
courses. Some courses were deleted or set aside as special topics 
courses to be offered by special
request. Some courses were simply strengthened with additional 
experiential activities to practice
essential skills.
Across the board, courses increased by degree of difficulty by 
including additional
content elements, more time devoted in the classroom for discussion 
(seat time), more time
devoted to out of class experiential assignments, and/or more intense 
work assignments requiring
competency and mastery before excelling.
The Elements of the Revision
A revision of curriculum content that retained the integrity of the 
components of Curriculum
2000 was accomplished in several ways.
1. Three courses were repackaged by combining and redistributing 
content among courses.
2. Practice-based student media experiences were retained as 
mandatory experiences for our
students; but were transcripted as no credit, Pass/No Pass.
3. Four courses were collapsed into two with emphasis on out of class 
work and assignments.
4. Some courses, usually those periodically offered special topic 
courses, were eliminated.
5. The concentrations were 18 credits (six 3-credit courses). The 
4-credit based structure re-
Curriculum Redesign - 18
quired a decrease to 16 credits (four 4-credit courses). Content 
elements were retained in
required courses. Additionally, electives satisfying the 
concentrations were revised.
6. The communications major curriculum continues to require a minor 
as part of the program.
Communication is one of those functions in our society that does not 
happen in a vacuum.
Communicators communicate about something. Requiring a minor reminds 
students that they
too should be developing an expertise or at least an appreciation for 
the fact that we communicate
on behalf of others, i.e., companies, organizations, communities.
In keeping with the discipline outlined in the 1999 strategic plan 
and curriculum review
and assessment, all courses for the department were evaluated using 
the department matrix. New
syllabi and course descriptions and objectives were developed and 
approved by the department,
and further approved by the College's Academic Council.
Figure 7 summarizes the requirements of the new 2003 4-credit based 
curriculum. Figure
7 only includes those courses required or elective to completing the 
communications major; it
does not include service courses the department provides for the 
College Core program. Key
copy from the 2004-06 catalog of the college describing the major and 
minor appears in Figure 8.
Implementation of the new 4-credit curriculum
In keeping with the changes to the College curriculum, the Department 
of Communications
adopted new 4-credit curriculum. The new 4-credit curriculum launched 
in Fall 2003.
Students were encouraged to adopt the new curriculum as some courses 
from the old
Curriculum 2000 no longer existed in the new program. Most students 
in the transition from the
old curriculum to the new one would graduate with 128 or more credits 
due to the shift.
Implications for Freshmen
• All freshmen (rising freshmen) and incoming freshmen adopted the 4 
credit curriculum. Any
additional credits necessary to make up for 3 credit courses taken in 
the department core
were added to their free electives.
Curriculum Redesign - 19
Implications for Sophomores
• Sophomores who completed the majority of the department core 
requirements, were required
to meet the courses under the current (3-credit department core).
• If they had not begun courses toward their concentration, they were 
allowed to select from
the new (4 credit) concentration models. This was the hybrid of the 
old and new department
curricula.
• Sophomores who had begun concentration courses had to stay with 
their existing plan of
study and complete the courses necessary to meet the old curriculum.
Implications for Juniors
• Juniors who had completed department core requirements (except Com 
485, the capstone
course) and the majority of the concentration courses remained with 
the course requirements
of their existing plan of study.
• They scheduled 4-credit versions of the courses needed to complete 
their concentration and
minor. The additional credit per course was added to their bank of 
free electives for graduation.
Implications for Seniors
• No implications for seniors who graduated in May 2003.
• Seniors who graduated in December 2003 met the course requirements 
of the catalog in
which they entered the program.
CONCLUSION
The department is scheduled for an external review in 2005 and will 
evaluate the effectiveness
of the 4-credit revision at that time.
The curriculum design presented here has focused on the integration 
of writing, speaking
and communicating through the media. It has also incorporated the 
need for a sense of aesthetics,
Curriculum Redesign - 20
creative expression and experiential learning. This curriculum draws 
its success from its variety
of approaches and the way in which course requirements integrate with 
each other to educate a
"compleat" communicator. Elimination of any one of the benchmark 
emphases of the curriculum
weakens the overall education of the students.
The totality of the student educational experience has been the basis 
of success in the
Department of Communications at Elizabethtown College. It draws 
together the expected outcomes
of higher education, the institution and the department into one 
educational experience so
that those who graduate have shown that they possess more than a sheepskin.
The sound planning processes of the department and its unified vision 
of professional
communicators provide the administrative framework from which smooth 
curricular planning
and revisions are made without jeopardizing the education of today's 
and tomorrow's communicators.
REFERENCES
Christ, W. G. (1997). Defining media education. In Media education 
assessment handbook.
Christ, W. G. (Ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Department of Communications (1998). Section 9: Curriculum Philosophy 
and Plan, Department
of Communications Policy Manual, Elizabethtown College, Pennsylvania.
Department of Communications (2003). Section 9: Curriculum Philosophy 
and Plan, Department
of Communications Policy Manual, Elizabethtown College, Pennsylvania.
Elizabethtown College (2004). Elizabethtown College at a Glance, 
Elizabethtown College
Website. Available at: http//www.etown.edu/At-a-Glance.htm. January 20, 2005.
Fowlston, Lindsay (Spring, 2003). Communications at Elizabethtown 
College: A look back, The
Jay Crew Magazine, p. 9, 13.
Hanclosky, W. (1995). Principle of media development. White Plains, 
NY: Knowledge Industry
Publications, Inc.
Kemp, J. and Smellie, D. (1994). Planning, producing, and using 
instructional technologies. (7th
edition). New York: HarperCollins.
Moore, R.C. (1996). "The Elizabethtown College Communications Model 
of Integrated Experiential
Learning," in Administering experiential learning programs. Christ, 
W. ed. Hillsdale,
NJ: Erlbaum.
Richards, I. A. (1965). The philosophy of rhetoric, New York: Oxford 
University Press.
Curriculum Redesign - 21
Figure 1: Department Mission and Direction as developed from the 1997 
and 199 strategic planning activities.
The Department of Communications
Mission Statement
The Department of Communications provides an educational environment 
which ensures
students the opportunity to develop professional expertise by 
demonstrating technical acumen,
critical judgment, and individual creativity.
Objectives
The departmental course of study is designed to encourage students to 
integrate their learning
with the liberal arts curriculum of the college and apply their 
knowledge to a variety of disciplines
through the pursuit of complementary minors and second majors; 
participation in cocurricular
activities; and the challenge of experiential learning opportunities.
Enabling Objectives
This is accomplished by:
• enabling the student to evaluate and process learning through the 
synthesis of concepts and
the creation of new ideas;
• enhancing skills in written, oral, and visual communication;
• enabling the student to develop an informed idea of design and 
production and to effectively
use a variety of forms of mediated communication;
• providing the means to acquire program and project management 
abilities pertaining to the
communications professions including independent and cooperative endeavors;
• promoting student responsibility, leadership, and service by 
applying special knowledge to
problems and opportunities within the college and the broader community; and
• making available a variety of quality experiential learning 
opportunities, on and off campus.
A balance is sought among the personal expectations of the student, 
theoretical and pragmatic
expectations of the faculty, those of the profession, and the spirit 
and tradition of a liberal
education experience.
The department recognizes and fosters the value of communications as 
a basis for further study
in a variety of graduate programs. Students are encouraged to view 
learning as a lifelong process.
(Department of Communications, adopted 1/15/97, ammended 1/12/98)
Curriculum Redesign - 22
Figure 2: The Department of Communications Model for Curriculum Planning
Figure 3: Relationships of Mission Goals & Objectives (as applied to 
the curriculum and its development)
1. Educational • create an atmosphere fostering student initiative 
and responsibility.
environment • develop teaching strategies and learning activities 
which encourage self investigation
2. Professional • technical acumen: describe clearly all technical 
abilities to be mastered and the level
expertise
3. Objectives:
4. Enabling
Objectives
Curriculum Redesign - 23
and self expression.
• small classes, student interaction, office hours kept, special 
appointments, professional
decorum.
that determines satisfactory to excellent.
• critical judgement: promote self and peer evaluation. Students 
develop the ability to
discern and discriminate among ideas and information and make the 
proper choices in
selecting media strategies, appropriate media, content, and 
production values. Use
instructor evaluation of students for the benefit of all students.
• creativity: place a premium on evaluation of performance that is creative.
Promote unique approaches.
• integrate liberal arts: class assignments, discussion, etc. Focus 
other disciplines.
• students knowledge of other disciplines is critically used in the 
creation of messages
and production of communications.
• use students' second major/minor and activities as sources for 
course discussion and
projects.
• activities: reward students for excellence, leadership positions, 
etc. in activities.
Cocurricular transcript, other citations.
• adopt and formally implement Model of Experiential learning.
• All listed as part of the Mission Statement are incorporated into 
course syllabi with
each being met through a wide variety of approaches and projects.
Curriculum Redesign - 24
Figure 4: Commuication Mission/Course Objective Matrix
Figure 5: Areas of Study for the Communications Curriculum
MESSAGE DESIGN
• Message Design
- Audience Analysis
- Content development & selection
- Arrangement
- Style/Aesthetics
- Media Selection
- Evaluation
• Writing/Editing
- Creative
- News
- Business
- Scripting
- Copy
- Speech
• Instructional Design
THEORY
• Aesthetic Ability
- Visual (Still/Motion)
- Audio
- Language
- Poetic/Literary
• Theories of Human & Mass Comm.
• History of Communication/Mass Communication
• Society and Technology
• International Communication
• Interpersonal Communication
• Organizational Communication
• Persuasion
• Small Group Communication
• Cross-Cultural/Minority Comm
Curriculum Redesign - 25
PRODUCTION/PERFORMANCE
• Public Performance
- Public Speaking
- Mediated Presentations
- Oral Performance of Scripts
• Computer Applications
- Word Processing
- Spread Sheets
- Graphics (drawing/illustrating)
- DTP
- Multimedia
- Non-linear audio/video editing
- Digital Photography
- Image Editing
• Production
- Multimedia
- Digital (photo, audio, video, graphics)
- Analog Photo (black & white)
- Broadcast
• Distance learning
PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY
• Research
- Library
- Internet/non-traditional
- Audience Surveying
• Professional Identity
• Ethics
• Issues in communication
• Communication Law, Broadcast Law & Regulation
• Project Management
- Design
- Budgeting
- Control
• Project Evaluation
Figure 6: The Major Requirements of Curriculum 2000.
Overview
College Core
Department of Communications Core
Communications Concentration
(ideally chosen during the sophomore year of study)
Required Minor and General Electives
Total Credits for Graduation
Course
120 Introduction to Communications
209 Communications Theory
125 Media Design and Production
135 Publication Design and Graphics
205 A, C, D Applied Comms
210 Public Performance & Presentn
248 Communication Law and Ethics
255 Multimedia Design and Production
485 Communications Seminar
304 Persuasion
311 Reporting & News Writing
314 Feature Writing for the Media
316 Broadcast News Writing
323 Broadcast Copy and Promotions
426 Broadcast Programming
321 Advanced Audio Production
333 Organizational Communication
422 Media Management
336 Advanced Video Production
348 Advanced Media Production
351 Public Relations
358 Marketing Communications
371-379 Special Topics
408 Organizational Training
411 Telecommunications
412 Advanced Public Relations
417 Fund Raising & Association PR
424 Script and Screenwriting
471, 472 Practicum and Internship
474 Internship
Notes:
R = indicates the course is required for the concentration. E = 
indicates that it is an elective for a concentration.
Crt
3
3
3.5
3.5
1.5
3
3
3.5
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
Var
12
43-44 credits
27
18
36-37
125
Dept Core
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Curriculum Redesign - 26
Concentrations
MarCom MassCom PublicRel
E
R
E
R
E E
R R
E
R
E
E
E
E E
E
E E
E
R
RE
RE
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
Figure 7: Requirements of 2003 4-credit Curriculum
Overview
New College Core
Department of Communications Core
Communications Concentration
Required Minor and General Electives
Total Credits for Graduation
Course
120 Introduction to Communications
125 Media Design and Production
135 Publication Design and Graphics
205 A, C, D Applied Comms
210 Public Performance & Presentn
248 Communication Law and Ethics
255 Multimedia Design and Production
485 Communications Seminar
304 Persuasion
311 Reporting & News Writing for Print Media
316 Broadcast News &Copy Writg
426 Broadcast Prog & Promotion
321 Advanced Audio Production
333 Organizational Communication
422 Media Management
336 Advanced Video Production
348 Advanced Media Production
351 Public Relations
358 Marketing Communications
371-379 Special Topics
408 Organizational Training
412 Advanced Public Relations
424 Script and Screenwriting
471, 472 Practicum and Internship
474 Internship
480-489 Independent Study
Notes:
R = indicates the course is required for the concentration. E = 
indicates that it is an elective for a concentration
44
28
16
40
128
Dept Core Crt
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
4
4
4
0
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
Var
12
Var
Curriculum Redesign - 27
Concentrations
MarCom MassCom PublicRel
E
R
E
E
R
E
E E
E
R
E
E
R
E E
E
R E
R
R
E
E
E
E
E
E
E
Curriculum Redesign - 28
Figure 8: The 2003 Elizabethtown College catalog description of the 
Department of Communications and its
courses and programs.(College Catalog, 2003-04)
The Department offers a comprehensive preparation in the field of 
communications
firmly grounded in a well-rounded liberal arts education. In addition 
to developing
written, spoken, and performance skills, students learn the theory, 
design, management,
and production of communication. Advanced courses in oral 
communication, management,
graphics, audio and video production, among others, permit 
upper-class majors to
advance into areas of concentration. Students may elect a 
concentration from: Corporate
Communications (either public relations or marketing communications), 
Mass Communication,
or a self-designed Honors Communications concentration.
Department facilities are located in the Steinman Center for Communications
and Art. This center contains modern equipment in audio and video 
studios, satellite
communications and in photography, graphics, and multi-image 
laboratories. The student
radio station, WWEC 88.3 FM, and the 24-hour local access cable 
television production
facility, ECTV-Channel 40, are housed in the center.
The curriculum is complemented by a number of departmental student 
organizations:
National Broadcasting Society - Alpha Epsilon Rho (Honors Society), WWEC
88.3 FM Radio, Photography Club, Society for Collegiate Journalists 
(Honorary Society),
International Association of Business Communicators (Elizabethtown College
chapter) and ECTV Channel 40. In addition, The Etownian (student 
newspaper) and the
Conestogan (yearbook), as departmentally related student activities, 
provide excellent
journalism experiences for majors. These organizations sponsor 
speakers, workshops,
contests, and field trips to enhance campus life and especially to 
make the student's
classroom experience more meaningful.
The curriculum, complemented by many co-curricular activities, prepares majors
for careers in corporate and institutional communications, public 
relations, marketing
communications, broadcasting, newspaper and magazine writing and 
reporting, advertising,
sales, law, the ministry, and many more fields.
Graduates are prepared as communications generalists. However, required
additional courses in an area of concentration permit students to 
focus their general
preparation into a specific area of career interest.
The 44 credits required for a bachelor of arts degree with a communications
major include Communications 120, 125, 135, 205 (repeated for three 
semesters), 210,
248, 255, 485, and 16 credits in a concentration.
Prior to preregistration for the junior year, the student must elect 
a communications
concentration, which requires 16 credits.
All majors are required to complete a minor area of study chosen in 
consultation
with their advisor. The minor allows for complementary preparation in 
another discipline.
The minor is also declared prior to pre-registration for the junior year.
The Department offers four concentrations:
The Corporate Communications concentration prepares students as professional
communicators for the challenges presented by commercial and 
non-profit organizations.
The Corporate Communications: Public Relations concentration develops 
those skills
Figure 8 continued on next page
Curriculum Redesign - 29
Figure 8: The 2003 Elizabethtown College catalog description of the 
Department of Communications and its
courses and programs.(College Catalog, 2003-04)
necessary for creating and disseminating information for internal or 
external audiences
of an organization -- from publication design to training programs to 
corporate image
management. The Corporate Communications: Marketing Communications 
concentration
merges expertise in communications and promotions with courses from 
the business
department including marketing and advertising.
There are three required courses in the concentration and one elective course
chosen from a selection of communication and business courses. Public 
relations requires:
Communications 311, 351 and 412. Communications electives are chosen from:
Communications 304, 323, 333, 348, and 408. Non-communication electives are:
Business Administration 265, 317, 330, 355, 369, 467, 468. Marketing 
communications
requires: Communications 311, 358, and Business Administration 215. 
Communications
electives are chosen from: Communications 304, 348, 351, 412. 
Non-communications
electives are: Business Administration 311, 312, 313, 317, 319, 330, 414.
The Mass Communications concentration educates students for professional
positions in the mass media industry, such as print, broadcast, and 
Internet based media.
With a foundation in writing for the media, the student has a variety 
of options for
production, writing and media management courses. Required are 
Communications 311,
316, and two approved electives to be chosen from the following: 321, 
336, 348, 422,
424, and 426.
The Self-designed Honors Communications concentration permits students to
develop a named independent plan of study to prepare for a specific 
professional communications
career. Examples of a self-designed concentration might include: documentary
news production, sports information/communications, photojournalism or health
communications. This concentration will require 16 credit hours of 
pre-approved courses
with the required minor being an allied area of study. Requirements 
to declare this
concentration option include: a 2.70 grade point average and a 3.00 
in the major and a
plan of study submitted to department faculty (through the faculty 
advisor) by February
15 of the sophomore year. The proposal must include a statement of 
purpose, goal and
objectives and a plan of study (outlining courses and alternate 
courses) to be taken
during the junior and senior year. The complementary minor must be 
selected with a
rationale for its integration into the concentration. The approved 
concentration serves as
a contract for graduation. Failure to maintain the required GPA or 
deviation from the
plan will void the contract and the student will select one of the 
other concentrations to
complete the degree.
A minor in communications is offered to students majoring in other 
departments.
The minor permits a student to reach a level of competency in 
written, spoken, and
visual communications to complement their primary area of 
preparation. The 24 credits
required for a minor in communications include Communications 120, 
125, 135 or 255,
210, 205 (repeated for 2 semesters in different activities) and two 
communications
electives. One elective is from the 200 level and one course elected 
at the 300-400 level,
only one (1) of which may be a production course.
Curriculum Redesign - 30
APPENDIX A
COGNITIVE DOMAIN
Knowledge
Comprehension
Application
Analysis
Synthesis
Evaluation
AFFECTIVE DOMAIN
Receiving
Responding
Valuing
Organization
Value Complex
Skill Sets
New Skills
sion
Domains Of Learning: Definition Of Terms
Knowledge, information, other intellectual skills COGNITIVE DOMAIN
Attitudes, values, appreciations AFFECTIVE DOMAIN
Motion, skills, non-discursive communication, speech behaviors 
PSYCHOMOTOR DOMAIN
Recalling information
Interpreting information
Applying information, adapting knowledge and information. Shaping 
ideas. Attention to
audience.
Breaking information into parts. Strategy for organization.
Bringing together elements of information into a new whole. Creative 
thinking, problem
solving.
Making judgements against agreed criteria. Mastery of Knowledge. 
Leadership, capacity
to initiate, manage and carry a project to conclusion.
Attracting the learner's attention
Learner is willing to take action and apply values to a problem.
Committing oneself to an attitudinal position. Understand the 
societal context of learning.
Aesthetic sensibility.
Making adjustments or decisions from among several alternatives.
Integrating one's belief's, ideas, and attitudes into a total 
philosophy: Assume a professional
identity through values and ethics. Motivation for continual learning.
PSYCHOMOTOR DOMAIN
Learning basic skills which include movement, non-verbal, written and 
speech behaviors.
Communication/presentation process.
Building advanced skills by integrating the basics with new skills, 
ideas and greater
conception. Research, library, computer, design, aural/visual 
production. Creative planning
and production.
Satisfactory skill selection and performance with minimal errors
Development of professional competence. Shows imagination and concept 
development.
Competence
Proficiency
Skill Integration Skills are beyond practice and development but 
become part of one's professional expres-
Kemp, J. and Smellie, D. (1994). Planning, producing, and using 
instructional technologies. (7th edition). New
York: HarperCollins.
Curriculum Redesign - 31
Domains Of Learning: Areas For Study
COGNITIVE DOMAIN (Knowledge)
MASS COMMUNICATION A conceptual map of literature and documented 
experience that explains the relationship of media to
AND SOCIETY society and to individuals in society.
HISTORY
ECONOMICS
An overview both in conceptual and chronological terms of the history 
and traditions of communication,
its institutions, people, enterprises with a strong link to 
intellectual, cultural and economic history.
An examination of the economic basis of communications activity in 
the United States and internationally
should be tied to economic history, microeconomics and political economy.
PHILOSOPHY & ETHICS
LAW &
REGULATION
TECHNOLOGY
THEORY
A cultural review of the values on which communications is based, its 
aims and objectives.
A study of the system of freedom of expression under which we exist. 
Communications law, regulatory
patterns, legal practice of the profession.
The relationship of communications developments to technology and the 
collateral concerns for society
and individuals.
An examination of the various theories and scholarly traditions of 
the field (media effects, uses and
gratifications, cultural understanding, visual literacy.)
Develop international understanding including the literature of 
international mass communication,
development communication, and comparative communication.
INTERNATIONAL
COMMUNICATION
AFFECTIVE LEARNING (ATTITUDES, AFFECT, AND VALUES)
An ability to articulate an emotional response to learning and the 
media. An awareness of arts
and human behavior for both personal enrichment and application in 
the enhancement of the profession.
Identifying, understanding, critique of professional values, ethos, 
and expectations.
Demonstrate a defined set of ethics and values, in regard to 
communication competency, that
takes responsibility for self,others, and relationships and outcomes 
in communication interactions.
AESTHETIC
SENSIBILITY
PROFESSIONAL
IDENTITY
PROFESSIONAL
ETHICS
LEADERSHIP CAPACITY Development of an attitude or approach to or 
potential for leadership within the profession.
SCHOLARLY CONCERN An attention to inquiry, critical analysis and 
logical thinking. A desire to advance the
FOR IMPROVEMENT profession and to be open to spirited debate.
MOTIVATION FOR The exploring and expanding of personal, civic and 
professional knowledge and skill
CONTINUED LEARNING throughout a lifetime.
PSYCHOMOTOR LEARNING (SKILLS)
An examination of issues rationally, logically, and coherently. 
Projects should encourage selective discrimination,
analytical observation, and reasoned assessment based on factual data 
judged according to meaningful criteria.
A general knowledge and "hand-on" skills in computer applications in 
use in the curriculum.
Ability to systematically gather and use information from various 
sources pertinent to the discipline.
CRITICAL
THINKING
GENERAL
LITERACY Competency in the use of the language.
VISUAL LITERACY Understanding of visual grammar and phenomena in 
communication.
COMPUTER
LITERACY
INFORMATION
GATHERING
MEDIA WRITING
PRODUCTION
COMPETENCY
Ability to plan, develop, and write coherent messages for various 
media in a variety of areas of communications.
The ability to satisfactorily perform certain production behaviors 
with a cognitive understanding of those behaviors
and the choices between those behaviors. Mechanical (or preparation) 
level, creative production level, and a conceptual/
design level.
convey ideas and information.
An understanding of the societal context (environment) in which one 
is living and working—the interdependence
between profession and society.
Anticipating, adapting to, and promoting changes important to a 
professions's societal purpose
and professional's role.
COMMUNICATION The ability to read, write, speak, and listen and to 
use these processes effectively to acquire, develop, and
COMPETENCE
CONTEXTUAL
COMPETENCE
ADAPTIVE
COMPETENCE
Christ, W. G. (1997). Defining media education. In Media education 
assessment handbook. Christ, W. G. (Ed.).
Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.