Introduction to computer‐mediated communication: A master syllabus for teaching communication technology

Abstract

Communication educators are challenged to incorporate Internet‐ and World Wide Web‐based communication technologies into the classrooms, both to enhance pedagogy and to prepare students to compete in competitive job markets. Despite widely touted benefits of doing so, incorporating computer‐mediated communication (CMC) into instructional design and teaching it to students of communication poses instructional challenges. The purpose of this essay is to offer a foundation for presenting communication technologies to undergraduate and graduate students that overcomes prevalent obstacles to their grasping and using CMC for research and learning. This essay describes three overarching goals that teaching communication technology should meet: 1) conceptual understanding of CMC technologies, 2) development of technological skills, and 3) synthesis and incorporation of CMC into everyday work as an educational and business resource. The essay outlines instructional units, activities, and suggested readings, then proposes evaluation and assessment tools.