From Facebook to Tweeting, texting, emailing, the latest iPhone 5’s and Droids all seem to play a significant role in the communication process between not just simply Bellevue College students amongst friends, family and whoever else needs to know about how the world is going. There is a segregated line between this simple idea and communication between teachers and students.
Faculty members here at BC have become frustrated with the idea of students not checking their BC email. Teachers send out important updates, test changes, dates of when tests are and when certain homework will be due. The spreading issue here on campus is that teachers will send out the information via BC email and students don’t check it and are left in the dark about what is going on in their classes, leaving teachers distraught.
Katherine Oleson, chair of the speech department, some about her feelings on the matter. “I think that a little perspective taking can go a long way when it comes to sorting out frustrations like this between students and faculty.” When asked what her recommendations are to help give advice to students and faculty to stop this communication error, Oleson stated, “So often we assume and/or expect that people should be able to communicate effectively. Unfortunately, we have little training in effective communication in our lives. Thus, I am a strong advocate of Communication Studies courses. Full disclosure: I teach in the Communication Studies Department and I am the chair, so I am a strong advocate for our course content. A course such as CMST&210: Interpersonal Communication is a valuable one to take. Students examine perception, listening, language and conflict management, just to name a few topics covered in that class. The content covered can positively impact a person’s life in many venues, such as in the workplace, with peer students, with faculty, with friends, with family and any other relationship. Even if I did not teach in this program, I think that I would be a strong advocate of such coursework.”
There has recently become more and more of compliants from staff and students that find it complicated to keep intouch with eachother outside of class. Teachers are actually only, says policy of BC, supposed to communicate using the BC email. Countless students fall into the pit whom do not regularly check their BC email which causes a huge frustration with teachers and students.