Competency 1: Communication

Communication is a core competency to any graduate. Graduates in every field of study, even subjects which may seem diversely different, must be able to adequately communicate ideas and information to a range of different audiences. Graduates will use this skill to engage, inform, convince and capture their audience in an articulate and professional manner through written word, speech, reading, and listening capabilities. Mastery of communication does only encompass the ability to pass your thoughts to others, but requires an equally important part of being able to understand and learn when other are communicating to you. Graduates who are to be successful will use their skills in communication to reach out to others, and have the opportunity to make changes in the growing world that we live in today. A Master graduate shows communication by:

•Being able to communicate directly, honestly, and with purpose.
•Being able to extend and receive knowledge, to a variety of different audiences.
•Being able to communicate creatively in a variety of different techniques, including: written, spoken, digitally, etc… This is important so that the information reaches the intended audience in the most informative way.

Through out my time at UAS, I have gained an amazing amount of knowledge in the competency of communication. When I arrived at UAS in 2003 I never considered my self an efficient communicator. However, I now prepare to leave this institution with the great knowledge of how to effectively communicate a variety of knowledge, ideas, and experiences to a vast range of audiences.
I have taken I wide variety of both English and Communication courses, including: Fundamentals of Oral Communication (Comm 111), Methods of Written Communication (English 111), Leadership II (Comm 420), and Oral Interpretation (Comm 346). I have received high scores from each one of these classes, and left with a greater understanding of this knowledge.

Letter of Reccomendation from Donald Cecil
Letter of Recommendation from Susan H. Koester
Letter of Recommendation from Marcus Fuller

Another example of this has been my student teaching experiences throughout my educational career at UAS. When I first enrolled I was an elementary education major and in my second year of schooling I participated in a 25 hour practicum. Here I was evaluated by my host teacher, Paula Kalboener, who taught 2nd grade at Auke Bay Elementary. The evaluation was divided into personal qualities, Accountability, and communication. I received high marks on each category and developed a better understanding of how to work within a classroom.
Later in my Career, after completing the Leadership Communication 420 course with Sue Koester, I was asked to return to the class the following year to serve as a TA. Here I was responsible for leading discussion, creating and leading activities, talking to guest speakers about the class, and working with the Professors Elizabeth Schelle, and Vicki Orazem. After the class was over Elizabeth Schelle invited me to speak at the alternative Highschool numerous times about ethics, and help them create a bulletin that helped communicate what ethics were important to the particular class.

Auke Bay Elementary Review Student Teacher Evaluation
Leadership 220/420 Syllabus
Aquatic themed Bulletin Board on Ethics for Alternative High School
70's themed Bulletin Board on Ethics for Alternative High School
Article in Juneau Empire on Alternative High School Bulletin Board

I have also had the great opportunity to work as the TA for Humanities every semester since 2005. Throughout this experience I have worked to help develop the course, work as the liaison between the professor and students, and communicate through a number of activities and discussions.

Humanities 120 Syllabus
Letters From Students Sample 1 Sample 2 Sample 3
Humanities 120 Victor Frankl Activity
Humanities 120 Victor Frankl Discussion Questions
Humanities 120 Thinking Beyond UAS Activity

It was important for me in all my teaching assistant experiences to not only communicate to the class, but also to read and listen what they had to communicate to me. Often I would lead discussions on how the students felt about the class and how it was being taught, and also gave them time to write me anonymous letters talking about things they might have been scared to verbally communicate with me. Listening was a very important part of this communication experience
In 2005 I spoke to two audiences of 300+ elementary students, teachers,, ad parents for UAS’s annual “I’m going to College Day. During this lecture I talked to the children about the importance of going to college, as I shared my own personal story. This was a big accomplishment for myself, since I have always been shy of communicating to such a large group of individuals, but I overcame my fear and feel that my talk was an important part of the day.

Thank you letter from Barbara Burnett for Speaking at "I'm Going to College" Day

I have also worked on the UAS Resident’s Life team for many years, in many different positions. Often I have been asked to produce programs that engage, educate, and enroll residents to participate in community activities. This also meant I had to listen to students about what they wanted for programs, and how to make others more successful. To drawl people in I had to communicate to my peers about the event, its importance, and why they should come. This meant I had to communicate verbally, but also through a collection of clever advertisements, that were eye catching but also relayed the correct information they needed.

Poster Advertisement for Mardi Gras Dance
Picture Showing Student attendance at Mardi Gras Dance
Poster Advertisement for Tattoo Safety Program
Poster Advertisement for "Scary Stories on a Dark Night"
Bulletin Board Advertisement for Casino Night