The Communication Factor
Newsletter of the Cain Project in Engineering and Professional Communication at Rice University Spring-2004

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Communication Research Yields Insights on Student Learning
by Julie Zeleznik

At Iowa State University, I conducted research about communication instruction in an innovative curricular initiative. It paired two upper-level courses—a soil science course and a report and proposal writing class. As students accepted responsibility for their recommendations, their communi-cation began to resemble the concise, purposeful communication of professional agronomists.

Given my interests, I was enthusiastic about being part of the new VIGRE program. I wanted to continue investigating how communication processes affect the development of expertise within groups.

As the VIGRE program was launched, I interviewed faculty and post-docs, distributed a survey to students, and attended many of the VIGRE classes and meetings. In VIGRE, undergraduate and graduate students study issues central to complex esearch problems in the mathematical sciences. These cutting-edge research topics include mathematically modeling the early stages of fruit fly development and studying the statistical aspects of bioinformatics and genomics. Working in small teams, faculty, post-docs, and graduate students and undergraduates from across the disciplines investigate these issues.
I have observed participants adopting new kinds of academic roles through their communication in these small teams. For example, after undergraduates described and wrote about preliminary research they had conducted, faculty often altered the direction of the team’s research design. Because students’ reports had real impact, they changed their perceptions of themselves—and their appreciation of mathematics research.
Undergrads and graduate students also had many opportunities to engage in one-on-one conversations about their research with post-docs and faculty. In other words, rather than relying on faculty lectures, these students were able to ask questions, explain their perspectives, and learn from stimulating intellectual discussions with faculty and post-docs. Such changes may transform how mathematical sciences are taught.
For example, in the Biomathematics (Regulatory Networks) Theme, small subgroups working on related problems reported to one another. One subgroup explored the role of the CREB gene circuit in the regulation of long-term memory while another began detailed mathematical studies of the precise workings of bacteriophage Lambda. Other members’ learning depended heavily on how well students could present and explain details of their work in group meetings.

In Computational Algebraic Geometry, Dr. Brendan Hassett paired a traditional seminar and an exploratory course that required students to experiment and comment on one another’s work. This exploration accelerated students’ mastery.
I have found communication is affecting the problem-solving processes of groups’ research as well as changing roles participants play in learning. Analyzing these innovations is not only exciting, but may eventually provide insights for other universities seeking to transform research programs through vertical integration.

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