Assessing the Impact of the Interpersonal Communication Course

The purpose of this exploratory investigation was to identify a strategy for the assessment of the interpersonal communication course. As envisioned, the assessment process focused on key elements of the course: knowledge of concepts, theories, and research findings; development of interpersonal skills through verbal and written activities; and understanding of a range of interpersonal contexts. Through a course-embedded assessment procedure, the review process examined students, faculty, and the course itself through various forms of formal and informal, direct and indirect methods.

Findings revealed an increase in communication apprehension and decrease in interpersonal communication motives from the beginning of the term to the end. Relational communication perceptions were found to be similar for self and partner evaluations. Skills identified by the instructor were attained but were not found to have any significant relationship to final grades or course evaluations. Similarly, course evaluations and final grades were not found to be significantly related. These elements along with the faculty questionnaire provided insight into improving the impact of the Interpersonal Communication course.

Further analysis and future research directions are discussed.